Should You Wear Polarized Lenses?

Originally popularized by boaters and fishermen who used them to reduce the glare from the surrounding water, polarized lenses have now become a popular choice for many individuals. Now the term “polarized” is almost used as a marketing tool to sell sunglasses, but are these lenses actually worth it? Does having polarized lenses justify the increase in price you’ll pay for your sunglasses? We think yes, but let me explain why…

Well, it helps to understand what lens polarization actually does. Light from the sun can either be absorbed or reflected. Reflected light can move horizontally, vertically or diagonally depending on the surface from which it was reflected. Light that is reflected horizontally hits your eye in the form of glare. This glare bouncing from another horizontal surface, such as the road or a body of water, can be particularly bright and annoying. Polarized lenses work like venetian blinds – they have a laminate that contains vertical stripes. These stripes only allow the vertically-polarized light through the lens, thereby eliminating the horizontally-reflected glare. The decrease in the glare you see while wearing polarized lenses is dramatic and can really make certain images much easier to see.

So not only is polarization easier in terms of vision and discerning certain images, it also, by design, provides an additional degree of protection from potentially dangerous UV rays and intense glare that can damage eyes and possibly cause eye cancer.

Polarized lenses are also very helpful for people with especially light sensitive eyes. Individuals who suffer from migraines or those recovering from cataract surgery will find that polarized lenses are able to effectively protect their eyes from bright light.

Though polarized sunglasses are an obvious choice for sportsmen and boaters, we believe they are also a healthy and practical choice for everyone. The benefits in eliminating glare and protecting your eyesight are definitely worth the increase in cost. Protecting your eyes is an investment in your future.

To view some of our polarized sunglasses by top eye and sunglass designer SALT. Optics, please visit the Sunglasses area of AwesomeEyeglasses.com.

Did you know?? Both vertically and horizontally polarized lenses are used to view 3-D films. One lens only receives the horizontally polarized light waves, while the other receives the vertically polarized. Your brain takes these two images and combines them to create a realistic sense of depth.

Snow & Polarized Lenses

Given the beautiful blanket of snow we all woke up to in Central Virginia this morning, I thought that polarized lenses would be an apropos topic. 

By mid-morning in Charlottesville, the clouds had parted and the sun was beaming down on all of the wonderful white stuff. 

As beautiful as it all is, snow creates a tremendous amount of glare and brightness for our eyes.  We receive a “double-whammy” of light when snow is on the ground.  In addition to the normal amount of light our eyes receive directly from the sun, the white snow adds to the normal intensity by reflecting additional light rays off of the snow’s surface.  The light reflecting off the snow would be absorbed under normal circumstances, rather than reflected when snow is present.

Non-polarized sunglasses help to reduce the overall light intensity in bright environments like snow, but not nearly as much as they could.  Light rays travel in all directions: horizontally, vertically, and every direction in between.  Particularly bothersome to our eyes are the horizontal light rays that are reflected off of the snow.

Polarized lenses are far more effective at reducing glare because they specifically target the horizontal light rays by blocking  them from entering our eyes.  The polarized lenses selectively allow the vertical light rays to pass through the sun lenses to our eyes, but block out the glare-inducing horizontal rays.  Non-polarized sunglasses allow all directions of light rays to pass through, they just act to reduce the overall volume.

Polarized lenses allow our eyes to say “Ahh, that feels better” on bright days like today.  The benefits of polarized lenses are not limited to the snow though.  Around bodies of water, polarized lenses cut glare since water also reflects glare-inducing horizontal light rays.  Even the windshields of automobiles reflect horizontal light rays.  Polarized lenses are a great choice for your everyday sunglass lenses, and are available in both prescription and non-prescription form.

 

Graphic courtesy of www.astronomynotes.com