Polarized glasses: what are they and what are their features?

What is polarization and what are the main properties of polarized glasses?

Polarization is the filtering of glare reflected from any horizontal surfaces. This is carried out by a special filter placed in the lenses. Such optics reduce eye strain and make visibility clearer in sunny weather.

Polarization is the direction of light, vertical or horizontal. Vertical rays help the eye determine colors and shades, while horizontal rays create interference. Because of them, a person sees glare instead of objects or cannot see clear contours.

If you eliminate horizontal light rays, the contours of the image become clearer and brighter. This way you can see any objects through fog, storm, rain, muddy water. This discovery has made polarizing filters indispensable for some professions.

Polarized lenses contain a filter that blocks horizontal light. Polarized sunglasses promote safe movement in cars and bicycles, skiing, and walking. Polarized lenses provide:

How do polarized glasses work?

Optics with polarizing properties appeared several decades ago. It is believed that the first glasses of this type were created and brought to market by Edwin Herbert Land, an American scientist, inventor and businessman who founded the Polaroid Corporation.

Initially, “Polaroid” was the name given to the filter film he created, which, using the polarization effect, protected the eyes from horizontally directed light rays.

Since then, other polarizing materials have appeared on the market, but the basic principle by which safety glasses are made remains the same. The lenses in them have a multilayer structure, and one of the layers is a polarizing film. It transmits only vertically propagating rays, and blocks reflected light.

Polarized glasses are effective protection against sun glare

At the same time, natural color perception is preserved. The picture does not deteriorate at all; on the contrary, it becomes clearer. Plus, you get additional protection from ultraviolet radiation.

It is important to understand that sunglasses and polarized glasses are not the same thing. Yes, there are products on sale that combine both properties. However, not all sunglasses are polarized, and this is something to keep in mind when choosing the right model for you.

So, glasses with a polarizing filter:

reduce eye fatigue;
improve the perception of the surrounding world, increasing contrast, allowing you to see small details and helping to accurately determine the distance to various objects;
maintain normal color perception.

Design of polarized glasses

The main element of optics is special polarized spectacle lenses that block light rays reflected from a horizontal surface.

These properties are possessed by a special filter made in the form of a thin liquid crystal film placed between thin layers of plastic. The molecules in it are placed in a strictly defined position. Between the columns of their structure there are parallel vertical optical axes that transmit light.

Modern materials for making glasses are highly durable - they do not break when dropped, and are resistant to other mechanical influences - scratches.

When choosing polarized optics, remember that polarized glasses for vision correction are very rarely found on the open market. The main reason is the complexity of the technology, and the correspondingly high price.

What are polarized glasses for?

Not long ago, the technology for making polarizing filters was very complex. They were used only for certain work in production, in cinema, on photography, where accuracy and the absence of interference from light rays were needed. Modern technology is much simplified, which makes it possible to produce high-quality, thin, durable lenses.

Polarized lenses have become a commodity. Their advantages were appreciated by drivers, pilots, and people involved in fishing. Today they are used in many sports: skiing, rowing, cycling.

Polarized optics reduce the negative impact of glare when the sun's rays are reflected from the surface of water, asphalt, metal, and snow. This is possible due to changes in the fluctuations of the light flux, blocking noise from the horizontal plane.

Many people are interested in glasses with polarizing filters not only because they are fashionable, but also because they are good for the eyes. For example, a person suffering from sensitivity to light is forced to spend a long time in the open sun, then this purchase would be the best solution for him.

The difference between polarized glasses and sunglasses

The peculiarity of polarized lenses is to provide a polarizing effect and protect the eyes from harmful ultraviolet exposure. Thanks to them, the sun's rays become less bright, as the intensity of the light flowing into the eyes decreases. It transmits no more than 50% of the sun's rays. Their effectiveness can be increased by additional darkening.

Sun protection lenses do not solve such problems. They only protect the retina from ultraviolet radiation. Lenses cannot block polarized light. Sun protection optics can only weaken the flow of light rays entering the eyes and reduce the brightness of the picture.

In contrast, polarizing filters make images more detailed and contrasty, expanding and lengthening the visible area.

How to check polarization

Not all manufacturers produce genuine and high-quality goods. This is why it is necessary to have knowledge of how to check polarization when purchasing anti-reflective lenses. In fact, it is very simple to determine the presence of anti-reflective lenses in the model you choose. What needs to be done?

