Fishing Sunglasses

You won’t last long out there in the hot sun of the Florida Keys without adequate protection from the heat and damaging UV rays. We all know that you need to wear sunscreen with the highest SPF available when out on the water, and that wearing a hat and other protective clothing is better still, but many of us neglect our eyes.

Wearing sunglasses helps you in two important ways. First, they filter light and second, they protect your eyes from those damaging ultra-violet (UV) rays. There have been numerous reports over recent years showing that exposure to UV rays can damage your eyes. Over time, exposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts, macular degeneration, and other problems involving your eyes.

Sunglasses should be worn whenever you are outdoors and especially when you are out on the water, where the glare and other irritating factors are significantly greater. Popular brands of fishing sunglasses include Maui Jim, Ray Ban and Oakleys.

When shopping for a pair of fishing sunglasses, try to look for those that filter out 99 to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. The color of the lenses does not have anything to do with the level of UV protection, so you will need to check the label.

Polarized fishing sunglasses, no matter what type of fishing you plan to do, are a must for eliminating glare and reducing eye fatigue.

Ordinary sunglasses only reduce the amount of visible light entering the eye. A polarized lens is made up of a film consisting of microscopic horizontal lines that filter out light bouncing off horizontal reflective surfaces such as ocean water. As a result, everything looks sharper.

There are a variety of tints available in polarized sunglasses and they are all good in certain lighting situations, however it is the brown tinted polarized lenses that are considered to be the best all-around color for fishing, providing true color perception and excellent contrast, meaning you can see easily under the water’s surface.