I would like to talk about polarised lenses, which is a touchy subject in my world. Polarising, in fact. It is a little bit like bringing up Brexit, except, in this case, I think I am the only one in the world who wants out.
I thought I would take a moment, since the sun is finally shining, to explore this phenomenon and see if my argument makes sense. I started by having one of my frames reglazed with a nice brown polarised prescription lens. I have been wearing them for three days now and has my mind changed?
The first thing that I cannot ignore is that polarised lenses help sales. My sales team struggle to understand why I do not put them as standard in all our frames. Just look at the success of Maui Jim, my staff cry. I cannot ignore that; Maui Jim has built its empire on a parrot magically appearing at point of sale.
It is perhaps the greatest piece of marketing in the history of eyewear. I am not saying that is the only reason Maui Jim is such a success. But when someone puts on a pair in a shop and sees the dramatic effect it can have on their vision, it is clear why they will not buy anything else.
In the same way, google ‘polarised lenses’ and you will be presented with photos of waterfronts and road trips with excessive glare and then an image next to them that seems perfect. This kind of misleading imagery always annoys me. Lens glare was, after all, one of the first ever Photoshop filters and you can still spot it a mile off.
In the face of such retail gold and easy marketing tricks, why would I not embrace polarised lenses? For me, it starts with manufacturing. It is really difficult to control the rotation on mass lens grinding machines. If you are making them one by one for prescription, it is not so bad. But try cutting 500 sets without the alignment slipping. Let’s just say I have made some expensive mistakes over the years.
Aside from this, for the user there are other downsides to consider. I was in a waiting room yesterday and only had my new polarised sunglasses on me. I couldn’t read the TV because of the lenses. In fact, I couldn’t read the dials in my car or the screen at the drive-through Starbucks on the way home.
Where are the countering advantages? I must admit I liked looking through a polarised lens when skiing earlier this year. A very popular opticians’ resource online states the following key benefits: reduces glare, which decreases eye strain on long drives; fishermen are ‘often’ able to see fish under the water; photographers can use them on camera lenses; improved contrast, visual comfort and acuity. OK, so let us test that last one.
On my roof terrace at the factory, I had the idea to paint everything white. This is a place where glare is definitely an issue. The sun was strong and, as a result, one always needs a pair of decent sunglasses. I stood up there this morning and asked someone to pass me over three pairs of glasses – my challenge was to spot the polarised lens.
Well, all the sunglasses I tried on were great but even I could not pick out the polarised version. I am left with too many questions. Is a great sun lens simply just a great sun lens? Who am I to say we should not be upselling polarised lenses? And what is the Tom Davies version of a parrot?
However, I have not given up on polarised lenses just yet. I’ve a holiday booked by the sea and my final test could yet see me come back onside again. Like Brexit, it is complicated.