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Sunglasses Polarized or No


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I have always been a huge fan of polarized sunglasses and have used them on the field umpiring.

Recently I was in an Oakley Outlet Store and the guy working there was helping another customer and I listened in as he was speaking. This customer was wanting a pair of sunglasses for baseball. The worker was explaining for sports like baseball you actually don't want polarized glasses and went on to some specifics why. 

I know we don't have the same optical needs a s a player but I found this interesting. The players are looking up at the ball and generally speaking we are looking at the fielder, not the ball. 

Do you use or recommend polarized glasses or not and why?

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I’m big on Oakleys, mostly for aesthetic reasons, but as far as i know polarized lenses offer better glare resistance. I got really into the prism lenses though. For plates I’ll wear the prism golfs, and bases either the prism infield, or daily. It’s probably just personal preference 

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I have the baseball PRIZM glasses and like them for the bases. I don't wear glasses on the plate.

I do want to get lighter lenses for cloudy days or if the game is played later in the day or in low light.

Do you remember any of the reasons he gave for non polarized? 

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6 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

I have the baseball PRIZM glasses and like them for the bases. I don't wear glasses on the plate.

I do want to get lighter lenses for cloudy days or if the game is played later in the day or in low light.

Do you remember any of the reasons he gave for non polarized? 

I use the PRIZM lenses as well, but I'll wear them on the plate as well as in the field. They did away with the infield outfield thing a while ago. @HCueds , have you seen the current baseball PRIZM lenses? If so, how do they compare to your infield lenses?

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1 hour ago, Stk004 said:

I use the PRIZM lenses as well, but I'll wear them on the plate as well as in the field. They did away with the infield outfield thing a while ago. @HCueds , have you seen the current baseball PRIZM lenses? If so, how do they compare to your infield lenses?

There was very little difference between the infield and outfield Prizm lenses to begin with. That's the main reason Oakley went to "field" lenses. I was always a polarized lens wearer until the Prizm lenses came out. Add the anti reflective coating on the back of the lens and there's no better lens for me. The only"negative" of Polarized lenses is they tend to "flatten" things out. You'll lose undulations on a green, or on a snow slope. However, for water sports or fishing nothing beats the Prizm deep blue polarized. (The only Prizm lens that is polarized). On a baseball field, I never had an issue with polarized lenses. That said, the definition, clarity, and contrast that the Prizm lenses give is unsurpassed. I wear my Flax 2.0  with my Rx and I wear them on the plate and in the field. My pair with black iridium polarized have been relegated to my driving glasses.

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@Stk004 if I remember correctly, little to no difference the in/outfield lenses. I remember the sales rep explaining that the outfield lenses were designed to help the ball stand out when looking up. I’m actually gonna stop by the Oakley vault tmrw, so I’ll try the “field” ones

@BT_Blue I tried the golf ones for the lowlight reason after seeing Jerry Layne wear them (I’m pretty sure he wore them) on a night game in Anaheim this year. 

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1 hour ago, HCueds said:

@Stk004 if I remember correctly, little to no difference the in/outfield lenses. I remember the sales rep explaining that the outfield lenses were designed to help the ball stand out when looking up. I’m actually gonna stop by the Oakley vault tmrw, so I’ll try the “field” ones

@BT_Blue I tried the golf ones for the lowlight reason after seeing Jerry Layne wear them (I’m pretty sure he wore them) on a night game in Anaheim this year. 

Had a guy with them when I went up to Seattle two weekends ago. It was bright enough for my PRIZM lenses. But I definitely likes the golf ones.

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On 10/2/2017 at 7:12 PM, Richvee said:

I wear my Flax 2.0  with my Rx and I wear them on the plate and in the field.

@Richvee, Just curious..... Since they have your prescription in them, do you wear the prizm's both during the day and at night or on low light cloudy days? Just wondering if the prizms are versatile enough to be worn both during the day and at night/low light.

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2 hours ago, grk17 said:

@Richvee, Just curious..... Since they have your prescription in them, do you wear the prizm's both during the day and at night or on low light cloudy days? Just wondering if the prizms are versatile enough to be worn both during the day and at night/low light.

I have the "field" lens.They're sunglasses. Not for night games. You can wear them on overcast days, but I usually only use them on sunny day games. I prefer my regular Rx glasses if it's not sunny. They're just clear with an anti-reflective coating. Early evening starts with the sun bright at the start, I'll bring a hard case, and they go against the fence on the 1B line or in my 2nd ballbag. One of these days I'll get smart and get a pair of clear lenses for the Flax and just swap lenses when the sun goes down.

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