CLARITY by POC_ The colours of snow
CLARITY BY POC LENS TECHNOLOGY When it comes to choosing the best lenses for your goggles in order to get the most from your skiing, an understanding of biology and the science of how the eye works truly matters.
Sun, snow, and colour – The colours of snow
The way each of us experiences colour is subjective, but the fundamentals of how each of us sees remain the same. Understanding the impact snow has on how we receive colour information is vital for choosing the right lens.
Catch a snowflake and you’ll see it is clear. But when snow blankets the ground, it is white. This is because each snowflake reflects all colours across the light spectrum. Shorter colour wavelengths, like blue, reflect slightly better. With so much reflected light on snow, everything appears brighter, so it is vital to protect your eyes.
Biology – All in the eye
The eye’s retina contains light-sensitive cells called rods and cones. Cones are sensitive to either red, green or blue light, and they determine how we interpret colour. Our brains process how many of each cone type is activated to determine which colours we see. In a snowy environment, where all light is reflected—with blue being reflected slightly better—it’s vital to choose a goggle lens that can manage these differences in light and colour levels.
Blue blockers are popular in ski goggle lenses, but blue light makes it easier to properly read irregularities and textures on the snow’s surface. To read snow accurately and stay as safe as possible, blue light is vital. We developed Clarity lens technology with optics specialists Carl Zeiss to accurately control the colour spectrum. The technology balances blue colour wavelengths against every other colour in order to ensure a more balanced visual experience.
How to choose a lens – Intensity matters
All ski goggle lenses with Clarity by POC™ technology are tuned to offer the best visual performance in specific conditions. The intensity of what you see through a Clarity lens is also tuned for ultimate performance for different types of skiing.
DISCOVER YOUR LENS TYPE
Whether racing, in the backcountry or on the piste; in bright sun, in the clouds or somewhere in between, the right Clarity lens gives you ultimate trust in your vision.
Product – Opsin Technology – Clarity Universal Lens Category – Partly sunny grey
[1] Clarity Universal
The greyer tint of the Clarity Universal lens is gentler on the eye for extended periods of use, giving more comfort if the ski goggles are worn all day long. These lenses do, however, give slightly less definition and intensity than other types of Clarity lens.
Product – Nexal Technology – Clarity Intense Lens Category – Partly Sunny Orange
[2] Clarity Intense
If you’re on the snow to have fun, no matter where you are on the mountain, the Clarity Intense lens is a natural choice. Balancing all-day usability with colour control, the lenses make it possible to see enough detail on the surface of the snow to make the right choices about your lines and your speed in all situations.
Product – Zonula Technology – Clarity Highly Intense Lens Category – Partly Sunny Blue
[3] Clarity Highly Intense
The Clarity Highly Intense lens type is optimised for competition. Whether alpine racing or competing in the park, the Highly Intense lenses control the colour spectrum in a different way to the Intense lenses, being more tuned to short usage periods.
Their colour curve is optimised to give an almost hyperreal view of the snow, so that you can read even the tiniest details on the surface of the snow and make decisions about your line choice with as much information as possible, as early as possible.
Product – POCito Opsin Technology – Clarity POCito Lens Category – Partly Sunny Light Orange
[4] POCITO
Developed to be gentler for young eyes, this lens enhances definition without colour distortion, giving comfort to keep children skiing all day.
Lens guide – The finishing touches
We understand. The mirror coating on the lens draws us in, too. But each lens mirror tint serves a purpose, and each colour works slightly differently. The mirrors reflect light away from your eyes, reducing glare and improving comfort. The colour of the tint plays a role in how much of which colour wavelength is reflected. Each mirror tint has been carefully chosen to support the colour of the lens to give the ultimate visual experience.
Lenses also each have a different VLT (visible light transmission). When choosing your lens, consider the conditions you ski in and look for the matching VLT category. A higher VLT allows more light to pass through, making these a better choice in darker, cloudier conditions. A lower figure blocks more light, making it more suitable for sunnier conditions.
Each lens is built up of several layers, and may feature hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings, as well as anti-scratch and anti-reflection treatments, helping to keep the lens in pristine condition. All POC ski and snowboard goggles feature double lenses, with the outer lens measuring 1.8mm thick to improve penetration protection, ensuring Clarity lenses do more than help you read the snow.
