In the eye care community, we are familiar with polarized sunglasses, but very few patients understand the technology behind these premium lenses.
At HOYA Vision Care Canada, we want to help you better explain and sell polarized lenses based on their benefits: they can be safer, more comfortable, and offer enhanced clarity and contrast over regular sun lenses.
Here’s everything you need to convey the value of polarized sunglasses to your patients.
Your patients need to know: what are polarized sunglasses?
To fully understand and explain how polarized lenses work, it’s important to know a little about how sunlight behaves and why it sometimes causes glare, discomfort, and reduced visibility.
Sunlight travels in the form of waves – light waves that travel in all directions. If all light waves had the same directional orientation, it would result in an unbearably bright intensity. On a small scale, this is what happens when sunlight strikes a flat, reflective surface.
The light waves that bounce back from such a surface are more uniform in their orientation than direct sunlight. This causes an intense reflection, brighter than that of surrounding objects. Sunlight can reflect off water, snow, and other surfaces, which is annoying but also dangerous.
Polarized sunglasses are specially designed to reduce that intense glare, keeping daily activities much safer and vision much more comfortable.
Polarized vs. non-polarized sunglasses
To get ahead of any patient questions, let’s break down the differences between sunglasses that are polarized vs. non-polarized.
Non-polarized sunglasses
“Why can’t I just have regular sunglasses?” your patient might ask. Regular sunglasses reduce reflective glare to some degree, but tints in regular sunglass lenses treat direct (randomly oriented) light rays and reflected (more aligned and intense) light rays equally.
Therefore, bright, reflective “hot spots” that affect your vision and comfort remain, even if they are a bit less intense.
Polarized sunglasses
Only polarized sunglass lenses have the technology required to selectively reduce the brightness of reflected light rays to a greater degree than the brightness of surrounding objects. By doing so, bright reflections are minimized for a more uniformly illuminated visual field – which means greater comfort and better visibility.
In addition to having a tint that reduces overall brightness, polarized prescription sunglasses have a special filter incorporated into the lens material. This thin film is chemically and mechanically engineered to absorb and filter light waves of a specific wave orientation that matches the orientation of most of the rays reflecting from flat, horizontal surfaces – such as the road, oncoming vehicles, or a body of water.
At-a-glance: benefits of polarized lenses
For a quick reference, here are the top benefits of polarized prescription sunglasses for your patients.
- Safer driving vision due to better visibility and less eye fatigue
- Fewer headaches from eye strain and squinting in bright sunlight
- Enhanced visual experience for most outdoor sports and activities
- Superior eye protection for sports (with Phoenix™ polarized lenses)
- More enjoyment of fishing and water sports due to better visibility
- 100% protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays
Polarized lenses: being safer in the snow
Living in Canada, snow is a part of our lives. Make sure that your patients know that protecting their eyes from the sun is just as important in winter as it is in summer.
Most people are aware that sun lenses should block the sun’s UV rays but for maximum eye protection, they should also shield the eyes from high-energy visible blue rays (HEV). We commonly refer to HEV as blue light and this contributes to visual haze and glare.
Polarized lenses should be a priority for your patients who want to protect their eyes from the harsh glare that comes with being around snow in the winter months.
Winter weather facts for patients consider:
- Weather conditions can change quickly in winter. Grey mornings are often followed by bright sunny afternoons that can be harmful to unprotected eyes. Trees have dropped their leaves, leaving less shade to protect the eyes from direct sunlight.
- The sun’s damaging UV and HEV rays can penetrate clouds, so sunglasses are important on overcast days, too.
- Because the sun is lower in the sky in winter, drivers often face high glare situations, with the sun shining directly into their eyes.
- Snow sports enthusiasts especially need protective sunglasses because they spend many hours in high UV and HEV exposure.
- Exposure to the sun’s UV and HEV rays is increased in winter because snow reflects significantly more solar radiation than grass, sand or pavement. Snow reflects approximately 80% of the sun’s UV rays, compared with grass, soil or water, which reflects less than 10%, and sand which reflects about 20%.
- The eye is very susceptible to UV and HEV damage, and too much winter sun can cause both short-term and permanent vision problems, including photokeratitis and cataracts.
Polarized lens solutions you can offer to your patients with confidence
1. LifeStyle® 3 Polarized
LifeStyle® 3 Polarized lenses offer a range of benefits for eye care professionals (ECPs) to recommend to their patients. These lenses are designed to provide superior glare protection and clarity in various lighting conditions.
Key benefits include:
- Enhanced vision comfort: Crafted to reduce glare, providing enhanced comfort and visual acuity. This makes them suitable for patients seeking optimal vision in outdoor activities.
- UV protection: Advanced UV protection, safeguarding the eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays. ECPs can emphasize the importance of UV protection for overall eye health.
- Stylish options: Available in a variety of styles, allowing ECPs to offer their patients both functional and fashionable eyewear options.