They make transitions lenses which become polarized only when they transition. I think they are called transitions vantage. I have them in both my Oakley riding glasses and my every day glasses and really like them.

I used cheap to mid priced polarized sunglasses for years but quit using them for the reason mentioned in the quote. I just got tired of not being able to see the data on the computer. Normally, I wear transition prescription glasses. I was at a bike shop and saw a pair of Tifosi photochromatic sunglasses, bought them and haven't looked back. This was about 5-6 years ago. I live on the west coast of Florida so there is plenty of water to look at during some of my rides (fortunately, no snow) and have not really seen the need for having polarized glasses. Plus, I can wear the same glasses in any type of lighting condition.

I like Oakley PRIZM road for situational awareness ; I think they're non-polarized .
Also like thier Photochroma 's for the natural rendition with some sun protection .
And I'm looking for another alternative to add to those .

I prefer polarized lenses when I'm riding, but then I don't need to look at any LCD screens while I'm riding, either.

So what is the difference between driving your car and driving your bike as far as seeing goes????

I use Bi polar lenses. They're great.. no, they are terrible.

I forgot where I read -or saw- it, but this is the same line of reasoning that Oakley uses as to why their Prizm road lens doesn't use polarization.

Not much, you have glare whether your driving or riding or snow skiing or fishing etc, knowing that, polarized glasses reduce that glare therefore reduce eye strain.

I'm a firm believer that you don't gain much if anything going to a pair of sunglasses that cost more than $125, and you can find really nice ones starting at around $70. Of course if you're cycling you NEEEEEEEEEEEED to be wearing $350 sunglasses otherwise you will be snubbed by the bike crowd and treated like you're a clown on a bike.

Don't be ridiculous. They're only $260+tax

I just learned why the iPhone shifts between green and purple with polarized glasses.
See the section at 1:50 here:

The absolute best sun glasses I have found for cycling is blu-block polarized ones.

+1 for high quality polarized. Cheap ones may not do the job. They protect your eyes from UV rays hitting your eyes from the road glare. Not quite as bad as UV reflected off of water but still bad. Wearing non-polarized sunglasses is worse than wearing no sunglasses at all.

As one who always wears glasses - all glasses have limitations. Sunglasses are no different. Different types of glasses have different limitations. Polarized ones often eliminate information from reflected light. Non-polarized, even dark sunglasses can have issues with reflections being too bright and making the less bright scenes harder to see.

I like polarized sunglasses for cycling though if I rode more in potentially icy conditions, I might get a pair that weren't for winter use. (But - a lot of ice cannot be seen even with regular glasses. Ride prudently or accept the occasional slide-out.) For sailboat racing on San Francisco Bay, I hated polarized. I couldn't see the light reflected on the water surface; ie the information about the wind and current right there. Instead I could count the fish. Not very useful. Replaced them with very expensive prescription Vaurnets, the lenses with the mirror gradient top and bottom. Super sailboat racing glasses! I could spend hours with the sun in the frame controlling the spinnaker with the reflection off the water also blocked and still be able to look down into the cabin and see. But on a bicycle? That gradient simply didn't work. Almost dangerous.

That's what one would think as first reaction. Perhaps the salesman (that subsumes women as well as men) heard of a law suite brought about by a cyclist, maybe was even instructed by the shop owner to warn people who ask for polarized glasses as a liability precaution. Or the clerk just read that somewhere and being too honest for the good of the business, can't help mentioning it to people who ask...

I remember watching TDF on TV and after some rider fell off his bike, he got up and was frantically looking around and it turned up, he was looking for glasses he dropped in the fall. The commentators said, he looked for them because they cost five hundred dollars (or some such amount, no idea if they made the amount up but the guy sure acted as if they were expensive). Probably paid from his pocket, not the stock glasses issued as part of team supplies. I don't really know if pro racers in TDF get glasses from sponsors or team issued, or what.

I have un-tinted prescription glasses and so ride with them, really only time I ever needed sunglasses was when I visited Boulder, Co. Not sure because it was in fall and sun was brighter in the dry air, I couldn't even walk around outside without them, never mind riding a bike. But that's not talking about polarized glasses.
Maybe those who ride on those roads where you are susceptible to see fata morgana effect, it warrants using polarized glasses, right?

Those sunglasses might have been prescription. If I lost mine in a bike race crash, I'd sure as heck want to find them to ride the next 50 miles not blind. (And prescription - they might well cost most of $500 but being able to see the rest of the race (and maybe tomorrow's and the day after) would be a lot more important.)

Just re-thought the post I am answering to - if he dropped them, that suggests they were stylishly tucked into his helmet, not on his face. Those guys don't need their sunglasses to see, just to make their lives better.

OK, I didn't think of that, of prescription glasses that is. However, don't these guys wear contact lenses if they need vision correction?

Not sure that glasses wouldn't fall off wherever you got them, that fall was quite a fall, into a ditch over the bars (so called 'catching a tiger' jump) is my vague recall of it.

There is quite legitimate glasses use, like in my case, in around August/September time, the region I ride my bike in is partly a farming land and you get those small flies around that get everywhere including your eyes (where they cause itch). I ride in light cotton shorts and these flies get caught on them and get squashed in cloth folds and it is a mess, much better to ride dressed in black during those times. If you ride close to 200km in a pro race that takes you through all kinds of land, I can see why you might need those glasses that are almost like goggles to protect against flies and such like. And high in mountains against too bright light. I doubt you really need polarizing function as much as you need for those two factors I mention here.

Really?

1. Is the UV filtration rate higher with polarized lenses? I doubt it.
2. All UV-rated lenses protect from UV rays.
3. No, wearing non-polarized sunglasses is not worse than wearing no sunglasses. That's just silly--and potentially dangerous--advice.

Yes, really. I stand by what I wrote. If there's an ophthalmologist on here, maybe they can verify or dismiss what I wrote.

sucks that all the rather effective polarized shades are framed. I wouldn't mind a frameless pair to replace the cheapies frameless 1s now.

Yeah, it looks like Plutonite® is Oakley's marketing term for their polycarbonate lenses.

Well big woop, all polycarbonate lenses block 100% of UV.

My Serfas brand Portal sunglasses with the brown polarized lens are hands down the best glasses I've ever owned.

Unfortunately Serfs glasses are a thing if the past, and I've a few scratches now.

So in the market, For new glasses. perfect Brown polarized are hard to find.
Imo worse than no glasses, are glasses that catch the sun from behind your head.

I am also spoiled with the Serfs portals, at driving directly into a setting sun. No visor need on bike helmet, motorcycle helmet, or in a car.

If I only knew then what I know now, I would have bought a dozen pair.

Polarized for me here in FL...biking, driving, boating and motorcycling.

I wanted polarized lenses when I bought my new cycling glasses. Oakley Radar's. Instead I settled on the Oakley Prizm lens. The lens is supposed to be designed for road riding. I can't tell the difference from my other Oakley glasses TBH. But whatever. They look good.