This kind of sunglasses were first worn by plane pilots to help them see when the sun was shining in different spots during the day. These days, a lot of people wear polarized sunglasses when driving, fishing, golfing, and even on street.At a first glance they look the same of other types of sunglasses, but deflect the sunlight in such a way so that it is not distracting when they are focusing on other things.Polarized sunglasses offer extra protection against glare and harmful ultraviolet rays.
Overall, polarized sunglasses cut down on glare by absorbing the horizontally polarized light that reflects from horizontal surfaces.
What are polarized lenses? Polarized lenses utilize polarized filtering technology to diffuse the concentrated light waves. This filtering process eliminates 99% of the reflected glare.When light reflects from water, asphalt, or other non-metallic surfaces, it becomes polarized.Polarizing sunglasses reduce this reflection, known as glare, but only when the polarizing lenses are oriented properly.
The polarized sunglasses used by fishermen have polarized filters with the transmission axis oriented vertically to block the light reflected by the water surface.By the way, they are not only used by fishermen but in all other water-sports. They are also becoming popular with truck drivers and for general outdoor activities.
How do I know if mine are polarized?
Very easily done. Just look through the glasses at the reflection of any object on a window panel (but not at yourself! you have to look at an angle to the glass). Then, turn the sunglasses around as if they were the hands of a clock facing you. If the intensity of the reflection doesn't change with respect to what you see through the window, they are not polarized. Or you can use as your target image any of the numerous other examples of linear polarization mentioned in this web site: com'on, read on!
Why are polarized sunglasses better than normal dark sunglasses?
Normal sunglasses decrease the intensity of everything by the same amount. Polarized sunglasses can selectively eliminate the reflection from light coming from above the water surface. What is Polarization? When light strikes a surface, it becomes polarized, which means that the photons in the light are all vibrating in one direction, instead of in random directions. The light waves travel from "pole" to "pole" along that plane. This phenomenon is what causes the glare reflected from a car window or chrome, or from a wet pavement. This glare distorts the true color of objects and makes them harder to distinguish. It also causes a mirror-effect on wet surfaces, so that objects below the water's surface cannot be clearly distinguished.
So how does it work?
When light is reflected from these shiny surfaces, this is usually horizontally polarized. The horizontal polarized light is blocked by vertically oriented polarizers in lenses. The result is a reduction in glare and increase in comfort.
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