The Benefits of Polarized Sunglasses
Polarized lenses may look cool, but they are more than just a stylish accessory. These lenses protect you from glare, helping improve vision clarity and reduce eye strain in bright conditions.
What are polarized sunglasses?
Imagine light as a bunch of tiny, invisible ping-pong balls bouncing off everything around you.
On rough surfaces, these ping-pong balls bounce around unpredictably in all directions. But on smooth surfaces like calm water or a shiny piece of metal, the balls will bounce in a more uniform, organized way.
When bright sunlight hits a reflective surface, the vertical light scatters horizontally. This creates what we call glare – that harsh, blinding light that makes you squint and can be really uncomfortable.
Polarized lenses are designed to block the horizontal light rays that cause this glare. They do this by only letting through light rays that are harmless and comfortable for your eyes.
This makes it a lot easier to see on sunny days, especially around water, snow, or any smooth surface that reflects light straight into your eyes.
How do polarized lenses work?
Polarized sunglasses are equipped with a special filter that allows for clearer and more comfortable vision. The key to the effectiveness of polarized lenses lies in this filter, which contains a special chemical film.
This film is made up of parallel molecules that work in the same way as blinds on a window, allowing the glasses to block out the light traveling in one direction while the light traveling in others still passes through.
This significantly reduces glare and improves the quality of what you see.
Benefits of polarized lenses
Wearing a pair of polarized lenses has many benefits. From reducing brightness to minimizing glare, they are one of the best solutions to protect your eyes from harmful light waves. The benefits of polarized sunglasses include:
- Reduced glare: The primary benefit of polarized sunglasses is that they are designed specifically to minimize glare from reflective surfaces such as water, snow, and roads. By blocking glare, they reduce squinting and improve visual comfort during activities with bright light.
- Clearer vision: By filtering out harsh, reflected light, polarized lenses improve clarity and contrast of vision. This is particularly beneficial for activities like driving, where the ability to see details and depths can be crucial for safety.
- Enhanced color perception: Polarized sunglasses can enhance the natural colors and contrast of the environment. This can make scenes more vibrant and enjoyable when performing outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, or photography.
- Reduced eye strain: Glare can cause eye strain, leading to discomfort and fatigue. With its glare reduction, polarized lens technology can improve the strain on your eyes and make it more comfortable to engage in activities with long exposure to the sun.
Polarized vs non-polarized lenses
When deciding between polarized and non-polarized sunglasses, the key difference lies in the polarized lenses’ ability to reduce glare.
Non polarized lenses can be tinted to decrease overall brightness, but they won’t enhance visual clarity in the same way polarized lenses do.
While both types of lenses can be equipped to filter out blue light from digital screens and harmful UV rays, this is independent of whether the lenses are polarized or not. This is why when picking out sunglasses it is crucial to check if they also offer UV protection.
Ultimately, neither of the lens types is better than the other and you should choose your pair of sunglasses based on what best suits your lifestyle and specific needs.
DID YOU KNOW?
Polarized lenses were invented in 1936 by Edwin H. Land.
Should I be wearing polarized sunglasses?
There are many situations in which a pair of polarized sunglasses can be beneficial. When spending time outdoors, their ability to cut down sun glare can be useful to reduce eye strain.
Beyond that, the visual clarity they provide can also be useful in specific scenarios, such as when doing outdoor sports that require visual precision. The following activities are examples of cases where the polarization is helpful:
- Driving during the day: Polarized sunglasses reduce glare from the sun and reflective surfaces when driving, helping the driver see the road and oncoming vehicles clearly, without the need to squint.
- Playing outdoor sports: They provide a more visual acuity under the sun, improving both your game and safety.
- Golfing: In golf the glare from the sun can be distracting. Polarized lenses can improve contrast and clarity on the course, which helps ball tracking and reading the greens.
- Water sports and activities: Activities such as water sports, boating, or just a day by the water are more enjoyable with polarized sunglasses. They cut down the glare from the water’s surface, and allow you to see beneath it more clearly. This can be particularly useful for fishing as it allows the wearer to easily spot fish under the surface.
- Winter sports: Polarized sunglasses reduce the harsh glare from the horizontal light that bounces off the snow’s reflective surface. This helps visibility in skiing, snowboarding, or any snow-based activity.
There are many situations in which a pair of polarized sunglasses can be beneficial. When spending time outdoors, their ability to cut down sun glare can be useful to reduce eye strain.
Beyond that, the visual clarity they provide can also be useful in specific scenarios, such as when doing outdoor sports that require visual precision. The following activities are examples of cases where the polarization is helpful:
When not to wear polarized sunglasses
While polarized lenses offer significant benefits in reducing glare and enhancing visual clarity, there are cases where they may not be the ideal choice.
For instance, pilots are often advised against wearing polarized lenses since they can interfere with the visibility of instrument panels.
This is also why individuals who wear polarized glasses while using a LED or LCD screen (car dashboards, ATMs, smartphones etc.), might find these displays harder to read due to the polarization filter.
Although polarized lenses can help reduce the glare from oncoming headlights, they’re also not always the best option for drivers.
In low light conditions or when night driving, they can reduce visibility and make it more challenging to see obstacles or hazards. This is because of their dimming effect and can lead to traffic accidents.
Protect your vision
Wearing polarized sunglasses can greatly improve the quality of your vision when performing outdoor activities, but ultimately choosing them over non-polarized sunglasses is a personal preference.
Feel free to ask our opticians if you have any questions on polarization or what lens type is the best for your needs.
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