Polarized Sunglasses Review — Protect your Eyes with Style!

Nowadays, more and more people are aware of the harmful effects of the sun. As a result, most people will put on sunscreen when doing activities outdoors to protect their skin, but what about your eyes?

Now, do you need help picking a pair of sunglasses that are best suited for you? If so, you have come to the right place. Keep on reading!

I have outlined in my polarized sunglasses review what I consider to be the best sunglasses available on the market.

However, before revealing the best sunglasses to protect your eyes, there are a few things you need to consider before you start your online shopping to buy a pair of shades!

So, without further ado:

Why Do You Need to Buy Shades?

The UV rays have a detrimental effect and can cause skin cancer. Did you know that UV rays can also damage your eyes, and more specifically, the lens and the cornea? Therefore, a pair of sunglasses is an absolute must to protect your eyes against eye diseases, even on a cloudy day!

The sun’s radiation contains three types of UV rays:

UVA rays

Ultraviolet A radiation (UVA rays) can cause damage to the cornea, the lens, and also the retina.

The UVA rays cause cataracts by damaging the lens, leading to reduced eyesight.

Another eye disease attributed to UVA radiation is macular degeneration. In this case, the macula, a component of the retina, is damaged by the UVA rays, resulting in blurry vision.

UVB rays

The UVB radiation in small doses is responsible for the suntan. It increases the production of melanin, a skin pigment. However, at higher doses, the UVB rays can cause different forms of skin cancers and also premature aging of the skin, known as wrinkles.

Furthermore, the UVB radiation will cause the following eye problems:

• Pinguecula is a yellow bump that appears in the eye’s white zone (sclera), causing the thickening of the conjunctive tissue.
• Pterygium is the growth of the conjunctiva (tissue over the white area of the eye) into the cornea.
• Photokeratitis is sunburn of the cornea, which is also known as “snow blindness.” These blisters often cause temporary vision loss, lasting for a few days.

UVC rays

The ozone layers, fortunately, block the UVC rays. Thus, these rays that have the most damaging effects on the eyes and the skin do not reach us.

Myths vs. Facts about Sunglasses

Lens colors (Tints)

Myth: First off, contrary to popular belief, darker lenses do not offer better protection against UV rays! In fact, the level of UV protection is entirely unrelated to the color of the lenses.

Fact: The lens color will only have an impact on the contrast level, the clarity of the image, and the depth perception.

Fact: The darker color lenses are best suited for everyday use, while lenses with lighter colors are ideal for sporting activities.

However, the selection of the color of your lenses should be based on your personal preferences! You ought to pick a lens color that you are comfortable wearing to avoid eyestrain.

Polarized lenses

Myth: The polarized lenses protect against UV radiation’s damaging effects. This statement is entirely false!

Fact: The only function of the polarized lenses is to cut the glare caused by the light reflected from smooth or flat surfaces (snow, pavement, water, glass, and sand). By reducing the glare, the polarized lenses help lessen eyestrain.

A pair of shades with polarized lenses are a must! Why? Because polarized lenses provide a higher level of contrast, reducing the eyestrain and preventing many accidents from happening!

Sunglasses with polarized lenses are a bit more expensive to buy. However, they are worth the investment because of the many benefits of having polarized lenses.

So, now that you know why you need sunglasses, the next question becomes:

How to Choose the Best Sunglasses for You?

Of course, most people first think about the shape or the style of sunglasses. They want to look cool with their shades and make a fashion statement, and there is nothing wrong with that! However, keep in mind that you need to select a pair of sunglasses that fit the shape of your face!

There are five types of face shapes:

• Oval
• Square
• Round
• Oblong (the face is longer than wide)
• Heart shape (broad forehead along with a narrower chin and mouth)

Once, you have picked the shape that best fits your face, the next question that you need to address is:

Casual or sports sunglasses?

There are two types of sunglasses:

• Casual sunglasses are perfect for everyday use (for driving and walks).
• Sports sunglasses, as the name suggests, are for your favorite sporting activities.

Protection

As I mentioned earlier, what should be your NUMBER ONE criterion for the selection of a pair of sunglasses, is UV protection! You should only consider shades that block 99-100% of the UVA and UVB rays. If there is no mention of the level of protection against the UV rays, don’t buy the sunglasses! It will be a waste of money!

Size Matters!

Well, with sunglasses, the bigger they are, the better! You should consider buying a pair of sunglasses that cover more than just your eyes! You might have shades that offer excellent protection against the harmful effects of the UV rays, but if the sunglasses are too small, your eyes are not adequately protected. The UV radiations don’t just come from the front, but from all directions and angles as well!

So, you need a pair of sunglasses that also cover the sides and up to your cheekbones. These types of sunglasses are called wraparounds or oversized sunglasses. Thus, by having more coverage, there will be less UV radiation reaching your eyes, reducing the risks of eye diseases.

