Polarized Lenses

[adox]

I`m going to be buying a pair of Fast Jackets in the next 7 - 10 days and I`m more than likely going to go with polarized lenses.
Now Ive never actually owned a pair of Oakley polarized lenses. The few pairs I do own are all non polarized.

My one concern, and I`m not sure if it is a real concern or not, is some reports of people suffering with headaches from using polarized lenses. I suffer with Migraines every so often and am a little concerned they may be somehow triggered by the polarized lense.

Should I be concerned? Anyone had any similar side effects from wearing polarized lenses?

 

[MrMoonlight]

I don't get headaches, per se, but I generally need a few minutes to adjust to polarized lenses when I put them on. Don't have this issue with non polarized. I really only wear polarized lenses when the surrounding conditions warrant it (on the water, snow, etc.) Otherwise I try to avoid them because, aside from in these high-glare environments, I don't see any real advantage.

I also play sports (baseball) and do a lot of cycling. I don't use polarized lenses on the ballfield because I find they screw with your depth perception somewhat. Other ballplayers I know have the same problem, so I know it's not just me. Most of us don't wear polarized when playing. It's not a huge issue in most everyday situations but for performance sports like baseball where you really need to judge the location of a fast-moving ball when hitting or fielding, it's a factor.

Everyone's different, though. The best thing to do would be to try out a pair of polarized lenses for a few minutes and then compare them to normal HDO lenses of the same tint. There *is* a perceptible difference (don't let anyone tell you otherwise)...but you need to decide for yourself if you're comfortable with them or not.

Hope this was useful.

 

[adox]

Thanks MrMoonlight. I will be using them mostly for driving and running. The site I`m looking on, the polarized are only around $45 more expensive, thats why I was considering them. I have tried them on in a store but only for a very short period of time. You have me thinking now to I need polarized at all? I may go non polarized and order an extra set of lenses(Jade Iridium look very tempting).
I`ll see if anyone else here has any input but thanks for your post. You have actually veered me away from them a little.

 

[kyle_2012]

If you plan to play sports in them, then no..you probably do not need a polarized pair of lenses. However if you plan on driving quite a bit in them, you might want to consider it. Where are you from? If you get a lot of precipitation (i.e. rain, snow, even fog to a small degree) you might really appreciate a pair of polarized glasses. I live in an area where we can have snow for 4-6 months out of the year (or a lot of rain), and the sun glares off of the snow and the wet spots on the road making a polarized pair of sunglasses a must. Instead of worrying about whether or not to buy a polarized pair of glasses, I actually think the tint you buy in more important (and can give headaches more readily than a polarized vs. non-polarized pair of glasses). As for which tints are the best? I hate that question..it's like asking which underpants are the best(I have a pair of fast jackets as well, and my personal favorites are black iridium polarized, as well as G30 iridium polarized). Everybody has their own set of eyes that behave differently in different types of light. So long of the short, for $45 more I would recommend buying them, you will appreciate them a lot if you drive a lot or live in an area with a lot of glare.

 

[adox]

If you plan to play sports in them, then no..you probably do not need a polarized pair of lenses. However if you plan on driving quite a bit in them, you might want to consider it. Where are you from? If you get a lot of precipitation (i.e. rain, snow, even fog to a small degree) you might really appreciate a pair of polarized glasses. I live in an area where we can have snow for 4-6 months out of the year (or a lot of rain), and the sun glares off of the snow and the wet spots on the road making a polarized pair of sunglasses a must. Instead of worrying about whether or not to buy a polarized pair of glasses, I actually think the tint you buy in more important (and can give headaches more readily than a polarized vs. non-polarized pair of glasses). As for which tints are the best? I hate that question..it's like asking which underpants are the best(I have a pair of fast jackets as well, and my personal favorites are black iridium polarized, as well as G30 iridium polarized). Everybody has their own set of eyes that behave differently in different types of light. So long of the short, for $45 more I would recommend buying them, you will appreciate them a lot if you drive a lot or live in an area with a lot of glare.

Hi kyle_2012,

Yeah I live in Ireland so we have more than our fair share of rain for sure. I will use the pair I day more or less everyday for driving. Ha you have pushed me more now to go for polarized lenses(yeah i know, i`m easily swayed). We get rain here most days at some stage.

