What are polarised lenses and why are they different? It’s a question we have been asked many times so here’s the answer!
Light is made of particles called photons, which travel through the atmosphere like a wave, zig-zagging back and forth on their way to your eye. This natural, unpolarised light bounces in many directions at once. But as soon as light strikes a “hard” or reflective surface – like water, a road or snow piste, these light waves will vibrate in one direction, usually horizontally. This is what causes the intense glare that can hurt your eyes and even dazzle you when you’re driving. The polarising filters applied to sunglass lenses are designed to absorb the horizontally-vibrating waves. This means that only vertically-vibrating waves get through the filter and reach your eye. This greatly reduces the intensity of reflective glare without blocking too much of the surrounding light.
With a polarised sunglass you can see beneath the surface of water which is why they are popular with fishing enthusiasts. They are also popular with boat owners and crew, drivers and skiers.