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Anyone who regularly spends time in the high mountains knows that solar radiation is particularly intense here. In addition to appropriate sun protection for your skin, the right protective glasses for your eyes are of course also essential. In this blog, you will learn what to look out for when buying your glacier glasses for high-alpine use.
Highest UV radiation on glaciers
Why are there actually special protective glasses for use on glaciers? The answer is quite simple: exposure to UV radiation is particularly high here, and there are several reasons for this.
Altitude: For every 1,000 metres of altitude, UV radiation increases by 15 to 20 percent. This means that the higher your tour takes you, the more essential the right glacier glasses become.
Reflected light: Snow and ice reflect around 80% of incoming sunlight, including harmful UV rays. Your eyes are therefore exposed to a double burden.
UV radiation even on cloudy days: UV exposure should not be underestimated even on cloudy days. The denser and darker the clouds, the more radiation they block. Conversely, this means that light white clouds block less sunlight. Especially with low-lying clouds and fog, the water droplets in the clouds can reflect UV radiation and even intensify it.
What do glacier glasses protect against?
High exposure to UV radiation can have health-related long-term consequences. In addition to clouding of the lens (cataracts) and retinal damage, tumours can also develop on the eyelid and conjunctiva due to increased radiation exposure. However, there are also acute risks from excessive exposure to sunlight. Excessively intense solar radiation can burn the conjunctiva and cornea of your eyes, similar to sunburn on the skin. This so-called “snow blindness” is not only particularly painful, but also very dangerous. Vision becomes blurred and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep your eyes open. Not ideal conditions for a safe mountain tour.
What you should look out for when buying glacier glasses
Fortunately, there is a very simple solution to avoid these risks: glacier glasses. However, when buying a new pair of glacier glasses, you should pay attention to these important features.
Dark lenses: The darker the lens and the higher the lens category, the more visible light is blocked by the glacier glasses. Sports sunglasses with category 3 and 4 lenses are therefore particularly suitable for glaciers.
UV protection: Dark glasses do not necessarily provide suitable UV protection. When buying, make sure you choose high-quality products with the appropriate certification. At NAKED Optics, all glasses with category 2–4 lenses offer 100% UV400 protection (Cat. 0–1 UV380 protection).
Polarizing filter: A so-called polarizing filter helps to block radiation reflected by snow and ice. Unlike standard sunglasses, these lenses protect against glare caused by both direct sunlight and reflections. Our glacier glasses The ASCENT and The SUMMIT are equipped with this filter as standard. However, if you want to use one of our sports glasses such as The VOLT and The BLADE as glacier glasses, make sure to use our category 4 interchangeable lenses with a polarizing filter.
Side protection: To protect your eyes from sunlight all around, you should make sure that your eyes are also properly covered at the sides. Our shield sports glasses are curved so that the lenses also extend around the sides of your eyes. For a more classic look, our glacier glasses feature side shields. These can also be removed in just a few simple steps for a flexible everyday look.
Secure fit: When buying suitable glacier glasses, you should also pay attention to a secure and comfortable fit. All the protection offered by glacier glasses is useless if your glasses slip off your nose during sweat-inducing activities. To prevent this, all sports and glacier glasses from NAKED Optics are equipped with non-slip rubber elements on the nose piece and temples. This keeps your glasses exactly where they should be.
Credits: Patrick Bätz