What Type of Sunglasses May Be Best For Those With Low Vision?
Low vision patients have varying degrees of vision loss, depending on the type and severity of their eye condition. But one problem that almost all low vision patients experience is sensitivity to light and glare. Since glare can dramatically diminish visual clarity, people with low vision may choose to wear glasses with absorptive lenses, which filter out excess light and reduce glare.
What are Absorptive Lenses?
Absorptive lenses are tinted eyeglass lenses that reduce glare and increase contrast to improve visual clarity. They do this by filtering out excess light and allowing only a small amount of visible light to pass through the lens.
While these lenses are not sunglasses, they do feature a clear UV shield that reflects UV light away from the eyes.
Absorptive lenses come in a variety of light-transmission strengths as well as tints. Most patients choose yellow, orange and amber tinted lenses because they contrast with and filter out blue light, which produces the most glare on the visible light spectrum.
A few ways absorptive lenses may be prescribed include:
- 49% orange
- 65% yellow
- 32% gray
- 2% dark gray-green
- 10% medium amber
The color refers to the tint and the number refers to the amount of light passing through. Your low vision eye doctor will decide the unique combination that best suits your visual needs.
Types of Absorptive Lenses
The inability to tolerate glare and light can make driving and any outdoor activity not only uncomfortable but potentially dangerous. Because glare reduces visual clarity, people with limited vision are at risk of falls and other injuries. Wearing absorptive lenses lowers that risk.
These lenses can be worn as wraparound eyeglasses, which offer protection from all sides, thus reducing glare. They can also be attached onto glasses or worn over regular glasses.
Specialized optical coatings that can be added to absorptive lenses include:
- Mirror coating
- Edge coating
- Anti-fog coating
- Anti-reflective coating
- Photochromic lenses
- Polarized lenses
Our Low Vision Eye Doctor Can Help
A low vision consultation is the first step in determining which of the several types of lenses would be beneficial for you. We will assess your functional visual ability and examine several parts of your eye during a comprehensive eye exam.
Our low vision eye doctor will also ask about your lifestyle and preferences so that you can receive the lenses most suited to your needs.
We also offer a wide range of low vision aids and devices, including hand-held magnifiers to computer-based devices that can magnify print and photos and even read text aloud.
Once you’ve decided on the right low vision aid for you, we’ll instruct you on how and when to use it.
Call Low Vision Center to schedule a low vision consultation if you think absorptive lenses may be right for you, and for any other matters related to low vision.
Low Vision Center serves patients from CITY 1, CITY 2, CITY 3, and CITY 4, all throughout .