I`m definitely going for the black frames as the lighter colours really dont suit me. The Black Iridium polarized I think is the only stock option in this colour frame(with regular lense size) so they will more than likely be the option I go for.

The site I am going to buy them from(cheapest option) wont have them back in stock until the 22nd so I have a few more days to consider.

Thanks for your input.

 

[MrMoonlight]

Hi kyle_2012,

Yeah I live in Ireland so we have more than our fair share of rain for sure. I will use the pair I day more or less everyday for driving. Ha you have pushed me more now to go for polarized lenses(yeah i know, i`m easily swayed). We get rain here most days at some stage.

I`m definitely going for the black frames as the lighter colours really dont suit me. The Black Iridium polarized I think is the only stock option in this colour frame(with regular lense size) so they will more than likely be the option I go for.

The site I am going to buy them from(cheapest option) wont have them back in stock until the 22nd so I have a few more days to consider.

Thanks for your input.

OK, at the risk of messing with your head again...

Kyle made some valid points, but if you're considering polarized lenses primarily for driving purposes, be careful what tint you go for. If rain, snow and fog conditions are your primary motivation, then Black Iridium Polarized is probably going to be way too dark. It's one of the darkest tints Oakley makes, and I wouldn't recommend wearing them on overcast or foggy days while driving. They're more suitable for those days when the sun is out and lower in the sky, the roads are wet and the glare can get nasty...or on a bright sunny day when snow is on the ground.

My recommendation for an all-around polarized driving lens is would be either Tungsten Iridium (if you prefer a contrast tint) or Grey Polarized (neutral tint). Both of these are dark enough for sunny days on the road, but not so dark as to be dangerous if it's hazy or cloudy. Ideally, you'd want to have at least two sets of lenses that you could change out according to the conditions, but if your budget currently only allows for one set, the two I mentioned above can be considered solid "all-arounders".

 

[Duke Nivram]

Based off of where you are I might consider one of the OO Polar (red or black) . I have oo Black in my jury's and these are my favorite driving glasses they block the glare and the increased contrast is nice. Also they are not as dark as Black Iridium so they should be more useful for you.

 

[adox]

Ha, whatever about getting a headache from polarized lenses, Im starting to get one now trying to decide what to go for.

Seriously though, I appreciate the input. I do think Black Iridium polarized might be overkill for the climate I live in and a bit of a waste. They do come with a pair of persimmon lenses as well of course but if I`m spending extra to get polarized I want them as my primary lense.

The option I may look at is, buy a pair of black frames with a stock configuration of two non polarized lenses and order an extra set of polarized lenses to go with it as that would give me a much better selection of polarized lenses. It will or course up my outlay, I`d be looking at around €250 using this option, which is around $330!

Loads of options on polarized lenses for me buying seperately. The Grey that Mr Moonlight suggested and also both sets of 00 lenses that Duke Nivram suggested. My only concern with the 00 lenses is they wont be as mirrored as the "plain" Iridium lense.

Also going with non polarized stock glasses gives me the option of getting G30 Iridium/Persimmon rather than the only option of Black Iridium/Persimmon in the polarized option.

Decisions decisions.......

 

[Duke Nivram]

headache is going to be a personal thing i used to get headaches from other sunglasses that is why i switched to Oakley. I personaly get a headache more from long drives with out wearing polarized. I think it might have someting to do with eyefatague from glare. If you buy them and keep them in good condition and get a headache the store should accept a return.

 

[MrMoonlight]

Loads of options on polarized lenses for me buying seperately. The Grey that Mr Moonlight suggested and also both sets of 00 lenses that Duke Nivram suggested. My only concern with the 00 lenses is they wont be as mirrored as the "plain" Iridium lense.

Also going with non polarized stock glasses gives me the option of getting G30 Iridium/Persimmon rather than the only option of Black Iridium/Persimmon in the polarized option.

We're talking Fast Jackets here, right? That limits you a little compared to the Flak Jacket. But you've got a good plan.
For starters, I'd go with the OO Red if you want contrast enhancment, Grey Polar if you want neutral. Any other polarized lens in the current Fast Jacket range will probably be too dark (Black Iridium (9%), OO Black (10%) or too light (G30 (30%)). Over time you can add more lenses, but to start out I think you could probably narrow it down to those two. They're both decent all-purpose lenses.