Squint Less, See More!

This summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain through Indiana University. When I flew into Barcelona before my program began, I spent many mornings roaming the streets looking at restaurant menus, observing people in cafes and the cultural differences in the city. I was immediately taken aback by all the beautiful greenery lining all the streets, and the wonderfully designed balconies overlooking them. Every apartment has a balcony overlooking the streets; I never saw a single house in the inner city.

Walking through the infamous markets in Las Ramblas one early afternoon, I noticed I had to keep taking my sunglasses off and putting them back on over and over again. The sun was reflecting on the interior of my sunglasses and creating glare in my eyes as I walked in and out of the shade. I seemed to be better off not wearing my sunglasses and squinting in the sun! It was then I realized I should have gotten an anti-reflective coating on my sunglasses before I left the states.

The purpose of sunglasses is to reduce the amount of light in your eyes, as Liz DeFranco explained on allaboutvision.com. Anti-reflective coating applied to the back surface of lenses keeps the sun from reflecting in your eyes by absorbing the light instead of reflecting it when the sun is behind you. This would have been extremely beneficial to me while walking through the city, hiking in San Sebastian, or even laying on the beach.

Dr. Tavel Family Eyecare offers two kinds of anti-reflective (AR) coatings: Clarifier® AR coating and Kodak premium AR coating. It is strongly recommended not only because it keeps the light out of your eyes, but also because it protects your lenses from scratches. If you’re thinking about taking a stroll this summer, whether it’s on vacation at the beach or down the street for ice cream, be sure to get anti-reflective coating for your sunglasses this summer!