6 Ways Polarized Lenses Can Change Your Summer

Summer is fleeting in Montana, so it’s important to get out there and take advantage of fun in the sun. Just as you need to protect your skin from the sun’s rays, it’s equally important to protect your eyes.

If you’ve ever looked into the sun, or at something reflecting the sun, you know what it feels like to be blinded by the light. That can lead to dangerous situations, but there is a solution, says Dr. Bill Hasquet of Montana Eyecare: polarized lenses.

Polarized sunglasses are specially coated with a thin film that absorbs horizontally polarized light, preventing glare from the sun or off of reflective surfaces like water and cars.

Here are 6 advantages to polarized lenses, according to Dr. Hasquet.

1. They Reduce Glare and Enhance Safety

A polarized lens removes glare by blocking reflected light, like the kind that blindsides us off the grill of an oncoming car while driving. Polarized lenses also help keep us safe while driving by reducing the glare off of hot roadways and bodies of water.

2. They’re Indispensable on Water

Speaking of water … water’s surface reflects blinding sunlight right into your eyes, but polarized lenses are the antidote. That’s why boaters and anglers wear polarized lenses while enjoying the water.

3. They Improve Vision

Reducing glare increases visual contrast and improves vision, revealing colors and images not visible without polarized lenses. Vision is much crisper, even in bright sunlight, with polarized lenses.

4. They Reduce Eye Strain

Glare causes squinting and straining, which leads to a variety of eye issues, including redness, eye irritation, eye fatigue, and headaches. It can also contribute to wrinkles. Eliminate all that by eliminating glare with polarized lenses.

5. They Reduce the Harmful Effects of UV Rays

Polarized lenses reduce the amount of exposure to UVA and UVB radiation. Quality sunglasses reflect 99-100 percent of each, hence, limiting your exposure to the harmful rays.

6. They’re Cost-Effective

Polarized lenses might cost a little more than non-polarized lenses, but they help eliminate a variety of health issues, not to mention the hazards of driving, boating or engaging in other high-speed activities with compromised vision. In this way, polarized lenses are the cheapest insurance plan ever purchased.

There are actually some situations for which polarized lenses are not appropriate, such as night driving and aircraft flying. Polarized lenses filter out much of the limited light available for driving at night and can create a hazard. They also filter out LCD displays, like those in airplane cockpits, which are crucial to pilots. You may notice this effect when attempting to read a tablet or e-reader at the beach. The LCD screen will appear black unless you remove your polarized sunglasses.

You only have two eyes, so take care of them. Contact Montana Eyecare today at (406) 443-2121 and find out how they can help you find the sunglasses that best protect your eyes this summer. Visit http://www.montanaeyecare.com/for more information.