Polarized glasses: The guide to choosing your glasses wisely

What should be considered when buying sunglasses?

Aside from fashion, sunglasses must protect our eyes from UV rays.

The retina can be permanently damaged by intense sunlight, which is not felt at first, but deteriorates years later. Prevention through sunglasses, however, does not work through the tinting of the lenses.

Their brightness or darkness only affects glare protection. On the contrary: very dark sunglasses, but without a UV filter, further damage the eyes, as they allow more ultraviolet rays through the pupil than in bright conditions.

If you want to buy new glasses, you should pay attention to these 3 factors that are essential for the safety of your eyes:

- polarization

- UV protection (CE marking)

- Glare protection

What does polarized sunglasses mean?

If sunglasses are polarized, they feature an integrated polarizing filter. This reduces light reflections or even eliminates them completely.

The difference between polarized lenses and regular lenses is incredible, even impressive. Polarized lenses are particularly recommended for drivers, as they filter out all reflections from wet roads or the headlights of other vehicles.

This makes the journey not only more pleasant, but also much more safe.

Caution: LCD technology-based screens, such as mobile phone screens or computer monitors, are also equipped with a multi-function filter.

Unfortunately, this can make the screen go dark and much worse. The reason is that the filtering functions of the display and the polarized lenses overlap and amplify each other.

What do polarized sunglasses look like?

Like other sunglasses, it has a dark lens. Of course, this has the advantage of being less blinded by sunlight.

Even more decisive, thanks to polarization through the polarizing filter, reflections are filtered out. This allows for better perception of contrasts. Details are much more apparent and an improved perception of colors is thus enhanced.

These glasses are therefore perfect for extreme activities such as glacier excursions.

For water adventures, they are also ideal, as reflected rays on the water are filtered out. This allows you to see the waves more precisely. Polarized sunglasses can also be very useful when driving a car. Reflections from snow or sunlight are almost completely eliminated.

Model shown: Maui Jim Alekona tortoiseshell with a cat eye shape and polarized lenses

What should the UV protection of a pair of sunglasses be?

All sunglasses sold in the EU must bear the CE marking. This should be stamped or printed on the temple.

The CE label is a quality mark and proves that the sunglasses comply with the essential safety requirements of EU directives. However, these are only the most basic safety requirements, as each pair of sunglasses is not individually tested.

If you want sunglasses that allow you to walk in the sun with peace of mind, as they protect your eyes very well, you should seek advice from an optometrist.

At Céline Roland Opticien Lunetier, you can have every pair of glasses checked for UV protection with a special gauge.

Light has a broad color spectrum with different wavelengths. Not all sunglasses protect against radiation.

So-called blue light can reach a wavelength of 480 nanometers. Sunglasses that protect against it offer the best possible protection for your eyes.

A small tip: price does not always determine quality, but rather whether or not it is a branded product.

Anti-glare protection on sunglasses

Anti-glare protection itself does not protect the eyes from harmful rays, but helps prevent eye fatigue caused by constant brightness.

Intense light can lead to headaches and tired eyes over time. There are 5 different categories of anti-glare protection.

Category 0 offers only very slight glare protection for the evening (tinted 3 to 20%), while category 4, with a tint of 92 to 97%, is better suited to alpine and water sports. However, category 4 sunglasses should not be worn while driving.

Which polarized sunglasses are right for you?

To find the best polarized sunglasses for you, you need to pay attention to the selection. The following criteria should help you make your choice. 

- Glasses design

Design is a matter of personal preference. Protective glasses in the aviator style are a classic with typical teardrop-shaped lenses, a thin metal frame, and a double metal nose bridge. Chopard glasses with their subtle and elegant shape suit all occasions. Ray-Ban made them famous, and they can no longer be separated from everyday life.

The distinctive features are entirely rimmed with plastic lenses. Sports glasses are above all designed for their function, but they also look super cool thanks to their dynamic design. Most of the time, there are also mirrored sunglasses, a rubber bridge, and temple tips.

- The tint of the lenses

Many fall into the error of thinking that the tint of the lenses is directly linked to UV protection. In fact, one has nothing to do with the other. The tint only provides protection against brightness, but not against UV rays. The tint of sunglasses can be divided into five categories.

Category 0 filters are very lightly tinted glasses that protect sensitive eyes from normal light.

Filter category 1 includes lightly tinted glasses suitable for changing weather conditions and the associated eye strain.

In filter category 2, the glasses are medium-tinted and protect against moderate solar radiation. For beach holidays, opt for filter category 3 and therefore dark-tinted glasses.

Filter category 4 is due to very dark lenses for extreme sun exposure, as occurs at high altitude, which is appropriate. When choosing the optimal polarized sunglasses, you should pay particular attention to the tint and select the category for your personal use.

Are there unbreakable polarized sunglasses?

Ultimately, even the most rugged glasses will give way, but there are differences.

Scratch-resistant lenses will withstand a lot and are easy to clean. A sturdy frame allows the glasses to withstand drops on hard and rocky surfaces. This combination is particularly common in sports glasses designed to be used in extreme conditions.

Where can you find good polarized sunglasses?

You will find good sunglasses at Céline Roland Opticien Lunetier, where you will also find prescription glasses and ski masks.

If you are looking for affordable polarized sunglasses, you will also find them on our website.

Whether it's the best polarized sunglasses or the winner of the polarized sunglasses comparison from Stiftung Warentest, we recommend carrying out a polarized sunglasses test or a polarized sunglasses comparison.

The most popular manufacturers and brands of polarized sunglasses

Do you want to buy polarized sunglasses? Well-known sunglasses brands that sell polarized sunglasses, including children's sunglasses or baby sunglasses, are, for example, Ray-Ban and Oakley.

What difference polarized sunglasses make compared to ordinary sunglasses, you now know from the polarized sunglasses test or comparison. The model variants of polarized sunglasses for men or women are more than diverse.

In addition to uses such as polarized sunglasses for driving a car, polarized sunglasses for fishing, or polarized sunglasses for sailing.

When buying polarized sunglasses, whether for sport or leisure, take into account the UV protection information (UVA UVB protection) and the corresponding tint category (e.g., orange fog glasses) associated with sunglasses with polarized lenses.