Comparing Fishing Sunglasses: What to Look for in Lens Quality & Durability

Out on the water, wily fish, weather, and water conditions are just a few of the variables that can make or break your day. Anglers are also faced with ultraviolet rays and various types of light that can cause damage to your eyes and cause difficulty when fish spotting. While you can’t control the tides, the weather, or the mood of the species you’re after on a particular day, you can control the equipment you use to combat the challenges. 

Choosing the right pair of sunglasses is critical for fishing success. But where do you start in a sea of options? When researching fishing sunglasses, two key factors to consider are lens quality and durability. Offering the world’s clearest lenses housed in sustainable frames, Bajío Sunglasses deliver a variety of shades made to suit every fishing scenario. To truly understand your options, it helps to do a fishing sunglasses comparison, looking at lens quality, materials, and technology.

Why Lens Quality Matters in Fishing Sunglasses 

Lens quality can mean the difference between spotting a rockfish below the pier or mistaking it for an actual rock. It can also mean the difference between truly protecting your eyes or simply looking cool. Bajío Sunglasses accomplishes both.

It starts with reducing glare while enhancing contrast with polarization. When sunlight hits a reflective surface like water, light scatters in the eye reducing image contrast and contour, causing glare which not only strains our eyes and causes visual fatigue, but also disrupts vision making spotting fish nearly impossible. The benefits of polarized eyewear technology range from better eye health to better performance. 

Polarized lenses for fishing are key because they absorb horizontal light rays while letting vertical light waves pass through. Because light travels in only one direction in polarized lenses, this limitation blocks glare. Bajío lenses essentially work like Venetian blinds to eliminate glare, and increase depth perception and contour—so not only do you see things better in the water, but you also see things from further away on the water—a key technology for sight fishing. Bajío also offers specific lens colors to enhance polarized shades based on light conditions. Mirror finishes on the lens are also used to reduce light transmission. 

In addition to glare, anglers have to battle the sun’s bad blue light, harsh yellow light, and ultraviolet rays that cause haze, visual blur, and damage to retinal cells. Bajío’s proprietary LAPIS™ lens technology blocks out 95% of bad blue light, 90% of harsh yellow light, and 100% of UV light—all while enhancing color, depth, and contrast and letting the good light in. The result is radically clear vision for more productive fishing and fresh, healthy eyes after long days outside. 

Comparing Lens Materials 

Whether you’re wrestling a monster, banging around on the boat, fishing your home waters with Fido, or traveling to far-off destinations in search of an exotic species, you need durable sunglasses that are up to the adventure (and a good beating). 

Bajío Sunglasses offer two lens options: glass or polycarbonate. Which is the superior lens material? The short answer is both—each has its benefits that anglers can weigh based on a few factors. Glass is harder and offers mirrors within the lens that cannot be scratched, which is great for wild, action-packed battles. However, glass is heavier. Polycarbonate lenses are impact-resistant and extremely lightweight, which makes a big difference in comfort for long days on the water. You can’t go wrong with either, but most anglers have a personal preference depending on what’s more important to them, lightweight or scratch resistance. Both lens types also have scratch-resistant and oleophobic coatings to protect lenses and allow for easy cleaning of salt, sweat, and sunscreen.

Another up-and-coming lens alternative is Trivex, reputed to be a stronger, clearer, more resistant alternative to polycarbonate. However, Trivex lenses also have some disadvantages, including higher cost, the potential for distortion, less scratch resistance, and limited availability. There are pros and cons to each lens material, so it’s up to anglers’ personal preferences.

Make the Right Choice for Your Fishing Needs

When it comes to fishing gear, your shades are one of the most important tools in the box. Investing in high-quality, durable fishing shades gives you the extra advantage of clear sight in those split seconds that count, and serves as an investment in your eye health for the long-term.

If you are looking for the best fishing sunglasses on the market, comparing the brands out there, make sure to check these features off your list of criteria: Polarization, bad blue-light blocking, harsh yellow-light blocking, UV ray protection, contrast-enhancing, color-enhancing, scratch resistance, durability, lightweight, protective oleophobic coating, and sustainability. Tick off all the boxes with Bajío.