Sunglass season is NOW! If you’ve heard terms like polarized lenses, non-polarized, anti-reflective (AR) lenses, or are in the market for a new pair of regular sunglasses, you may be wondering what’s the difference and what lenses would be best for your lifestyle and aesthetic needs. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of how polarized lenses differ from regular (non-polarized) sunglasses: 

Regular sunglasses reduce overall brightness and protect your eyes UV rays and intense light, but they don’t block glare. While not always the highest quality, regular sunglasses are ideal for casual wear, or when screen visibility is important but glare is not an issue. 

Polarized sunglasses do everything a regular sunglass does but they have a unique chemical film that filters out certain light waves, particularly those bouncing off flat surfaces like water, roads, snow, or metal. This special filter dramatically reduces glare and would be ideal those who spend a lot of time outdoors, near water, or in high-glare environments such as driving. 

One thing to note with polarized lenses: they can make it harder to see LCD or LED screens, such as smartphones, tablets, or car dashboards. Maybe this isn’t ideal for your lifestyle. Another sunglass add-on to elevate your frames is anti-reflective (AR) lenses.

What are anti-reflective (AR) lenses? 

Anti-reflective coatings stop glare coming off your lenses (so you see more clearly and others don’t see reflections in your glasses). Which differs from polarized lenses that stop glare coming at you from surfaces like water or roads.

The options are endless but the first step will always be to come visit us in-person! We can show you a wide variety of frames and thoroughly discuss all of your sunglass options.