Spring is coming soon, the sun is back, trees are budding and cute little flowers are blooming! Nature reborn, covering the winter grayness with its thousand colors, it's good for the soul. Oh, and if you're allergic, it'll beat up your sinuses, because we live in a wonderful world.
If for you spring mainly means pollen and therefore red eyes + runny nose (the perfect combo), if you celebrate the return of sunny days with itchy eyes , sneezing galore and the look of a myxomatosis rabbit, you have all our sympathy... And we may even have some advice for you!
What if instead of suffering, you shielded your eyes with stylish AND protective glasses? Because yes, anti-pollen glasses exist! And even better, Horus X sunglasses can totally do the job . We tell you more in this article.
Anti-pollen glasses: product description
If you too are allergic to pollen and every year, hay fever ruins your spring, you are not alone. According to the Health Insurance, approximately 25 to 30% of French people are affected by allergies, a large proportion of which are linked to pollen.
Allergy symptoms vary depending on the type of pollen, but generally include eye irritation, with burning eyes, itchy eyes, watery eyes, runny nose, and even congestion. Added to this may be redness of the eye or asthma attacks. It's fun!
Most of the time, antiallergy treatments include antihistamines, corticosteroids and other eye drops. But there is more and more talk of protective glasses, anti-allergen glasses or anti-dust glasses to protect against pollen.
Concretely, how does it work?
- 🚧 Glasses create a physical barrier against pollen: with side and front protection, pollen in the air does not reach the eye (a bit like safety glasses). Basically, these glasses are designed to limit the contact between your precious peepers and the nasty pollen.
- ☀️ In addition to that, a suitable pair of glasses can also protect you from UV rays outdoors. But we'll talk about that later.
💡 On the other hand, unless you wear a nose clip, pollen goggles do not prevent pollen from entering your nostrils or throat. As you wish. But the covid period will have at least served one purpose: reminding us of the existence of surgical masks, which will help protect your mouth and nose, yes yes.
Choosing the right anti-pollen glasses: the criteria
To ensure that this type of glasses is suitable for your use to limit allergies, there are several criteria:
- Wraparound frames and lenses : To protect your eyes, choose a model that sufficiently covers your eyes and temples.
- Lightness and comfort : since you will probably wear them for several hours in a row, opt for a light and comfortable pair to wear all day long without pain or discomfort.
- Quality above all : check the origin of your frame and lenses, the materials used, any guarantees. Bonus: the ethics of the manufacturer, for a purchase that combines the useful with your convictions.
- An all-in-one option : choose a versatile model that combines several uses. For example, full-coverage sunglasses will protect your eyes from contact with allergens, but also from glare, UV rays, reflections, etc. Indoors, anti-blue light glasses can help reduce eye fatigue, but also soothe your poor, sore eyes (especially if, like us, you like to work with the window open: great for ventilation, bird chirps, less so for grass).
Okay, there is a small problem with the specially designed anti-pollen glasses: a quick Google image search will tell you that they are aesthetically pleasing and not to everyone's taste. And that's a flowery euphemism I just used, just to make you sneeze.
Can you protect yourself from pollen with more classic glasses that don't force you to give up all pretense of a love life when spring arrives? But yes, classic glasses can largely help you protect your eyes, as long as they are well-covering!
Horus X glasses, useful against allergies?
And that's good: at Horus X, we have several designs of this kind! Some of our models check all the boxes we were talking about just above, including:
- ☀️ For outdoors: the ProXima Performance (€79.90), our sunglasses with 100% anti-UV polarized lenses (UV 400 standard), anti-reflective with anti-fog technology. Their covering shape, both through their lenses and their curved frame, allows them to follow you on all your adventures, even when the pollen is playing up.
- 🧑💻 Indoors : if you don't work in the back room of a garden center, you can opt for glasses that are slightly less covering, but super effective against blue light. We are thinking in particular of our One screen glasses, available with amber and transparent lenses, so you can wear them in all situations. High-performance AND affordable (from €59.90 for the biobased amber lens version, €69.90 for the transparent lens version for the day), they are the ideal all-in-one compromise.
- 🌆 In the evening : our Esport ProXima glasses (€79.90), with their ergonomic design and their Plasma Pro® high-precision technology: clear amber lenses filtering 77% of blue light between 380 and 450 nm (100% of the so-called ultra-harmful light, between 380 and 400 nm). Covering, lightweight, high-performance and stylish, it's the perfect option for intensive work (or gaming) sessions when the sun has gone (but the pollen is still there).
In short, covering models, designed in France, which give you good protection and preserve your style without breaking the bank: what more could you ask for?
The final word: glasses against pollen allergy, essential or gadget?
- Do pollen goggles really work? Yes, anti-pollen goggles can save your day against allergies. Even if they don't protect your nose or mouth, they act as a barrier between your precious eyeballs and the nasty pollen in the air. Preferably choose a model that covers your eyes, made of lightweight and durable material, and fulfills several functions (a pair that can also protect you from the sun and/or harmful blue light, for example). An anti-fog treatment can also be useful, as long-time glasses wearers know...
- However, these types of specialized glasses can quickly become uncomfortable and heavy after a few hours. Not to mention that they offer a somewhat questionable look.
- But if your glasses (sunglasses and myopia glasses, for example) are very covering, you can use them as anti-pollen glasses. You can also alternate protective glasses for working outdoors (during periods of allergic attacks caused by floating pollen) and classic covering glasses when things calm down a bit.
- The Horus X sunglasses perfectly fulfill this role, with a touch of style as a bonus. We are thinking in particular of the ProXima Performance and Esport, which are both covering and lightweight. To say goodbye to PLS eyes in the spring, check out our store where you can directly try on your future favorite glasses online, comfortably seated on your sofa.
- Can you wear anti-pollen glasses with contact lenses? Yes, and it is even recommended. Contact lenses and dry eyes unfortunately often go hand in hand, and it does not improve during allergy periods.
- Can you wear them while driving? It all depends on the type of lenses. If the anti-pollen glasses you have chosen are equipped with category 4 lenses or photochromic lenses, it is no. For your information, our sun lenses are all suitable for driving, so you can wear them while driving!