Here’s How To Test If Your Sunglasses Are Polarized
Polarized sunglasses are very popular not only because of how well they protect our eyes from the sun, but also remove the glare from reflective surfaces. They are designed mainly to stop polarized light from entering through the sunglasses by deflecting the light away. Polarized light comes from reflections off surfaces like a car on the street, water from a lake, or even snow on a mountain. The science behind polarized sunglasses is that they stop nearly all horizontal light rays that bounce off of these surfaces while letting only vertical light rays pass through.
Since harmful UV light from the sun can cause health issues like glaucoma and cataracts, it is important to understand what kind of sunglasses you are buying, and how they protect your eyes. Non-polarized sunglasses do still offer protection from the sun, and do a great job at reducing the intensity of light with dark shaded lenses. But, the biggest advantage of polarized sunglasses over non-polarized sunglasses is the ability to counter the effect of horizontal light rays.
It’s often hard to tell whether or not a pair of sunglasses is polarized just by looking at them. But there are a few little tricks you can use to help figure it out.
1- Use your computer screen. Make sure the brightness on your computer is at its highest setting. Put your sunglasses on like you normally would and sit directly in front of your computer screen. Next, tilt your head slightly to the left or right. Due to the anti-glare technologies on both the computer screen and sunglasses, the screen should appear to turn black. If this doesn’t work, try tilting your head further or in the other direction. If these methods don’t work, your sunglasses are not polarized.
2- Test on a reflective surface. Find a flat reflective surface like a mirror or tabletop that produces glare when light is shining on it. Hold your sunglasses just a few inches in front of your eyes, and then slightly rotate the glasses left or right about 50-60 degrees. Next, look through the sunglasses to see if the glare has disappeared. If it appears as though the light is still shining on the surface while still being very dark with little to no glare, your sunglasses are polarized.
Are you in need of a good pair of polarized sunglasses? We carry a variety of glasses for different situations. Check out our online store for something you might like, or contact us if you have questions!
