Defending My Eyes

Outside of my home, I wear sunglasses pretty much constantly. So, I'm rather picky about them. They can't be too tight or too heavy, lest they trigger a migraine. They must have large lenses and they must be adequately protective from light. Doesn't sound TOO hard, does it?

I know many of you are rolling your eyes right now, you know what it's like. The cheap sunglasses at the gas station and Target are mostly useless, maybe one of every fifty pairs can be worn for more than ten minutes. Cheap sunglasses are usually cheap for a reason. And even if I do find a good pair, I make up for the monetary savings in migraines, because the acts of donning and removing frames, and looking through different colored lenses, are all very migraine triggery. Head pain, nausea, confusion, dizziness; I don't enjoy shopping for sunglasses one bit.

So, I started looking around on the internet, and saw quite a few interesting possibilities that I couldn't afford. I wanted polarized lenses, but comparing lens size, weight and fit of each pair was impossible. I didn't find a single online sunglass retailer that had this information available on their website. Disappointing.

What I did find was Polaroid Sunglasses. At my inquiry, they sent me a pair of sunglasses to review, free, but rest assured, my opinions are never bought.

A little background on the company: Polaroid Eyewear has been around since 1937, and their first item ever sold was actually not the camera, which is the popular understanding of the company, but sunglasses! Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid, was also the inventor of polarization, therefore every pair of glasses they produce are polarized. It's widely recognized that polarization protects your eyes, decreases glare and increases visibility. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to give their glasses a try.

Of the many beautiful styles offered by Polaroid, I picked Miriam.

Hello, Miriam.

After I chose my favorite style (it was tough! SO many cute looks!), I was able to choose between two lens colors, and I went with gray over brown. The polarized lenses are really fantastic. My vision is clear, but the light is significantly dimmed. There are days I wish they were darker, but usually they're perfect. The fit is better than average, and they only make my face ache on my worst days. They're comfortable over my ears and are a little tight some days, but a gentle stretching of the arms usually makes them workable. The style is very attractive and I wear them almost every day. I'm amazed that I haven't yet managed to scratch them, and that's a real testament to their durability because I've been using them all summer, have dropped them at least six times and last week I carried them in a pocket with my key ring for a few hours. I'm not saying that they're magic or anything, but... they might be.

The flaws with these sunglasses are few. Like I mentioned, on my bad days they are a little too heavy and can be a little too tight. My arm-stretching technique is often effective, but isn't necessarily sanctioned by Polaroid. And while these aren't nearly the most expensive brand on the market (as of the writing of this review, Miriam is only $50 on the website!), the cost would still require some intensive financial planning and saving on my part.

The pros outweigh the cons, here, and I can definitely recommend these glasses for everyday migraineur use. If I had the cash, I'd try several other styles. Check out these lovelies!

Shonda

Carol

Rachel

Thanks Polaroid! It's been a pleasure.


All of the above images are courtesy polaroid-eyewearstore.com.