Polarised sunglasses – your child’s best defence against glare?

We all know the uncomfortable squinty feeling you get at the beach on a sunny day. In its mildest form, glare is annoying. However, at its more intense, glare causes eye fatigue and eyestrain, distorts vision, and can even cause temporary blindness.

Now imagine what it's doing to your children's fragile eyes.

So how do you combat glare?

It can be confusing to try to understand the wording around sunglasses when searching for the right pair for your kids. Is a good UVA and UVB rating enough? What about dark tinted lenses, will they do the trick? Polarised sunglasses – what does that really mean? 

Don't stress. We're here to give you the lowdown on the best way to reduce glare.

What are polarised lenses?

Sunglasses have changed a lot since the first pair was worn. Apparently, Roman Emperor Nero had polished emeralds held up to his eyes so that he could see gladiator competitions more easily. Fancy!

Fast forward to 1936, when the first polarised sunglasses were invented by Edwin Land. This busy fellow also invented the first cheap filters for taking photographs – Polaroid film. The idea behind both of the inventions is the same: the lenses on polarised sunglasses are coated in a chemical film that actively filters sunlight, which helps us see better on a sunny day.

What are the benefits of polarised sunglasses?

Basically, polarised sunglasses cut out the harsh glare that results when light is reflected off surfaces like water, roads or snow.This glare distorts our vision in a number of ways, affecting depth perception, colour perception and even causing temporary blindness.

While all Babiator sunglasses offer 100% UVA and UVB protection, the added benefit of Polarized Babiators sunglasses means that your children won’t be squinting, even on the sunniest of days. This helps to alleviate eye fatigue and eyestrain. They will be able to see straight through the glare off the water to the shells or crabs below.  Along with choosing polarised lenses to reduce glare, SunSmart Victoria has a range of other tips for choosing sun protective sunnies

Are tinted lenses the same as polarised lenses?

Short answer. No! Don’t be fooled by a dark or metallic tint. Tinted sunglasses do not necessarily provide protection from ultraviolet radiation or provide any glare-reduction. And emeralds? Nero obviously was a fan, but I think we might chuck a pair of polarised sunnies in the beach bag instead.

Our Babiators sunglasses compared:

Original Babiators sunglasses

• provide 100% UVA&UVB protection
• shade eyes for the sun with tinted lenses
• Great general all round protection

Polarised Babiators sunglasses

• Provide all the protection of our Original Babiators
• PLUS polarised lenses to reduce glare

To check out our full range of Polarised Babiators - SHOP HERE