If you wear glasses or sunglasses, and especially if you have children, you’re probably interested in some of the new technologies that are producing more affordable and durable eyewear. Unbreakable sunglasses, athletic sunglasses, polarized lenses, and wraparound sunglasses are just a few of the types of eyewear that you can now get.
Unbreakable Sunglasses
People have been wearing eye protection to block out the sun for almost 2000 years. Coincidently, that’s also about how long we’ve been accidentally destroying our sun-blocking eyewear. Estimates are that every 14 minutes someone in the United States sits on, breaks, or loses a pair of sunglasses, meaning that someone near you is probably doing it right now. Considering how much sunglasses can cost, particularly if you’ve got prescription sunglasses, the idea of unbreakable sunglasses and their cool, bendable frames is probably really appealing.
Shatterproof Lenses
What good are unbreakable frames if your lenses can shatter? The answer is that they’re no good at all, so it’s a good thing that technology has invented the truly shatterproof lens. There are two types of shatterproof lenses: Polycarbonate and Trivex. Not only will these help make your unbreakable sunglasses truly that, but they will also feel good on your face. They’re very lightweight and make eyeglasses and sunglasses easier to wear.
Polycarbonate was first invented for use in space by NASA astronauts. It was used in space shuttle windshields and the visors of astronaut helmets. Today there are standard for unbreakable sunglasses and eyeglasses.
Polarized Lenses
Polarized sunglasses have been around for a while. In the past they were used primarily by skiers and boaters who needed to minimize the reflection of the sun off of snow and water. Today everyone has realized how useful these lenses can be, and polarized lenses have become more or less standard for eyeglasses and sunglasses.
Anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors can benefit from having sunglasses that protect from UV rays. Polarized lenses protect the eyes from intense, concentrated glare that can be produced at any time outdoors, but particularly where water or snow is reflecting the light. The polarized lens gets its name from Polaroid, because they were invented by the same man who first came up with the technology to use on his patented Polaroid camera filters.
Whatever you want in a eyewear you can get these days, from unbreakable sunglasses to Trivex lenses. That’s not even counting light-changing lenses, prescription sunglasses, and specialty eyewear for nearly every sport or activity you can name. Who knows what we’ll invent next!