It's simple: the chosen polarized sunglasses must be brought to any LCD monitor. If the polarizing lens is turned to the display at an angle of 90 degrees, the image will darken. If the lenses are not equipped with polarization, then the experiment will not work - the monitor can be clearly seen through the glass. To verify authenticity, instead of an LCD monitor, you can use another polarized glasses. The effect should be the same - one of the lenses will darken.

How to check polarized glasses

How to check in the store

In the store you can find out how quality the glasses are. Retail outlets will offer special indicator strips to check the quality of the filter. Looking through the lenses at the indicator, you will see an image that cannot be seen without them.

Take the second pair of optics, place them opposite each other, and then rotate one 90 degrees so that the centers of the lenses coincide. If they darken in places where they coincide, then the product is of high quality; if the visibility has not changed, then it is not.

How to check at home

Turn on your monitor, TV or smartphone, as long as it has an LCD display. Point the lenses at it and rotate it 90 degrees. If the filter is of high quality, the image is no longer visible.

You can check it using an aquarium. Look at the bottom through the optics. Through a high-quality filter you can see everything that is even in muddy water.

These methods will be enough to understand what kind of glasses you have, regular or polarized.

Checking polarized glasses

A polarizing filter is a thin film in the lens. In original Ray Ban lenses it is located inside the glass, so it lasts a very long time. Polycarbonate lenses from the manufacturer Oakley polarized have a filter that is located at the molecular level.

In fakes, the filter is a thin film on the surface of glass or plastic. It wears off with use, causing the polarization effect to be lost.

Checking polarized glasses is quite simple. Before purchasing, you must take another pair from the seller and align them 90 degrees to each other. Then you need to look at the light. In polarized glasses it will become dark, but in simple glasses it will not change. In a fake, the effect will not be so noticeable.

You can look at any LCD monitor and turn the glasses perpendicular to it. Again, if you have a filter, the image will appear dark. This test only works with LCD screens.

What can lens color tell you?

To choose the most suitable model, pay attention to the color of the lenses. He will talk about the main characteristics of the glasses:

Blue - used for working on water.
Yellow and red colors increase the contrast of objects and are convenient on cloudy days and at night.
Pink lenses are used to increase surface clarity.
Gray and black lenses are a universal shade for regular sunglasses.

The color of the glass is not an indicator of polarization or lack thereof. It only affects the specific perception of the image.

Advantages and disadvantages of polarized glasses

The main benefit of polarized glasses is glare reduction. But other advantages are also known: increasing the level of contrast, the level of color perception; eye protection from ultraviolet radiation and prolonged stress; help for photosensitive people.

Disadvantages: cannot protect from bright sun; high price; do not correct vision problems; dim the light from road signs, side lights, brake lights; distort the distance; inconvenience when using a navigator and other devices with an LCD display.

Undoubtedly, polarized glasses are convenient, and if you take into account the small disadvantages, you can avoid many problems.

Advantages and disadvantages

Regular sunglasses merely reduce excess sunlight through the use of darkening materials. Their light transmission is 15–20%. However, the intensity of the reflected (polarized) light is much higher, and ordinary sun glasses are not able to cope with it.

Therefore, polarized glasses in this situation have a number of advantages over sun lenses:

reduction of visual tension and, accordingly, eye fatigue;
improvement of visual perception, which helps many people to fully carry out their professional activities;
neutralization of the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation. Sunglasses are not all capable of blocking UV rays.

However, polarized glasses also have certain disadvantages:

high price. Their average cost is 3,000 rubles;
reduced readability of traffic signs because glasses block reflected light;
difficulty viewing information on a liquid crystal screen (tablet, GPS navigator, phone with an LCD screen).

Some consumers complain that they experience headaches when using polarized glasses. This is only possible in the following cases:

a counterfeit was purchased, during the manufacture of which the direction of the polarization axes was violated;
frame too small. If the temples of the glasses compress the temples, blood circulation is impaired, which can cause the development of headaches.

Requirements for polarized glasses

Like any high-quality product, they must meet a number of requirements:

The frame is comfortable and does not cause discomfort when worn. It should not fall off the face or squeeze the head.
The lenses are only wear-resistant.
There should be screens on the sides to help prevent the lenses from fogging up on the inside.
The temples of the glasses must be adjustable.
Expensive models are equipped with two protective covers.
Ability to wear contact lenses and polarized glasses at the same time.