How Do Polarized Sunglasses Work?
January 10, 2025 • 1:27 PM
Your sunglasses are a stylish accessory, but they also play a practical role in your everyday life. A high-quality pair of shades can make it easier to enjoy activities like hiking on a sunny day, driving down the highway at noon, or relaxing on your back patio.
That’s right, we’re talking about polarized sunglasses. With this specific set of shades, you get extra protection from glare. But if you’re thinking of buying a pair of polarized lenses, it’s worth knowing how they work before you add them to your cart.
Here’s everything you need to know about polarized shades and how to choose the best pair.
What Is Polarized Light?
Light waves vibrate in multiple directions at once, moving vertically, horizontally, and diagonally at the same time.
Sometimes, these light rays bounce off a horizontal surface like a road, a body of water, or a bed of snow, and the reflected light becomes polarized. In such a case, the light waves all align in one direction, causing glare. Horizontally polarized light is the most common form.
When this fascinating phenomenon occurs, it can make it hard to see. Unfortunately, you often get hit with glare when you need to see clearly more than ever. For example, you may experience glare while driving on a reflective road or when a vehicle heading in the opposite direction is sporting a shiny car hood.
That’s when polarized sunglasses come in handy. Fitted with a unique coating, they filter out horizontal light waves, blocking most sources of reflected glare and making it easier to see when you’re in a bright environment.
How Are Polarized Lenses Made?
Polarized sunglasses are set apart by their unique coating. This coating is called a laminated filter, and it’s engineered to let vertical light waves in while blocking out horizontal ones.
Without vertical light waves, you wouldn’t be able to see colors and the contrast between them. That could pose a big problem, especially when driving, as you need to be able to distinguish the colors of traffic lights and road signs.
By preserving the clarity of vertical light waves and blocking out horizontal ones, these lenses eliminate glare without stopping you from seeing clearly. However, since the lenses block out certain light waves, they can mess with your ability to see LCD screens. As a result, we recommend taking off your polarized shades while using your smartphone or laptop.
What Are the Benefits of Polarized Lenses?
Many sunglasses wearers find polarized lenses much more comfortable than their run-of-the-mill counterparts. That’s mainly due to their unmatched ability to block out glare, which can help you avoid eye strain in full sunlight.
Additionally, the laminated filter on a pair of polarized sunglasses can make the world around you look sharper and clearer. That’s because the anti-glare filter can enhance how you see details, colors, and contrast.
Polarized sunglasses can also make you feel more confident while driving in the sun. Anti-glare lenses might give you greater clarity and focus when behind the wheel, making it easier to zero in on your surroundings. The same goes for cycling, boating, skateboarding, and other outdoor activities.
Finally, polarized sunglasses have powerful UV protection, shielding your eyes from UVA and UVB rays. This protection from ultraviolet light can help you prioritize your eye care.
Are Polarized Lenses Right for You?
If you’re looking for the best possible pair of sunglasses, your choice isn’t cut and dry. The best pair for you will depend on what you do every day, how sensitive your eyes are, and even where you live.
For example, if you’re a fan of golfing, cycling, or playing water sports, polarized lenses can change the game. By blocking out extra glare from the water’s surface, they provide much more functionality than regular sunglass lenses. Plus, the extra UV light protection can help you keep your eyes healthy during long hours focused on your sport.
Additionally, polarized lenses might be perfect for you if you deal with issues like dry eyes or eye strain after spending time in the sun. Likewise, if your eyes are especially sensitive and you experience near-blinding glare when you’re outside, you might notice a night-and-day change in comfort thanks to these lenses’ glare reduction.
Polarized lenses can also be helpful if you live in an area with sun year-round. If you want to prioritize your eye health while spending lots of time outside, these glasses could be a worthwhile investment — even if they cost a bit more than non-polarized lenses.
How To Choose the Right Polarized Glasses
If you’re actively shopping for a pair of polarized sunglasses, you’ll want to keep an eye out for all of these features:
UV Protection
The best sunglasses provide 100% UV protection, whether they have non-polarized lenses or are fitted with a polarized filter. This should be your number one priority when looking for sun eyewear.
Lens Color
Polarized lenses are often tinted, and different tint colors can have unique effects. For example, green polarized lenses are best if you want as much visual clarity as possible when you’re in bright light. On the other hand, consider gray lenses if you want a more neutral feel.
Design
We mentioned that UV protection is the biggest priority when it comes to sunglasses, but style and design do matter. The frames of your sunglasses should fit your face well and make you feel comfortable and confident.
If you’re unsure if a pair of polarized sunglasses will fit you well, you can always use our virtual try-on feature to give them a quick test run. Simply take a photo of yourself facing forward — a selfie is perfect — and you can get a rough sense of how a pair of shades will look.
Quality
Sunglasses aren’t all the same style, and they’re definitely not all the same quality. We recommend getting your shades from a brand that prioritizes durability, especially if you’ll be wearing them for activities like working out or playing sports.
Durable acetate is the perfect material for polarized sunglasses. It’s long-lasting and impact-resistant, but it’s also easy to clean and hypoallergenic. At Pair, it’s one of our go-to materials.
Additionally, while some brands charge extra for bonus features like scratch-resistant lens coatings, these are the standard here at Pair. You shouldn’t have to pay extra to get the features you need!
Style
You want a pair of sunglasses that makes you feel like a star. With Pair, you can add polarized Sun Tops that fit all of our base frames, turning your favorite pair of eyeglasses into a new pair of shades.
We’ve got a stacked lineup of stylish frames in our shop, from the modern, sleek Otero to the vintage, feminine Wanda. If you’re having trouble figuring out whether a frame style works for you, you can always order it, try it on at home, and send it back for free if it’s not what you were looking for.
How To Take Care of Your Polarized Sunglasses
If you take good care of your sunglasses, they can last for years. Of course, the most important part of sunglasses care is cleaning the lenses and frames often. If you can, give them a quick cleanup every day. A microfiber cloth can remove smudges and debris, which is usually enough.
When you’re not wearing your sunglasses, it’s a wise idea to store them in a protective glasses case rather than just leaving them out or stuffing them in your purse. Cleaning them regularly and storing them well will keep them in good shape for a long time.
Find the Perfect Pair at Pair
At Pair, it’s easy to find glasses and sunglasses that you’ll love. With Top Frames, you can transform your current pair of glasses into polarized shades or pick up a separate pair to use as your go-to sunglasses.
Looking for more eye style advice? Head to the rest of our Pair blog.
Sources:
Acetate | C2H3O2- | CID 175 | PubChem
What Are Polarized Lenses For? | American Academy of Ophthalmology