If you’re someone who likes to go out in the sun a lot, then you’re likely going to feel the effects. From wearing sunscreen to staying hydrated, there are steps that every person can take to stay comfortable and healthy in the sun.
And wearing the proper protective lenses is part of that.
UV lenses can help to protect your eyes and the skin around your eyes from dangerous UV light. However, they won’t get rid of the blinding and distracting glare that causes visual problems in sunny environments.
Polarized lenses have the ability to get rid of glare. But hey might not be the perfect solution for every situation.
If you’re interested in learning more, then keep on reading. We will walk you through what polarized lenses are, how they work, and what their positives and negatives are.
What Is Glare?
When a lot of light hits a flat surface, the light is reflected horizontally. This means that it is polarized.
The collection of light becomes concentrated and can blind any person who looks at it. This is known as blinding glare.
When light is reflected on a smooth surface, it is considered to be uniform. Uniform reflections are light that is reflected off of a car’s back window or bumper, or off of the road.
There are also non-uniform reflections. This is when light is reflected off of a surface that is not even. An example of this would be light that is reflected off of a patch of ice on the road or running water.
Whether it is uniform or non-uniform, the point of polarized lenses is to filter out the blinding reflected light and offer a clear viewer experience for the individual.
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What are Polarized Lenses?
During the manufacturing process, a special chemical is applied to an eyeglass lens in order to make it polarized. The chemical is laminated in a vertical pattern in order to reorganize the light.
This pattern blocks the light that is horizontal and gets rid of glare. It is similar to how a window blind works.
Glare usually takes place when waves of light bounce off reflective surfaces, such as a shiny car bumper, snowy hillside, or a lake.
Because the surface is horizontal, the light is horizontally reflected. When a person is wearing polarized sunglasses, the surface blocks the glare by filtering out the horizontal light waves that do not fit through the chemical laminate patterns.
Images might appear darker while you wear polarized sunglasses. However, when glare is removed, the image details will be easier to look at. And they can reduce eye strain.
Also, polarized lenses are able to provide protection from harmful UV rays.
Polarized Lens Differences
Cheaper polarized lenses are significantly different from more expensive lenses. Cheaper lenses might only have a thin chemical layer on one side of the lens.
A thin laminate might only provide the user with a small benefit. And it can also be scratched off or rubbed off fairly quickly.
A lens that is of higher quality will have chemicals laminated between two layers of lenses. When you encase the chemical laminate, you stop it from becoming ruined. Also, when the polarizing film is thick, it will make your glasses more protective against glare.
How Polarized Lenses Work for You
Polarized lenses won’t just reduce glare. They will also make it easier on your eyes when you’re out in the sun for many hours.
If you happen to feel headaches because of light sensitivity, then you may want to give polarized lenses a try. They can help you experience less severe and frequent headaches.
Polarized lenses can also increase visual acuity, contrast, and clarity. This will make your environment much more enjoyable.
Also, when you are able to see better, you will be able to think and respond faster. And if you are a commercial or recreational boater or fisherman, polarized lenses can help you see below the surface of the water.
Polarizations Limits
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are common on clocks, car dashboards, cell phone screens, and other instrument displays. These screens can be hard to see clearly when you wear polarized lenses.
They are very troubling for pilots who have difficulty viewing objects in the sky, including other planes, and their instrument panels too.
Because polarization does block some light, you might not want to use it at night, for safety reasons.
Where to Find Polarized Lenses
Polarized lenses can be found at all kinds of retail stores, from high-end sunglass vendors to your local drug store. If you are purchasing these glare-blocking sunglasses to lower eye strain then you should make sure that you are getting a good product.
Check with a lens professional to see if you can get accurate information and learn more about your eyewear. Also, depending on how much strain you suffer from, there might be another problem that your eye doctor should know about.
The Importance of Knowing About Polarized Lenses
Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better idea of what polarized lenses are and how they work. Make sure to try different lenses and see which ones fit you best. Because there are different strengths, you should experiment until you find the one that is right for you.
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