A Guide To Polarized Lenses For Sports
Reaching dispensing goals with polarized sunwear: visual protection, ramped-up performance, and wearing comfort
By Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC
Photochromic polarized lenses adapt to UV and ambient light exposure. Image courtesy of Transitions Optical
Three things are of primary importance when recommending and building polarized and polarized photochromic sports eyewear: 1. the sport; 2. the environment; and 3. the conditions.
Polarized lenses can protect the wearer's eyes from damaging ultra-violet (UV) radiation and from impact. The purpose of polarization is to additionally protect the eyes from distracting, disabling, and blinding glare.
Photochromic polarized lenses, available in ever-expanding choices of lens design, material, and color, are useful for a variety of sports environments and visual conditions, because they adapt to UV, and now, ambient, light exposure.
THE SPORT
Once you determine what sport or sports your patients participate in, recommend the right polarized lens for the activity.
■ JOGGING/RUNNING: Polarized photochromics adapt to changing conditions. Gray or gray-green is typically best for bright sun and true color viewing, while brown provides visual contrast and definition.
■ HIKING/CLIMBING/MOUNTAIN BIKING/CYCLING: Yellow-based tints/copper in medium density for visual contrast and definition. Photochromic polarized may work for some, but cyclists may prefer non-photochromics for rapidly changing light conditions.
■ SNOW SKIING/ SNOWBOARDING: Amber/brown is contrast-enhancing—amber in low light (clouds) and brown for brighter light (full sun). Rose/vermillion hues also offer high contrast with reduced glare. Dark amber works well in high altitudes and/or bright light.
■ CYCLING OR MOTORCYCLING: Polarized photochromics may be the best choice, because the lens' changeability adapts to various environments and conditions. Polarization may also make hot road surfaces look slimy, oily or shimmery, which for some can cause visual confusion and loss of performance and safety.
■ OUTDOOR CONTACT SPORTS: Football/soccer: Light (low light conditions) to dark (bright light conditions) gray or polarized photochromic gray.
■ BASEBALL: High-contrast gray, brown, or green; brown or green are best for viewing the baseball against the sky or grass.
■ SHOOTING SPORTS:
Hunting: Brown/copper for bright light; yellow/amber for low light.
Target/sporting clay/trap shooting: Medium orange or copper helps define objects and enhance contrast.
■ WATERSPORTS:
Skiing/Jet skiing: Dark gray for bright sun; light to medium gray in cloudy or low light conditions.
Surfing/Wakeboarding: Yellow/light copper for low light conditions and brown for sunny conditions for visual definition. Gray can inhibit reading the water.
Boating: Dark gray or dark brown in mid-day, bright sunlight. Vermillion/rose for dawn and dusk.
Kayaking: Yellow/light copper for hazy conditions; gray for bright sun.
■ FISHING:
Deep, dark or “blue” water (e.g., open ocean): Gray
Shallow “brown” water (e.g., streams): Brown/copper
Grassy-bottomed water: Green
■ TENNIS/RACQUET SPORTS: Yellow-based tints and specialty tints (e.g., blue/teal) that highlight the yellow tennis ball.
■ GOLFING:
Fairway: Gray and gray-green are neutral and provide true color perception, which some golfers prefer, while brown/copper/amber hues increase contrast and object recognition, like a white golf ball against a blue sky or green grass.
Greens: Both medium copper and orange help players read the breaks, while dark copper/brown works best in bright sunlight.
Overall: Brown polarized photochromics change density with changing course conditions.
THE CONDITIONS
There are traditional, tried-and-true polarized tint colors that are recommended for specific sports and conditions in order to enhance visual performance. And then there are new, renegade sports polarized performance colors. Here's a look at each to help with your patient presentations.
■ TRADITIONAL COLORS:
Gray: All-purpose, most neutral, truest color vision. Gray A is light gray; Gray C is dark gray. Good in partly sunny to sunny (A) conditions, then bright sun/heavy glare (C), like a sunny day on the water.
Brown: All-purpose, high contrast (driving, cycling, motorcycling, skiing, and tennis). Greens are greener; reds more red. Brown can help highlight changing contours and textures, plus reduce light scatter off ice and snow.
Amber/yellow: For defined vision, depth perception, low-light conditions, haze. Offers vivid color contrast (shooting, hunting, skiing, ice skating, and climbing).
Copper: Maximum contrast; brightens viewed objects for improved visual acuity, good in varying light conditions (hiking, tennis, climbing, cycling, and driving).
Rose: Improved resolution/contrast, especially in hazy conditions (skiing, hunting, target shooting, and fishing).
