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Posts Tagged ‘glare’

2010 Winter Olympics – Protect your eyes, just like the athletes!

Posted on February 23rd, 2010 by Liz B.

Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.

In today’s guest blog post from Dr. Joel Kestenbaum of Optix Eyecare in Long Island, NY, he discusses protective eyewear and winter sports …

The 2010 Winter Olympics are upon us. Lets take a look at the common attributes most Winter Olympians have:

Athletic ability
Drive and determination
Support of family and friends
Excellent vision

If you look at all the skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters, lugers and bobsledders, they are all wearing some sort of protective eyewear. How do they know which lenses to wear? What if it is cloudy, sunny, snowing, sleeting, raining, foggy, nighttime, or early morning?

Think Safety First

You can be certain that the lenses in an athlete’s goggles are made of polycarbonate. For fast-moving winter sports, this material is much more impact-resistant than glass or conventional plastic. The frame also needs to be lightweight and flexible reducing the likelihood of the lens breaking or popping out in a bad fall. Prescription lenses can be made for inserts that sit behind the shield of the goggle or some goggles are actually made to wear over a regular pair of eyeglasses.

Think Visual Efficiency Next

Black, gray, or smoke lenses

Best for bright conditions – they dim the bright sunlight to ease the strain on your eyes. Depending on the intensity of the tint, these lenses do darken your vision but gray does not alter color. These lenses are best for wide-open areas, especially on sunny days. One should not ski or snowboard in trees or trails with dark lenses.

Amber Lenses
Amber is a color in between a light brown and a dark yellow lens. Amber blocks blue light, greatly increases contrast. This color is a good choice for seeing moguls out on the slopes. Amber is best for under cloudy skies or on dimly lit trails but is not recommended for sunny days.

File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: 2010 Winter Olympics, amber lenses, clear lenses, Dr. Joel Kestenbaum, eye exams, eyecare, eyewear, glare, gray lenses, interchangable lenses, lenses for different weather conditions, Nike, protective eyewear, red lenses, sunglasses, sunwear, UV protection, Vancouver, vision, Winter Olympics, winter sports, yellow lenses
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Polarizing Priority

Posted on July 7th, 2009 by Patti S

Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services division.

Real sunglasses are more than just darkly tinted lenses in a cool frame. Although these types of glasses may serve a function in terms of fashion and diminished light transmission, they are not sufficient, in my opinion, to act as genuine protective sunwear.

Truly protective sunwear should, at a minimum, include a tint with ultra-violet [UV] protection. Many materials, (e.g., polycarbonate), naturally absorb harmful UV rays and don’t require an additional coating. Tinted lenses, however, don’t reduce the disturbing affects of glare—they just reduce light transmission.

Polarized lenses do decrease glare and are an indispensable feature I want when buying my own sunglasses. Glare is created when light bounces off a surface. The more reflective a surface, the more glare is produced. A wet road produces more distracting and interfering glare than a dry one, but both surfaces do reflect light. Glare actually interferes with your vision and can obscure images, like children playing in the street or the rear bumper of the car you’re following. SusanandJim

Polarized lenses can be likened to microscopic venetian blinds for your eyes. They actually contain a filter that’s embedded with iodine crystals stretched so that they are oriented in one direction. When rotated correctly prior to insertion into your frame, they reduce visual interference from glare created from light bouncing off horizontal surfaces by preventing those scattered rays from reaching your eyes. Fishermen love them because they allow them to see into the water, not merely the bright reflection off the water.

There are many lens options you can add to polarized lenses, including anti-reflective coatings, variable tints, and a variety of colors. They are also available in almost any multi-focal or single vision design. Polarized lenses are more expensive than simple tinted lenses, but they serve a vital function in terms of your health and comfort as well as your own and others’ safety.