I’ll start by explaining what we mean when we talk about ‘polarised’ sunglasses, before exploring the pros and cons, and whether it is worth paying extra to get them. I personally wouldn’t drive on a sunny day without my polarised sunglasses, but they aren’t perfect for everyone. Certain tasks simply don’t work with polarised lenses, so before making your decision, it’s worth investing some time in finding out if they would work for you.
What are polarised sunglasses?
To understand polarised sunglasses, it is important to understand how they work. Cast your mind back to science lessons in school: specifically the lessons about light waves. Light travels in waves, which are usually in many different directions. This normally isn’t an issue, as it is enables us see the world around us. However, when light reflects off a horizontal surface, such as the roof of a car or a body of water, it only vibrates in one direction - horizontally. All of the light waves vibrating in the same direction will intensify the light and cause “glare”. If you have ever walked by a lake on a sunny day and struggled with the reflection from the water, then you will understand what glare feels like.
Normal sunglasses work by decreasing all light travelling to the eye, therefore reducing the intensity of all waves of light. Despite this, the intensity of light caused by reflections from horizontal surfaces, such as when around water or driving, is so high that it will still cause glare.
This is where polarised sunglasses step in. They’re designed to only let through light that vibrates in a vertical direction, therefore blocking the uncomfortable glare from horizontal surfaces. Imagine a picket fence where the posts are fitted vertically. Now imagine trying to put a pencil through the gaps between the fence posts. If you hold the pencil close to vertical, it would go through easily. However, if you hold it horizontally it wouldn’t pass through. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to see the water or cars, but means you don’t experience any of the glare from the horizontal surfaces. In addition to the benefits of reducing down glare, they also give full UV protection, meaning they also help to protect the health of your eye.
Benefits of polarised sunglasses
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Glare Reduction - This is a pretty big one. Reducing glare not only makes your eyes feel much more comfortable but also makes driving safer. Studies have shown that there is a higher frequency of traffic collisions at intersections when the sun is optimal to produce glare.
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Reduces Eye Fatigue - Glare causes your eyes and brain to work harder in order to see things, even more so when driving. This leads to eye strain, which can cause tiredness and eye soreness.
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UV Protection - Giving full UV protection helps to protect your eyes from potentially harmful UV rays from the sun and other sources.
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Improved Clarity - With the reduction of glare, comes improved clarity. Even when there isn’t a lot of glare around, people find their vision improves when wearing polarised sunglasses.
Who should wear polarised sunglasses?
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Drivers: The polarising lenses offer excellent glare reduction, most noticeable when the light reflects from cars and from the road surface.
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Fishermen: Reducing the glare from the water surface will not only make their eyes feel much more comfortable but also allow them to see past the surface of the water to the fish below.
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People who spend time in or around water: Heading to the beach or outside pool? Polarised lenses will make a huge difference for you, reducing down glare and improving vision.
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Golfers: Reducing down the glare allows you to see the golf ball much easier, alongside making your eyes feel more comfortable.
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People in snowy environments: Going skiing or walking around snow? Similar to water, snow reflects a huge amount of light and can cause major problems with glare. Polarised sunglasses will help with this and also give you full UV protection. A word of warning - if you are skiing with polarised lenses, it can make it more difficult to see patches of ice.
When not to wear polarised sunglasses.
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Working on an LCD screen: Often LCD screens project images that’re already polarised, meaning that wearing polarised sunglasses on top can make it difficult to see the screen.
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Pilots: Similar to LCD screens, the lights and displays in the cockpit of a plane become more difficult to see when wearing polarised lenses.
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Driving at night: As with sunglasses, polarised sunglasses reduce the amount of light that gets to the eye, meaning it becomes dangerous (and illegal!) to drive with them on at night.
Where can I get polarised sunglasses?
Most opticians should offer polarised lens options. The frame will be the same as regular sunglasses but with polarised lenses fitted. If you are looking for sustainable polarised sunglasses, we offer a large range of sustainable sunglasses frames with the option of polarised lenses.
