Bright sunlight, sharp reflections, and glare coming from vehicles and buildings can severely limit visibility while you’re driving. You have enough distractions to deal with on the road—don’t get into an accident that could have been avoided! Sunglasses make driving more comfortable, improve passenger safety, and protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays.
Choosing Sunglasses
When it comes to choosing the right sunglasses for you, the possibilities are endless. Frame style, tint, lens color, and lens coating are all pieces of the puzzle. Lens tints help absorb light; and brown, gray or amber are all excellent choices for driving. Lens color plays an important role when it comes to the amount of light that makes it to your eyes, and visual contrast. Copper lenses provide a great deal of contrast, amber lenses block glare, and gray lenses are comfortable if you’ll be exposed to the sun for an extended amount of time. An anti-reflective coating allows more light to be transmitted through the lens rather than reflected off, which improves visibility. Tint density ranges from light to very dark, and each level is ideal for certain levels of sunlight (low, medium, bright, and exceptionally bright). It’s best to speak to your eye doctor when choosing a pair of glasses to ensure that all of your personal and safety needs are met.
Go Polarized
Polarized lenses are a great choice for drivers because they reduce glare from water, headlights, snow, and glass on both buildings and other vehicles. Polarized lenses improve contrast, clarity, and overall visual comfort. They also provide UV protection and reduce strain on your eyes. When you’re shopping for sunglasses, be sure to ask your eye specialist about polarized lenses and the benefits of buying a pair.
A lot of factors go into choosing the perfect pair of sunglasses. Sunglasses that you wear for an afternoon walk with a friend might not necessarily be the safest pair to wear while you’re driving around town on a sunny day. Consider all options before cashing in on sunglasses for the summer!
