Do Your Lenses have UV Protection*
100% UV Protection
All our lenses provide 100% UV protection. They will happily protect your eyes anywhere on the planet.
What is UV Light?
UV light is a spectrum of light waves with smaller wavelengths than our eyes can see. The shorter the lightwave, the more deeper these particles can travel and penetrate things without being diverted.
It's well known that too much UV light exposure can cause damage to our skin and eyes.
The UV light spectrum and visible light spectrum sit next to another on the light spectrum with UV light officially defined as waves between 380nm and down to the x-ray spectrum.
UVA and UVB. UVB runs from the 290-315nm spectrum and are the most harmful rays. UVA runs from 315-380nm and is also harmful. Some optometrist feel that the start of visible light range from 380-400 which is what we see as violet can also be a harmful to the human eye.
Sunglass Fix lenses all provide 100% UV protection and block almost all UV and visibile light up to the 400nm wavelength thus providing the maximum protection possible without hindering your vision.
How Does UV relate to Lens Categories:
The Sunglass Industry rates lenses by Category. There is a lot of confusion around these categories.
In short, category rating of lenses has to do with the darkness of the lens tint and little to do with UV protection.
| Category | Visible Light Blockage | Common Usage |
| Category 0 | 0-20% | Fashion Lenses, very light tints if any at all so can be worn indoors but little glare protection |
| Category 1 | 20-57% | Fashion and indoor use. While darker than Cat 0 works best in overcast conditions |
| Category 2 | 57-82% | Fashion and indoor use. While darker than Cat 1 works best in overcast and slightly brighter conditions |
| Category 3 | 82-92% | The most common tint level for sunglasses to be used in full sunlight and to block glare while driving or outdoors. |
| Category 4 | 92%-97% | These Dark lenses are for very bright conditions. We make one lenses in this specifically for Apline, Desert, and very bright conditions. Some industrial uses |
Sunglass Fix make lenses across most of these categories. For example, our blue blocker clear lenses are rated in a low category but still provide 100% UV protection. However, they probably wouldn't be comfortable to wear all day in bright conditions although any light travelling through them would have the harmful UV rays blocked out.
Polarized Lenses
Polarized lenses block glare. This has nothing to do with UV protection or Category rankings. However, each polarized lens would have a UV ranking and Category assignment. The Polarization of a lens is a technology that refracts light waves that are passing through it at odd angles. In sunglasses, polarization layers usually target reflecting light heading in from high angles (sky) and low angles (reflections off the ground).
Polarized lenses have become commonplace the industry. There are massive quality differences in terms of how well the polarized lenses works (efficacy), and how natural they work. Because the polarization film blocks out some light it can make reading some instruments difficult and produce some rainbowing effects. While they do tend to block glare better and provide a lot of comfort from bright light, they can be a little less natural than a non polarized lens.