Sunglasses and PCS

Winter or summer, rain or shine, you will almost always catch me wearing sunglasses. So much so that it’s become a joke with all of my friends and sunglasses have become my “thing.” It took me a while post-concussion to realize how much sunglasses matter.

I never wore nice sunglasses when I was young since I was constantly losing and scratching mine playing sports. Finally when I was in ninth grade and still really, really struggling with light sensitivity, my mom took me to get a pair of polarized sunglasses. Those sunglasses changed my life. Suddenly, I could actually see outside in the sun playing tennis or golf, and going on a boat with water reflections wasn’t excruciating.

I cannot recommend getting good polarized sunglasses enough. The polarization is key since polarized sunglasses significantly reduce glare. Light reflected from flat surfaces is "polarized" as it travels in a single direction rather than being scattered. This creates very intense reflected light which can cause glare and reduce visibility. Polarized lenses in sunglasses have a filter that blocks this kind of intense light and reduces glare.

I wear sunglasses pretty much every day, especially since I drive about 40 minutes going to and from school. I really enjoy being outside, especially in the summer, and I took up golf as my ‘low-impact, non-contact sport’ after my concussions. Good sunglasses were literally a game changer. Also, I often feel like such an idiot wearing sunglasses on a cloudier day or indoors, which is sometimes necessary for me.  In my opinion if you have to wear sunglasses at inappropriate times, they might as well be great ones.

Getting good sunglasses is worth it as you will be wearing them every day and they will make you feel so much better. I wear sunglasses all the time from playing sports to swimming in the ocean.

These are my favorite, most versatile, and most worn sunglasses. They're expensive, but it was very hard for me to find another pair that didn't give me a headache. Also, most sunglasses retailers will adjust sunglasses for you when you purchase them or anytime after, so make sure that they’re loose enough that they aren’t pressing too much and won’t give you a headache.