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Monday, March 1, 2010

To Polarize or Not to Polarize? That's the question

Over the last few years, polarized sunglasses have been gaining popularity in the retail market. However, since it cost manufactures more to produce polarized sunglasses, buying a pair of polarized sunglasses can set you back anywhere between $40 - $80. Is it worth paying the additional dollar for polarized sunglasses?

Origin

Polarized sunglasses were originally designed for boaters and fishermen as the lenses blocked glare caused by refracted light off the water surface. It allowed them to work in those glaring conditions for many hours without damage to their eyes. Soon, other sportsman such as joggers and bikers realised the benefits of polarized sunglasses to their respective fields and quickly adopted polarized sunglasses making them hugely popular.

Technicalities

When light is reflected off a smooth flat surface, like water, it becomes horizontally polarized. It is this horizontally polarized light waves, also known as glare, which can be annoying, damaging to your eyes and even dangerous especially in conditions like driving. Polarized lenses are vertically polarized, which is what allows them to block horizontally polarized light.



Regular sunglasses on the other hand, rely soley on their darkened lenses to block intense light rays. But glare that is reflected off flat smooth surfaces can still get past such regular sunglasses.

Benefits

Glare Reduction
One of the main benefits of polarized sunglasses is that it reduces glare. Things that you could not see previously due to glare can now be easily seen. Fisherman can now easily look through the surface of the water for fish while swimmers and other water sportsman can see obstacles such as rocks that would have been otherwise 'hidden'. I am not saying that you will be able to see everything once you put on your polarized sunglasses. But it would definately make a big difference. For those that drive home in the evenings, sometimes the evening sun can suddenly pop out from behind a building and blind you momentarily. This can be a potentially dangerous situation. However, with polarized sunglasses, the effect of the sudden glare can be mitigated.

Stress Reduction
By removing the harmful light rays, your vision is enhanced and therefore your eyes need not work as hard. This results in less stress to your eyes and therefore, less eye strain. I am sure you notice people squinting when trying to look at something in the afternoon sun, even if they are wearing sunglasses. That's probably because they are not wearing polarized sunglasses. Constant eye strains can result in nausea, headaches and most importantly, it can make your eyes more susceptible to problems. So if you have been experiencing any of these, maybe you should consider a pair of polarized sunglasses?

Problems

LCD visibility
LCD screens can sometimes become 'invisible' when looked at through polarized sunglasses. This is not really a big problem for most of us as the obvious solution is to simply remove the sunglasses when using machines with LCD screens. However, the real problem is for pilots as polarized sunglasses makes it difficult for them to see their LCD instrument panel. Many aircrafts have polarized windshields which can offer complete coverage and if the aircraft in question has them I see no point of any further consideration of polarized sunglasses. I think most flying associations has safety regulations against polarized sunglasses anyway.

Test the Difference

You can easily test the difference between a pair of polarized and non-polarized sunglasses. Simply hold both pairs of sunglasses out on a sunny day and notice the glare reduction from the polarized pair. It also provides a clearer vision, allowing one to distinguish shapes and lines better.

I personally feel that the benefits of using polarized sunglasses far outweigh that of a non-polarized sunglasses. So the next time you're ready to buy a new pair of sunglasses, be sure to pick a set of polarized sunglasses - and enjoy the difference!

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