The Best Polarized Prescription Sunglasses for Men and Women
The best polarized prescription sunglasses pair your exact single vision prescription with a polarized lens, 100% UVA/UVB protection and anti-reflective coating, set in a style that suits both your face and your prescription strength. Polarization cuts glare from water, roads and snow. Your prescription keeps everything sharp.
If you wear glasses, a pair of shades has probably meant a compromise: contacts plus a regular pair, clip-ons, or squinting through a bright afternoon in your everyday frames. Prescription polarized sunglasses remove that compromise, but they're a bigger decision than a regular pair. You're choosing a lens material, a tint, a style that works with your prescription and a look you'll wear most days of the year. We make prescription sunglasses in the same silhouettes as our sunglasses, so the choice comes down to understanding the lens and picking the shape that suits you.
What Makes the Best Polarized Prescription Sunglasses
Three features set good polarized prescription lenses apart from ordinary shades: the material, the polarizing filter and the lens coating.
The material depends on your prescription. We offer single vision polycarbonate, a lightweight, impact-resistant lens suited to mild and moderate prescriptions up to +/- 4.00, and high index lenses in 1.67 and 1.74, which are thinner and lighter for stronger prescriptions. Polarized options are available in polycarbonate and 1.67 high index.
Polarization is a filter built into the lens that blocks the horizontal light bouncing off flat surfaces like water, wet roads, car hoods and snow. It isn't what protects your eyes from UV, though. Cleveland Clinic's eye specialists make the same point: polarized lenses reduce glare, which helps when driving or playing sports, but you still need 100% UV protection on top. Every prescription lens we make carries 100% UVA/UVB protection, along with anti-reflective coating, scratch resistance and an anti-smudge treatment as standard.
For most people who spend time near water, drive a lot or head outdoors for sport and adventure, polarized lenses are the upgrade that makes prescription eyewear feel noticeably better.
Choosing a Frame for Polarized Prescription Lenses
The frame matters as much as the lens, and prescription adds one consideration that regular shades don't have. Strong prescriptions create thicker lens edges, and very large frames make that thickness more visible and add weight. That's why some of our frames carry recommended prescription ranges. If your prescription is strong, a moderate size and a high index lens will look and feel lighter.
Fit is a bigger feature of prescription glasses than of regular shades, because the optical center of each lens needs to sit in front of your pupil. That's why we ask for your pupillary distance, or PD, when you order. Frames with adjustable silicone nose pads let you fine-tune how high the lenses sit, while built-in universal nose pads give a solid, set fit on an average to higher bridge.
Every style in our prescription sunglasses collection lists its frame width, bridge width and arm length, so compare those with a pair that already fits before you choose a style.
The Best Polarized Sunglasses for Men and Women, in Your Prescription
Most of our styles are worn across genders, so these picks, which double as our best polarized sunglasses for men and for women, are organized by look rather than by label. Each is available as a prescription frame with polarized lens options.
• The aviator: HIGH KEY LARGE Rx takes our bestselling aviator, with adjustable silicone nose pads, into a prescription frame. It's the one we'd point to first if you want a classic polarized aviator for driving.
• The everyday square: UNPLUGGED Rx is an easy, classic square with built-in nose pads, the kind of frame that works with a suit, a swimsuit or a hoodie.
• The geometric metal: EN ROUTE Rx is a sleek geometric aviator with a beveled metal frame and adjustable nose pads, good if you want something sharper than a teardrop.
• The statement rectangle: TELL ME MORE Rx is a bold, durable acetate rectangle with tall arms for anyone who wants their prescription sunglasses to look like a fashion piece first.
• The slim oval: ANYWAYS Rx is a sleek oval with tapered metal arms and adjustable nose pads, a strong option for smaller or narrower faces.
If none of those is quite right, the same logic applies across the range: pick the shape you'd wear as regular sunglasses, then check it against your prescription and your fit.
When Polarized Is the Right Call, and When It Isn't
Polarized prescription sunglasses shine in bright, reflective conditions. Driving into low sun, days on the water, sport outdoors, snow and wet pavement are where the difference is obvious, because the reflected light that makes you squint is exactly what a polarized lens removes.
There are a few situations where it's less helpful. Polarized lenses can make some digital screens and dashboard displays look darker or patchy at certain angles. If you spend a lot of time reading screens outdoors, a tinted non-polarized prescription lens is worth considering instead, and it still carries the same 100% UVA/UVB protection.
How Ordering Prescription Sunglasses Works
Ordering online takes a few minutes. Choose your frame, select sunglasses lenses, then pick your lens material and tint, including polarized options. You'll need a valid, unexpired glasses prescription with all required values plus your pupillary distance. Contact lens prescriptions can't be used. We make single vision prescriptions online, while progressive lenses are available in some of our stores.
Because every pair of glasses is made to order, prescription sunglasses arrive in about three weeks and are final sale. Lenses that arrive scratched are replaced if you let us know within 30 days, and if your doctor updates your prescription within 30 days of delivery, we'll remake the lenses once at no charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can prescription sunglasses be polarized?
Yes, prescription sunglasses can be polarized. At Quay, polarized prescription lenses are available in polycarbonate and 1.67 high index, in single vision prescriptions ordered online. The polarizing filter is built into the lens alongside your prescription, 100% UVA/UVB protection and anti-reflective coating, so you get sharp sight and reduced glare in one pair.
Do prescription sunglasses need to be polarized?
No, prescription sunglasses don't need to be polarized. Polarization cuts glare from water, roads and snow, so it's worth it if you drive a lot or spend time outdoors near reflective surfaces. A tinted non-polarized lens still blocks 100% of UVA and UVB rays at Quay and can be easier to use with some digital screens.
How much are polarized prescription sunglasses?
At Quay, polarized prescription sunglasses are priced as a frame plus a lens. Our single vision polarized lenses are listed at $235 in polycarbonate and $315 in 1.67 high index, and the frame price is shown on each style's product page. Stronger prescriptions usually need high index lenses, which cost more because they're thinner and lighter.
[CONFIRM WITH QUAY: that the frame price and lens price combine at checkout as described, and whether any lens prices differ by tint.]
Are all prescription sunglasses polarized?
No, not all prescription sunglasses are polarized. Polarization is an option you choose with your lenses, alongside tints like smoke, brown gradient, green and fade. Every Quay prescription sunglass lens carries 100% UVA/UVB protection whether or not it's polarized, so the decision is about glare and comfort rather than eye safety.
The best polarized prescription sunglasses are the ones you'll reach for every sunny day, so start with the shape you already love and let the lens work around it. If you already know your frame, browse our prescription sunglasses in every shape, each one offered with polarized lenses. Not ready for prescription lenses yet? Our non-prescription polarized sunglasses collection carries many of the same frames.
