The one thing your sunglasses need if you're doing snow or water sports, according to the founders of a luxury eyewear brand
- Business Insider spoke to the founders of luxury eyewear brand Taylor Morris about all things sunglasses.
- The founders, Hugo Taylor and Charlie Morris, told us that it was key to wear polarized lenses when doing any snow or watersports.
- Light becomes polarized when it bounces off of flat surfaces like water or snow, according to All About Vision.
- This intense, reflected light is particularly harmful to your eyes, Taylor and Morris said.
- Polarized lenses contain a special filter that protects you while you're exposed to this light.
- Taylor blamed polarized light for a nasty skiing injury.
If you thought wearing the same shades all year round was acceptable, think again.
It turns out not all sunglasses are born equal, and some might just save you from injury when you're out and about, according to the founders of British eyewear brand Taylor Morris.
Founded by ex-reality TV star Hugo Taylor and his close friend Charlie Morris in 2013, Taylor Morris is now stocked in Harvey Nichols and gets worn by the likes of Kourtney Kardashian and Harry Styles.
Business Insider recently caught up with Hugo Taylor and Charlie Morris during London Fashion Week to get their tips on all things sunglasses.
Among their advice, the duo said that if you're out on the water or frolicking in the snow, it's imperative to wear polarized lenses.
"Say you're fishing and you're continually looking at water and light is bouncing up at you," Taylor says.
"That bouncing light, the way that hits your eyes, can be very damaging."
According to All About Vision, when light bounces off of certain surfaces it becomes polarized, meaning it travels in a more uniform direction rather than being scattered all over the place. This intense light, as Taylor mentioned, can be very damaging for your eyes.
"There's an extra filter within the [polarized] lens that blocks out scattered, glary light off reflected surfaces," optometrist Simon Allen told The Huffington Post Australia in 2016.
"It filters that light out and makes it a more comfortable light to view."
Morris adds that polarized lenses will take the glare off a surface so you can spot icy patches when skiing or ripples in the waves.
Pointing to a large scar on his shoulder, Taylor says: "This is because I was not wearing polarized lenses.
"I was wearing unpolarized lenses skiing and I didn't see, when I was going over a jump, the undulation of the white snow."
Morris jokingly interjects: "How many shots had you had before that, though?"
However, all jokes aside, wearing polarized lenses might just make the difference between safety and injury when you're in the great outdoors.