From Blue Light Filter to Polarisation: Which Lens Additions are Worth It?
When we’re seeking out a new eyepiece, certain questions come to mind. “What sunglasses suit my face?”, we might ask ourselves. “Do I need polarised lenses on my sunnies?” Or, “Is the blue light filter upgrade the salesperson is recommending actually a worthwhile addition?”
Stay with us as we take you through various types of lens additions and break down which ones are worth it.
Lens Polarisation: Is it Necessary?
What’s the difference between polarised and non-polarised sunglasses? Primarily, polarised lenses can help reduce glare, significantly more so than non-polarised pieces.
This makes polarisation a great choice if you drive around a lot, such as if you’re a courier or a delivery driver, or an on-the-road salesperson who racks up kilometres visiting clients. Polarised lenses are also a good choice if you’re the outdoorsy type, especially if you love boating or fishing on the open water. This is because polarisation can help minimise the appearance of the shiny, distracting glare reflecting off the ocean.
But the truth? If you’re not regularly participating in these kinds of activities, you can probably get away with not purchasing a polarised pair of sunglasses. If you’re budget-conscious, it helps to know that choosing polarisation increases the price point. As you’re already looking at investing some serious dosh on a stylish pair of sunnies, you could save yourself some cash by choosing non-polarised, especially if you’re not planning to spend much time outdoors or driving for hours.
Blue Light Filters: A Worthwhile Addition?
We’ve all heard about the damage blue light can do to our eyes.
Yes, concerningly, animal studies have found that excessive exposure to blue light can cause ‘phototoxicity’ and sensitivity to light, as well as permanent damage to our retinas. Also, blue light exposure can have a negative impact on our sleep cycle by shifting our circadian rhythm. For this reason, many sleep experts recommend avoiding blue light emitted by electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones before bed.
Another way we could try to minimise our blue light exposure? You could consider adding a blue-light blocking filter to your glasses. This, admittedly, sounds especially useful if you’re in front of a computer screen for several hours a day. But the sad reality is that studies have found blue light blocking filters are not really all that effective: no direct correlation between vision or sleep quality improvement has been linked to wearing blue light blockers. This is sad news for desk jockeys and computer addicts alike, as unfortunately, it appears that blue light blocking lenses are just another gimmick.
Transition Lenses: Do They Work?
If you’re like me, constantly switching between my everyday glasses and my prescription sunnies, you might be tempted to try transition lenses.
As the name suggests, transition lenses morph from transparent to dark depending on how much light is around us. So, ideally, if we step outside into the sun from within our dimly lit dwelling, the transition lenses will darken to protect our eyes from the glaring sunlight.
But the reality is that transition lenses can prove to be quite annoying: you can’t manually control the colour change, which means they can go dark or light at whim. Say you step out of your car and into a brightly lit shopping centre. The fluorescent lighting overhead mimics the sun and, as such, can confuse your transitions. This means you could be walking around the shops with embarrassingly, and unnecessarily, darkened lenses.
Our tip? If you’re sick of switching up your eyepiece when you go in and out of doors, consider wearing contacts. Personally, if I ever have a hankering to wear any of my non-prescription sunglasses, I wear daily disposables for the day, so I can still see clearly when I take my sunglasses off.
So there you have it; our guide to some of the lens additions your optician might try to upsell you into purchasing.
As discussed, some of these are more effective than others. Polarisation can be especially useful if you’re outside or drive a lot. Transition lenses, while convenient, can prove unpredictable to control and annoying to wear. And blue light filters? It’s probably best to skip this add-on, as unfortunately, the benefits appear too good to be true.
