Maui Jim’s PolarizedPlus2 sunglasses range fully eliminates glare, offers comprehensive UV protection, and enhances and improves clarity and colours (a particular frustration of mine with most sunglasses you can buy on the high street).
Maui Jim is serious about sunglasses. Founded in Hawaii in the 1980s, the company prides itself on its early development of patented polarized sunglasses to protect eyes from the sun’s glare and ultraviolet rays. Thanks to the success of this technology, the company is now the number one premium polarized sunglasses brand in the world.
Eye protection and eye wellness is often forgotten about, and this oversight could have dangerous consequences. That’s something that’s been a concern of Maui Jim since its inception, and also why it decided to build on its initial tech to create the proprietary PolarizedPlus2 technology. We at Luxuriate Life were lucky enough to get a sneak peek with a trip to Manchester to find out more.
The importance of eye health
One of the additional advantages to the range is that it also protects you from HEV (High-Energy Visible Light) or blue light exposure.
HEV is a more recent risk to your eye health, given that it’s produced not just from the sun like UV rays, but from indoor lighting and everyday digital devices like your smartphone, tablet or computer screen. It has even been reported that HEV may actually be as harmful to your skin as UVA and UVB light combined. Unlike UV rays, HEV does not cause your skin to burn, but can lead to a whole host of other symptoms such as dryness, soreness, sensitivity, inflammation, blotches and wrinkles, to name a few. All the more timely for Maui Jim’s range of spectacular sunnies.
To help us understand more about the importance of protecting your eyes from HEV/blue light, Maui Jim asked us to speak to a friendly eye doctor, Dr Shelby, who introduced us to a small, cutting-edge Azul Optics MP-Eye scanner, a device that effectively and quickly helps identify patients with low natural defences against violet-blue light and oxidative eye damage.
Within a minute, the machine is able to tell you your results. A bit like a hyper-fast eye test with your optician, you are asked to ascertain which direction a slowly fading and progressively harder to see spinning blue bow tie is going on your screen, ending up with a score out of ten. The higher the score, the better your eyes are at defending against HEV. I surprisingly ended up with a higher-than-average score of 7/10, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need to look after my eye health! It’s quite the opposite. To increase and maintain your defences, you can eat more green and leafy veggies (spinach, kale and our editor’s favourite, broccoli, for example), exercise more, and most importantly, reduce your overall exposure by using a blue light reducing feature on your devices, or protective lenses like the ones at Maui Jim.
The science behind Maui Jim
So firstly, what does polarization actually mean? When the sun’s rays are reflected off flat or shiny surfaces, the rays become polarized. When these polarized rays enter the eye, we experience an uncomfortable glare. Maui Jim’s original polarized lens technology manages that glare for more effective eye protection. Maui Jim’s advanced PolarizedPlus2 technology not only builds on its original proprietary technology, but blocks 100% of UV rays and 78% of HEV light. The technology is unique in that it enhances natural light instead of dimming it, delivering exceptional colour and clarity… in other words, it’s an absolute gamechanger.
For those of you that are sporty and outdoorsy, the lenses are scratch-resistant from the front and back, giving you enhanced performance, long-lasting wear and extreme durability. As for next level protection, all lenses are hydrophobic and oleophobic, so they are water resistant and repel all forms of grease. To top all of this off, no matter the size of the lenses, you’re still going to be protected. Due to another trademarked Maui Jim specialty, the lenses have backside treatment, eliminating reflected light and glare from above and below.
The range
All of Maui Jim’s sunglasses incorporate the PolarizedPlus2 technology, however if you’re a Manchester United fan then count yourself lucky! Maui Jim are the Official Vision Partner of the club and have created a 20-strong limited-edition exclusive range for all Old Trafford enthusiasts. As a Gunner myself, I am incredibly jealous! The range has optimized the players’ visual experiences and protected their vision off the field, evidence of the durability and enhanced performance of the lenses.
The efficacy of the lenses also show how important eye protection is for all people who engage in any kind of sporting activity, from running to cycling to tennis. If it’s good enough for Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s good enough for us!
In short, if you need to buy new sunglasses and you care about protecting your eye health, look no further than Maui Jim. Their patented PolarizedPlus2 technology makes them the only suitable option.
“Maui Jim sunglasses won’t change the world, they’ll change the way you see it.”
To discover more, visit mauijim.com
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All imagery courtesy of Maui Jim.