The Benefits of Polarized Sunglasses
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It's a bright and sunny day out there - perfect conditions for driving, right? Wrong! Blinding glare from sun and vehicles is a contributing factor to ocular damage and fatal vehicle accidents.
More than 90 percent of reactions made behind the wheel depend on good vision. An Essilor study found that reaction times improved by one-third of a second for drivers who wear polarized prescription lenses. For a car traveling 80 km/h, one-third of a second allows a driver to stop seven metres sooner, or the length of an intersection. Polarized lenses improve vision clarity by 75 percent!
Besides the obvious damage you can do to your car, wearing sunglasses while you're driving (or any time you're outdoors) will help prevent ocular damage like macular degeneration, cataracts, wrinkles, and ugly yellow deposits on the white part of the eye (pinguecula).
How do they work?
Sunlight itself is not polarized – it's either absorbed or reflected. Sunlight bouncing off a horizontal surface will strike the driver’s eyes at a similar angle and produce strong glare.
Working like a venetian blind, polarized lenses have a laminated surface with vertical stripes that allow only vertical light to enter the eyes. Glare is eliminated because the horizontally-polarized light waves can’t bypass the polarized filter.
Trouble seeing during rush hour?
Over 60 percent of eyeglass wearers surveyed agree that glare from the sun makes it difficult to see while driving. The time of day also has a great effect. Our skin's exposure to UV light is highest between 10am-2pm. Our eyes are different! Our eyes get the most UV exposure when the sun is at an angle, typically between 8-10am and 2-4pm.
Make your driving experience safer and easier – eye-bar always has a great selection of prescription and non-prescription sunglasses. We've stocked up for the patio days ahead, too!
eye-bar is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada's Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.
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