The scorching heat of the Sun. Blue skies. Rising temperature in the atmosphere. Beach days. Outdoor brunching. Sunk-kissed skin. It is Summertime, indeed! You ready your backpack with summer essentials like sunblock, water, bikini, or swimming trunks for men, camera, phone, and sunglasses.
Aside from the glamour and fancy look that it gives, sunglasses are beneficial in protecting our eyes. It is primarily designed to prevent bright sunlight or high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They are also called spectacles or glasses, with colored or darkened lenses that also function as a visual aid. During the early 20th century, sunglasses were called sun cheaters.
You may be adding another sunnies to your collection this time. There are many styles to choose from. There are cat-eye, round, square, retro-square, aviator, sporty, white, oval, clear, mirrored, flip-up, colored lenses, and polarized sunglasses. Picking a new pair of sunnies is not always easy, given the wide variety of choices in the market, but here’s how you should consider choosing polarized ones.
Polarized sunglasses are trendy for people who spend a lot of time near water. Polarized lenses can block glare from light reflecting off the water’s surface, so it’s ideal than any other type of sunglass lenses. Glare distorts the actual color of objects and makes them more difficult to distinguish.
Sunglasses aren’t just for people who spend much time under the Sun from boating, going to the beach, or fishing. Anyone bothered by glare outdoors can benefit from these specialized sunglass lenses. It can help people to see more clearly.It can help avoid potential hazards in some sports. These sunglasses are also ideal for driving as it can reduce glare-causing reflections. Light-sensitive people, and those who have had cataract surgery, also will benefit from polarized sunglasses.
How do polarized lenses work?
The sunlight scatters but can be absorbed and reflected in several directions. When it strikes flat, horizontal surfaces, such as water, land, or the hood of a car, the light reflected by the surfaces tends to become polarized. Therefore it causes distracting and even dangerous intensity of light that causes glare and reduces visibility.
A laminated filter from polarized sunglasses blocks this intense reflected light, giving more advantages to its use. Polarized comes in a variety of colors, depending on the material from which the lenses are made. Darker colors provide higher levels of polarization. You can visit an online store, which has a wide range of collection of wholesale polarized sunglasses.
However, there are exceptions to their advantages. Though it gives comfort and improves visibility, there are some instances when these lenses aren’t advisable.
With polarized lenses, it is not good to look at some digital screens such as ATMs, gas station pumps, and phone screens made of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) because it reduces image visibility.
Boaters and pilots may also experience similar problems when viewing LCDs on instrument panels, which can be a crucial issue when making split-second decisions based strictly on the information displayed on a screen.
Polarized sunglasses test
- Look at water
Polarized sunglasses are great at reducing the glare of the Sun, reflecting off the water. If your sunglasses are polarized, aside from seeing the surface of a lake or river, you will see through the glare and into the water below.
- Compare two pairs
If you have a polarized sunglasses but decided to buy another one and wanted to make sure that it is genuinely polarized, hold up your glasses and look through both pairs simultaneously. Then, rotate one pair of sunglasses about 60 degrees. If both sunglasses are polarized, the overlapping area will darken as they filter out excess light.
- Check the label
A polarized sunglasses have a sticker labeling it is polarized. If your sunglasses are new, look at the test tag or sticker through the lens and rotate it to a 60 degrees angle. If the tag gets darker, then you know your glasses are polarized. But some companies mark their polarized sunglasses in a more permanent fashion like putting an etch with the word “polarized” into the bottom edge of the left lens.
- LCD test
While reading this article, you can check your sunglasses if they are polarized or not. Wear your sunglasses and rotate it sideways while looking at a computer monitor, portions of your screen will become blank or darken. The same applies to look at LCD screens such as your TV, phone, ATMs, or a gas pump. It is because most modern computer screens use the same glare-reducing technology as polarized lenses.