Can Polarized Sunglasses Give You a Headache? What You Need to Know

For those who spend a lot of time outdoors, sunglasses are an essential accessory. But with so many varieties available, choosing the right pair can be a challenge. Polarized sunglasses lenses are one of the most popular options, but some people wonder if polarized sunglasses can cause headaches.

At American Optical, we’re committed to providing our customers with the best possible vision care, including a wide selection of high-quality sunglasses. In this post, our team of experts will delve into the science behind polarized lenses, debunk some common myths, and answer the question: do polarized sunglasses cause a headache?

What Are Polarized Sunglasses?

To understand whether polarized sunglasses can cause headaches, it helps to know how polarized lenses work in the first place.

So, how do polarized lenses work?

Light normally travels in waves moving in all directions. But when light reflects off flat surfaces like water, snow, or roads, it becomes polarized — meaning the light waves move primarily in one horizontal direction. This reflected light is known as glare.

Polarized lenses block these horizontal light waves due to their special polarizing filter. The polarization coating on the lenses allows vertical light to pass through but blocks horizontally polarized light waves almost completely. This unique ability of polarized lenses to reduce glare is what makes them so effective for improving vision, especially in bright conditions.

Benefits of Polarized Sunglasses

Sunglasses with polarized lenses offer several advantages, including:

• Reduced Glare: Glare occurs when light reflects off horizontal surfaces, such as water, snow, or even the pavement. This can cause squinting, eye strain, and discomfort. Polarized sunglasses are effective at blocking glare, making them ideal for activities like driving, fishing, or spending time on the beach.
• Enhanced Clarity and Color Perception: By filtering out glare, polarized sunglasses allow you to see the world in richer, more vivid colors. This can be especially beneficial for activities that require good depth perception, such as driving or boating.
• Improved Eye Comfort: By reducing glare and eye strain, polarized sunglasses can help to prevent headaches and fatigue. The special coatings on polarized lenses will protect against harmful sunlight and UV rays.

For most people, wearing high-quality polarized sunglasses shouldn’t cause headaches or eye strain. In fact, polarized lenses can help prevent headaches from sunlight by reducing glare and squinting. The keys are making sure you have high-quality lenses with proper polarization and UV protection and seeing your eye doctor if headaches persist.

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Why Might Polarized Sunglasses Cause Headaches?

In short, no, high-quality polarized sunglasses should not cause headaches. As we mentioned, they can actually help to prevent headaches caused by excessive glare.

However, there are a few things you should consider:

• Poor-Quality Lenses: Low-quality polarized lenses or defective lenses may not have proper polarization coatings or UV ray protection. Wearing low-quality polarized sunglasses can lead to eye strain and headaches because the eyes work harder to see clearly.
• Adjusting to Polarization: If you’re not used to wearing polarized sunglasses, your eyes may need some time to adjust to the changed perception through polarized lenses. This adjustment period could temporarily cause some eye fatigue or mild headaches.
• Interaction with Screens: Polarized lenses can make it harder to see images on certain LCD or LED screens like cell phones, ATMs, gas pump screens, or car and plane dashboard displays. The conflicting polarization between the lenses and screens can appear blurry or dark. Looking at polarized screens through polarized lenses for a long period may strain your eyes.
• Light Sensitivity: Some people with light sensitivity, or those who regularly suffer from severe headaches or migraines, or other conditions may not notice relief from wearing polarized lenses alone. Ongoing headaches require a doctor’s attention.
• Underlying Vision Problems: If you have uncorrected vision issues like farsightedness, astigmatism, eye misalignment, macular degeneration, etc., wearing polarized sunglasses won’t correct those problems and may even cause eye strain and for headaches to worsen.

8 Tips for Avoiding Headaches with Polarized Sunglasses

We’ve put together some tips to get the vision benefits of polarized lenses without the headaches:

1. Only buy high-quality polarized sunglasses from reputable brands like American Optical. Cheap sunglasses may skimp on polarization coatings and UV protection.
2. Ill-fitting sunglasses can cause discomfort and eye strain. Ensure your sunglasses fit comfortably on your face without slipping or putting pressure on your temples.
3. Different tints of polarized sunglasses are available for various activities. Choose a pair that suits your needs, whether it’s for driving, fishing, or everyday wear.
4. Give yourself a few days to get used to wearing polarized lenses if you’ve never worn them before. If possible, wear them for short periods of time at first.
5. Choose lenses with anti-reflective (AR) coatings to help reduce glare from light reflecting off the back surface of your lenses into your eyes. All American Optical sunglasses feature a backside AR coating.
6. Visit your eye doctor for a comprehensive exam to rule out any underlying vision problems that could be worsened by wearing sunglasses. You may need polarized prescription lenses.
7. Listen to your eyes and your head — if you consistently get headaches when wearing polarized sunglasses, don’t ignore it. Try different lenses, or see your eye doctor.

Polarized Sunglasses: Your Key to Clear, Comfortable Vision

Polarized sunglasses are a valuable tool for protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays and reducing glare. When worn correctly, high-quality polarized sunglasses shouldn’t cause headaches. In fact, they can help to prevent headaches caused by excessive glare. If you’re considering polarized sunglasses, visit American Optical today and browse our extensive collection.

At American Optical, we’re proud to offer a wide selection of polarized sunglasses, all crafted with high-quality materials and advanced lens technology. Reach out to AO’s team for help finding the perfect pair of polarized sunglasses to meet your needs.