A pair of sunglasses is very useful. It saves you from scorching heat on a hot sunny day, keeps your eyes protected from outside dust and harmful radiations, and at the same time enhances your style also. People make sure that their sunglasses are the most stylish ones but usually ignore the type of lenses they are paying for. Lenses play a crucial role in actually making your sunglasses 100% effective for your eyes and are more important than style.
You might be surprised knowing the fact that around 3 million people all around the world go blind due to prolonged exposure to UV rays. This number can be reduced if people are more aware of the importance of lenses in sunglasses. That is why we choose to write on this topic today. We are comparing the 2 most widely used lenses in sunglasses i.e. tinted and polarized lenses and will reach the conclusion which is better out of the two.
Tinted Lenses in Sunglasses
Tinted lenses are coloured or dyed lenses that come in a myriad of colours mainly brown and grey. However, the colour of the lens makes no difference in the level of protection it provides. Grey colour gives the true appearance of colours outside the frame and is more natural to look through.
The level of protection is decided by the density of the tint. So, it is clear that darker lenses are more protected than lighter hues.
What tint suits you all depends on individual preferences. If talking about the ideal density, it should be 100% dense to get maximum protection against harmful UV exposure.
Tinted lenses reduce the amount of glare under bright light. Some colours like brown improve the contrast and resolution of images. All in all, the darker the tint, the more precise and relaxed the vision you get.
Polarized Lenses Used in Sunglasses
Polarized lenses are newer than tint lenses in the sunglasses world. These lenses are more popular among no outdoor sporty persons. Be it a water sport or golfing or fishing, polarized lenses are their first choice.
Polarized lenses are specially designed for dealing with the ‘Glare’ factor of horizontal reflection of light. Just like tint lenses, it also has varieties in colours but again we like to iterate the same thing that the colour of lenses has nothing to do with the level of UV protection. These lenses allow only vertical reflection to pass through the lenses which automatically rule out the horizontal reflection of light.
Polarized lenses not only help reduce eye fatigue and eye strain but it gives excellent quality of colour contrast and saturation. These lenses eliminate the harmful effects of UV rays.
Tinted Vs Polarized Lenses
To reach a verdict that which of the two lenses is good for the sunglasses, we have summarised our observation in the following table. Subject to individual preferences, this verdict holds. Take a look –
Pros of Tinted Lenses –
- Tinted lenses offer huge Choices when it comes to colour variety and level of colour density.
- Tinted lenses are protected and comfortable. At the same time, they are perfect for fashion-forward people.
- These lenses are less costly than polarized ones.
Pros of Polarized Lenses –
- The clarity in vision is outstanding in polarized lenses. They are crystal clear in dealing with the glare on the ground as well under water.
- Eye strain, fatigue, and eye stress, there are no such problems caused.
- Polarized lenses convey the colours exactly as they are. This is what serves your purpose pretty well.
Cons of Tinted Lenses –
- Tinted lenses give full protection against UV rays but they fail in protecting from glare.
Cons of Polarized Lenses –
- Polarized lenses cost you more than tinted lenses.
Conclusion
Excessive exposure to light may harm our vision badly. Therefore wearing sunglasses outdoors is undoubtedly a wise decision. But it may go wrong if you make the wrong decision about lenses. This blog highlights the significance of choosing the right lenses and a 360° comparison of tinted vs. polarized lenses. However, a few factors depending on individual preferences. Hope it helps you next time when you think of buying the right pair of sunglasses.
