Best Sunglasses for Glare
MAR 03, 2014
Question:
I took an AARP driver safety course recently in which it was recommended that because older eyes lose the ability to admit light in the neighborhood of 50 percent, that seniors should wear only UVA and UVB protective sunglasses of the wraparound or aviator style in a dark or light amber color only. And if the senior must drive at night and is affected by headlight glare, it should be the light amber color of sunglasses that will help with headlight glare. Is all this true? Are the best sunglasses for seniors amber wraparounds in the dark or light versions?
Answer:
Lens color tinting, like polarization, is a personal preference. There's no medical reason to recommend one tint of lens over another. Light amber sunglasses with polarized lenses may help those with good vision at night for glare, but cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration may decrease night vision in those patients. In these cases, sunglasses of any kind may be less helpful. Some safety manuals tell you to look to the right side of the road and avoid looking directly into headlights to avoid the glare. It is worth giving this a try.