Polarized Sunglasses
their effectiveness and use of light.
History
Edwin Land invented the world's first polarized material.
Polarized sunglasses first became available in 1936, when Edwin H. Land began experimenting with making lenses with his patented Polaroid filter.
He founded the Polaroid Corporation in 1937.
The company initially produced Polaroid Day Glasses, the first sunglasses with a polarizing filter.
How it works...
Polarization is a property of wave that can oscillate with more than one orientation. Electromagnetic waves such as light exhibit polarization.
Light reflected from surfaces such as a flat road or smooth water generally is horizontally polarized. This means that, instead of light being scattered in all directions in more usual ways, reflected light generally travels in a more horizontally oriented direction. This creates an annoying and sometimes dangerous intensity of light that we experience as glare.
Polarized lenses contain a special filter that blocks this type of intense reflected light, reducing glare.
Benefits of polarized sunglasses!
- Polarized sunglasses cut glare and haze so your eyes are more comfortable.
- Reduce eyestrain: When we are faced with a glare of light or inundated with ambient light, our eyes’ natural reaction is to squint. Frequent squinting over time can slightly change the shape of your lenses. This in turn can negatively affect your vision. With less squinting comes less eyestrain.
- Improve visual clarity: Polarized lenses contribute to improved visual clarity. Visual clarity helps us discern sharp edges, familiar faces and depth perception. This specific benefit is why so many drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, golfers and fishermen will often prefer polarized sunglasses.
- Enhance color perception and enhance the contrast : These features also enhance color perception as less light saturates the objects around you. The sky will still be blue but many objects that have their color distorted by glare and haze are significantly clearer. With the benefit of enhanced color perception is enhanced contrast. For the depth perception, contrast is very important. Contrast is the state of being strikingly different from something else. When in motion, contrast helps us discern the closeness of an object in relation to where we are. This along with a reduction of glare and haze make up the bulk of the immediate benefits of wearing polarized sunglasses.