Are Mirrored Sunglasses Good?

You give your admirer a chance to stare at you! But the admirer is actually admiring themselves because they are looking at themselves on the mirrored sunglasses you are wearing. So, who is admiring whom?!

A mirrored sunglass is a style statement that also hides your eyes and diverts the attention from your face to your outfit. If you need to offset your facial features for any reason, mirror sunglasses are a good option. Nevertheless, it also gives you ample protection from ultraviolet light too.

The reflective lens coating feature in mirrored sunglasses keeps excess light reaching your eyes, reducing the strain significantly. This article explains the pros and cons of mirrored sunglasses and guides you in wearing this fashion accessory correctly.

What Are Mirrored Sunglasses?

Almost all sunglasses protect from the sun's hazardous rays, but mirrored shades stand out because of an additional characteristic. These lenses have a unique coating that turns them into anti-reflective sunglasses. It helps deflect the light away from your eyes so it doesn't refract from the outside surface.

This can be helpful especially for some sports like boating, surfing, skiing, or outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, golf, etc. where intense glare might be a hindrance and harmful. Mirrored sunglasses are a fashionable and convenient way to engage in outdoor activities.

Race car drivers also wear mirrored sunglasses. They aid in winning races with reduced glare and better visibility. It will also keep you safe on your daily commute against UV rays and high luminous headlamp light from oncoming traffic.

Although it appears opaque from the outside, these mirrored sunglasses allow you to see items sharper when you wear them. Some mirrored sunglasses contain gradient lenses, which are reflective at the top and progressively translucent as you view lower in the frame.

How Mirrored Sunglasses Work?

Mirrored sunglasses are also called reciprocal mirrors, that is, transparent from the inside and reflective outside. So, the user may view through the lenses that reflect light but not the other way around. It deflects direct light from your eyes, enabling you to see properly in bright sunlight.

Mirrored sunglasses derive their distinctive appearance from a thin reflective surface coating applied to the lenses. Thin metal layers or other specialized substances are used to produce this coating for durability.

This coating is available in a variety of colors, including silver, gold, and blue. It's worth noting that the color of the lenses does not affect how much light is reflected. However, different colors can filter specific hues of light. Because of the reflecting coating, the view through mirrored sunglasses has a grey or brown tone, yet you can see your surroundings perfectly.

A wider variety of colors and contrasts can be produced using brown hues. Even in cloudy weather, a brown color reduces glare without impairing eyesight. The Grey color allows for depth perception while reducing glare. This lens might be right for you if you take part in sports or other activities that call for precise vision.

The lighting contrast is improved and there is little color distortion while using green color. A green tint, which also reduces glare, enhances shadows, making them ideal for bright lighting. Yellow colors are excellent for use when it is cloudy outside since they improve vision and depth perception.

TIP: Yellow lenses do not provide a great deal of glare protection on exceptionally bright days, and they also distort color.

They usually make ski goggles in the colors of pink or rose, which are popular for snow sports. Regardless of whether the sun is out, they provide a brighter, more detailed image of your surroundings.

Are Mirrored Sunglasses Same As Polarized Sunglasses?

You may wonder if mirrored sunglasses are the same as polarized sunglasses. Except for a common feature that both have anti-glare protection, both are not alike. Both are two different technologies.

Mirrored sunglasses can only reduce glare through their reflective coating. Hence, it may not be as effective as polarized sunglasses, which through their vertical filters can block damaging UV rays. Both are two different conditions of glare.

Mirrored sunglasses come in a variety of colors mentioned earlier. But polarized sunglasses have limited options in color, but have superior properties to protect your eyes from glare. Polarized lenses can reflect light in a way that maximizes vision, clarity, and color perception while suppressing harsh sunlight. You can see clearly beneath any surface of water or through a flashing light.

Although you may see better in harsh sunlight with either style of lens, many people choose mirrored glasses for activities like biking, skiing, climbing, or riding a motorcycle. For activities involving the water, such as boating and fishing, polarized glasses are especially useful because of their special capacity to block horizontal light.

The good news is that we can combine both glasses to create mirrored polarized sunglasses. You can reduce the glare and also get maximum protection from the sun’s rays.

Pros & Cons of Mirrored Sunglasses

Pros

Glare Reduction

Mirrored sunglasses can significantly reduce glare with their anti-reflective coating on their lens. You may comfortably use it while driving, skiing, rowing, and other water sports.

Protection Against UV Radiation

While it prevents excess light from hitting your eyes, it is also sufficiently good in protecting against harmful ultraviolet rays. It significantly reduces eye strain.

Enhanced Vision

The primary reason people prefer mirrored sunglasses is because it provides a comfortable view on a bright sunny day. The special anti-reflective coating on the lens surface reflects the bright light instead of absorbing it. This results in a soothing effect on your eyes.

Stylish

You can remain stylish and sun-protected, no matter the weather or the season of the year. Mirrored sunglasses are adaptable since they can give your face varied looks and styles suiting your outfit.

Sporty Accessory

Are you a sports enthusiast, especially water or ice sports? Mirrored sunglasses with their capacity to resist UV and glare can serve as eye protection to prevent injuries and falls.

Durable

Mirrored sunglasses have multiple layers of metal layers or coating of specialized substances. You may trust its durability and can wear it for a variety of occasions.

Hide Your Looks

Mirrored sunglasses can work well for you if you need to conceal your puffy eyes and dark circles or wish to hide whatever you're looking at. You don't need to be concerned because people can only see their reflections, not your eyes.

Cons

Unsuitable for Low Light Condition

Mirrored sunglasses are designed to deflect light and not absorb it. So, under low light conditions, it cannot brighten the vision and the visibility will be poor. While driving, it could impair your vision when you have to pass through a tunnel. Make sure to remove the sunglasses in low-lit areas to avoid accidents.

Unsuitable for LCD Screens

Looking through LCD screens like cellphones, airplane cockpits, or even your TV screen, will look distorted because of the low-lit surrounding. If you are a pilot or a regular computer user, mirror sunglasses are unsuitable, as it becomes difficult to see properly, which can lead to eyestrain.

Special Care to Maintain

Although the coating on the lenses is durable, a slight scratch will be too obvious to notice. You need to take extra care of damages or smudges. The appearance is so stylish that you need to always keep it spic and span to retain its fashion statement.

Conclusion

Mirrored sunglasses may be slightly more expensive than tinted sunglasses. While there are some negatives, most people consider them to be minor compared to the advantages. If you need style and protection on a bright sunny day for sporting or adventurous activities, mirrored sunglasses should be your first choice.