Green: Slightly better contrast than gray while still allowing for true color viewing; good for varying light conditions (tennis, motorcycling, driving, and golfing). Enhances contrast in low light and reduces eye strain in bright light.
■ NEW COLORS:
Black: Blocks the most visible light, best in bright sun/high-glare conditions (waves, pavement, snow, boating, and fishing).
Silver/ash/smoke: The equivalent of gray A, B, and C, these gray-based colors (sometimes with a touch of tan to heighten contrast) help maintain true color vision and are good in bright, medium, and light sunlight, respectively, for a wide range of sports activities.
Purple/violet: Can mute certain backgrounds while increasing contrast (cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and golfing). Good in low light conditions, like overcast skies, and in situations that cast shadows, like golf, hiking, and cycling.
Orange: Increases contrast, blocks blue light. Good in overcast conditions (hunting, downhill skiing, cycling, and hiking).
Gold: High contrast and better depth perception. Good in partly sunny/foggy conditions (winter sports). In bright sun, go gray/black.
Red/vermillion: High contrast, good in hazy conditions (cycling, golfing, hunting, target shooting, winter/snow sports, and fishing at dusk or dawn).
Blue/teal: Subtle contrast boost while muting all colors but yellow. Ideal for tennis, as it increases performance by enhancing the tennis ball, and some say golf for contrast on the green.
Blue allows the most High Energy Visible (HEV) light to enter the eye, which can be harmful to eyes (macular degeneration) in the long run, so occasional wear during the sport, not as everyday sunwear, should be encouraged. EB
| THE ENVIRONMENT |
|---|
Think in four environmental elements—earth, sky, water, and fire—to define environmental influences on your polarized recommendation:
EARTHDESERT: It's usually hot, dry, and dusty in the desert. This can create hazy conditions and shimmering light; reflections are fierce off flat sand. Dark gray/black polarized lenses are best in bright sun, while copper/vermillion work well in lower-light and hazy conditions.SNOW: Reflected glare can be blinding in snowy conditions (it's not called snow blindness for nothing). Dark gray lenses offer true color viewing and the most comfort in bright sun on snow. Vermillion/red hues are used in snow with lower light, like on a cloudy day. Polarized lenses may inhibit viewing moguls, icy patches, and shadows, so some individuals may opt out of polarized lenses for snow skiing. FOREST: Green or gray-green soothes and comforts eyes while protecting them from glare. These catch-all traditional sun colors are still viable in today's varied environments. Photochromic polarized may be the ticket for hiking in the woods, as wearers can experience variable environmental conditions and may enjoy a variable-tint lens that adapts to its surroundings. CITY: Flat surfaces like pavement and buildings feed glare, so anyone in a city environment—marathon runners, joggers, walkers, and cyclists—would all benefit from gray or brown-based polarized hues. SKYSUNNY: Gray or black tints are neutral for true color rendition and good in bright light.CLOUDY: Brown/copper/amber hues ramp up definition and contrast on cloudy days. PARTLY CLOUDY: Light gray or varieties of brown shades are best for viewing contrasts on partly cloudy days. The key is to stop reflections on wet surfaces like pavement and puddles, which polarized technology does so well. RAINY: In pouring rain, yellow for definition; in light rain, orange for contrast; in steady rain, amber or copper. HAZY: Brown hues are deemed best for viewing in hazy conditions, but copper/orange work well, too. DAWN: Vermillion/rose is ideal for sunrise to help protect eyes from glare, but also offers viewing comfort and contrast. MIDDAY: Bright sun calls for dark lenses: Gray or brown is best. DUSK: Just as with dawn, vermillion/rose is good for sunset time, too. WATERWAVES: High seas often mean high glare, with the tops of waves flashing and discomforting eyes. Neutral gray lenses help protect and soothe eyes from water-borne reflections.CHOPPY: Choppy waters can be more visually distracting than rolling waves because there are more “flashes” in a timeframe. Again, gray hues can provide visual relief. However, some water striders prefer brown for its ability to heighten contrast in a chop. FLAT CALM: Glare loves flat surfaces, and flat water is a perfect storm of glare and reflections. In bright sun on flat water, gray polarized protects eyes best. BEACH/SAND: Flat surface + bright, reflective medium (sand) = high glare. Add water offshore, and you've got a set-up for strained, tired eyes, unless polarized lenses are worn. Gray is best for true color recognition and satisfies most sunglass-wearing beach-goers. FIREGLARE: Blinding, disabling, distracting. Polarized lenses help maintain visual acuity and performance with them all. Simply put, dark polarized lenses help reduce the intensity of light and bright glare, while medium or light polarized lenses can help reduce less intense light, or soft glare. |
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