Furthermore, a bigger pair of sunglasses will help protect the skin around your eyes from skin cancer, and prevent wrinkles (premature aging of the skin)!

Ray-Ban RB2132 New Wayfarer Polarized Sunglasses

The frame of the Ray-Ban New Wayfarer Sunglasses is made with acetate. This is the material of choice for many high-end sunglasses.

The only upside to utilizing acetate is that it offers a broad range of frame color options. This will enable you to stand out from the crowd!

The Ray-Ban RB2132 New Wayfarer Polarized Sunglasses have some shortcomings:

• Not suitable for sporting activities
• Adjustments must be made by a professional. The reason for this is the acetate frame. This material is not very malleable, making the frame more susceptible to breakage.

I don’t recommend that you buy the Ray-Ban RB2132 New Wayfarer Polarized Sunglasses for your sporting activities. There is a high risk that you will break them!

However, these stylish aviator shades are ideal for everyday use to make a fashion statement, just like Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun!

Specs:

Customer Rating: 4.4 out of 5

Maui Jim Sugar Beach Polarized Sunglasses

First off, I own a pair of Maui Jim Sugar Beach Polarized Sunglasses. I find them to be very lightweight and comfortable to wear. I actually wear my Maui Jim Polarized Sunglasses for all my outdoor activities (driving, walking, hiking, skating, and playing volleyball)!

The Maui Jim sunglasses are sturdy and can withstand a lot of abuse, take it from me!

The frame is made of nylon, which is a very flexible material and more resistant than metal! The lenses are made of polycarbonate, a lightweight material that offers excellent shatter resistance but is less resistant to scratches.

The Maui Jim Sugar Beach Polarized Sunglasses are an excellent choice for sporting activities. The nylon frame and polycarbonate lenses provide exceptional stress resistance.

The polarized lenses are made-up of the technology called PolarizedPlus 2, which eliminates more than 99% of the glare! You get a clearer image and also reduce eyestrain.

Do you need more incentives for buying a pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses? If so, here it is: the Skin Cancer Foundation (USA) has included the Maui Jim Sunglasses on their list of recommended products for protecting your eyes from the harmful effects of the UV rays!

Specs:

Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Men’s Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 XL Polarized Sunglasses

The Half Jacket 2.0 XL is the best sports sunglasses on the market.

The O Matter ® Frame is made up of a composite and, more specifically, polycarbonate. The frame is lightweight yet stress-resistant, durable, and very flexible.

The Three-Point Fit technology consists of ear pads and nose pads made up of Unobtainium. This allows the frame to stay in place by providing a better grip, even when you sweat profusely during your favorite sporting activities.

An awesome feature is the interchangeable lenses, making the Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 XL more than just one pair of shades! You can swap the lenses in seconds and effortlessly, and according to your activities!

With the Oakley Polarized Sunglasses, you don’t need to buy a pair of shades for each outdoor activity you wish to do. Just buy the polarized lenses that you need.

There are 18 polarized interchangeable lenses to choose from! The interchangeable lenses are much cheaper to buy than a pair of shades! Their price varies between $ 30 and $60 on Amazon.

Specs:

Customer Rating: 4.4 out of 5

Women’s Oakley Rev Up Square Polarized Sunglasses

Ladies, the Oakley Rev Up Square Polarized Sunglasses will allow you to practice your favorite sports with style! In fact, these sunglasses are well suited for running, cycling, hiking as well as everyday use.

One of the drawbacks of traditional polarized lenses is optical distortion. This is due to the usage of glue to apply the polarized filters on the lenses. The optical distortion leads to eye fatigue along with blurred vision.

Oakley uses a unique patented technology for making their polarized lenses! The polarized filters are applied to the lenses without any use of glue. Hence, the polarized lenses can filter 99% of the reflected glare without any optical distortion! You get a sharper image which significantly reduces eye fatigue.

Therefore, for that reason as well as their lightweight, the Oakley Rev Up Polarized Sunglasses are more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

Furthermore, the Oakley Rev Up Sunglasses protect your eyes against UV radiation and the skin around your eyes!

Therefore, Oakley’s sunglasses will help prevent premature aging of the skin around your eyes or, if you prefer, in plainer terms, wrinkles!

Specs:

Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Conclusion

In this review, I examined the best-polarized sunglasses available on the market. Remember that UV protection is paramount! You must protect your eyes from the damaging effects of sun radiation.

The Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 XL polarized sunglasses are perfect for all the sports enthusiasts out there! The Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 XL sunglasses are the only pair of sunglasses you will ever need for all your outdoor activities!

The multiple interchangeable lenses allow you to adapt to your environment in seconds by simply swapping the lenses! The Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 XL polarized sunglasses offer the best value for the price.

Finally, the best-polarized sunglasses for you are the one that best fits your personal preferences. You need to protect your eyes without making any compromises regarding comfort while making a fashion statement!

I hope that you enjoyed this review. If you have any questions or would like to share your own review about sunglasses, please leave a comment below. I will get back to you.