Softball Sunglasses: To Polarize or Not To Polarize
Are you in the market for a new pair of softball sunglasses, but you’re not sure if you should polarize them or not? You’re not alone. Do the anti-glare properties and the altered depth perception hurt or help your game? Like all good questions, the answer is maybe. There are pros and cons to everything, so keep reading to find out what we think of polarized softball sunglasses. If you want to find out more specific information on what makes a good pair of softball sunglasses, check out our Softball Sunglasses Buyer’s Guide blog post for a more extensive guide.
How do Polarized Lenses Work?
Before you decide whether or not you need polarized lenses, it is important you understand how they work. So what do polarized lenses do? Simply put, they help eliminate glare. When light comes down from the sun, it creates a vertical wavelength. And when it bounces off of a shiny object such as snow or water, vertical and horizontal wavelengths vibrate together, creating a harmful glare that can strain and damage your eyes. Polarized lenses filter out this horizontal wavelength which in turn, cuts the glare. The sunglasses dim the bright sun, while the polarized tint prevents you from squinting the whole day to avoid the glare. They offer great advantages when it comes to decreasing eye strain and discomfort in bright sunlight.
Do You Need Polarized Sunglasses for Softball?
The short answer - probably not! Polarization’s purpose is to reduce glare that comes from light shining off of a flat surface like water. While there can be glare and bright light from stadium lights at night, it is still best to use a lens that is not polarized. There are not that many reflective or bright surfaces that could create damage and harm your eyes. For this reason, if you are looking for true softball glasses and you are a dedicated softball player, you might want to skip the polarization.
While polarized lenses provide countless benefits for sports like fishing due to the protection from the water’s reflection, some people have doubts about its uses for other sports. Polarized lenses can alter depth perception and influence the way you track the ball. They can also induce eye strain while you're in constant movement. Because of those factors, most people prefer not to get polarized softball sunglasses. You don’t want your vision to be off when you’re trying to win a game!
You should also be careful with polarization as some say it can distort vision. And those who are particularly sensitive can experience headaches, nausea, or dizziness.
On the other hand, some people are very light sensitive and prefer to get as much protection as possible. They wear polarized lenses all the time, even when out on the softball field, and hardly notice any differences in perception.
The SportRx Expert Advice on Softball Sunglasses
Overall, if you’re looking for sunglasses solely made for softball, then polarized lenses aren’t necessary, and we would advise against them. If you’re going to wear these really nice new sunglasses or prescription sunglasses on and off the softball field, and polarized lenses are an important feature that don’t affect your softball game, then by all means, go for the polarized softball sunglasses. At the end of the day, it really all comes down to the individual and how sensitive his or her eyes are. If you need additional help deciding what pair of softball sunglasses is right for you, feel free to call and speak with one of our sports opticians.
If you want to know what our top softball sunglasses picks are, check out our Best Softball Sunglasses of 2019 blog post!
Get Prescription Softball Sunglasses Online at SportRx
Need prescription softball sunglasses? Done. When you shop with us, you’ll find video guides and tooltips throughout the build process as you customize the perfect pair. An answer to all your questions is at your fingertips, and if you want to chat with an expert, Contact Us. We’ll put you in touch with one of our friendly in-house opticians who can help you build your prescription softball sunglasses.
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