Lens options explained: Polarized Lenses

What are polarized lenses?

Polarized lenses are specially designed optical filters to reduce the intense glare caused by sunlight reflecting off smooth, flat surfaces such as water, snow, roads, and car hoods. This glare can make it difficult to see clearly and may cause eye strain, especially when driving or spending time outdoors.

Normally, sunlight scatters in many directions as it reflects off uneven surfaces. However, when sunlight reflects off a smooth, flat surface, it becomes concentrated into a bright horizontal glare. Polarized lenses contain a special filter that blocks this reflected glare before it reaches your eyes, providing sharper, more comfortable vision with improved contrast and reduced eye fatigue.

Whether you're driving, fishing, boating, skiing, or simply enjoying a sunny day, polarized lenses can make outdoor vision clearer, safer, and more comfortable.
 

Benefits of polarized sunglasses

• The applied filter coating changes the direction of scattered reflected light, from horizontal to vertical, greatly reducing the glare in your lenses.
   

• Unlike standard tinted sunglasses, polarized sunglasses don't rely solely on a dark tint to improve comfort. While darker lenses reduce overall brightness, they can also make it more difficult to see details.

• Polarized sunglasses combine a comfortable tint with a special glare-blocking filter. Instead of simply darkening everything you see, the polarized filter selectively blocks the intense reflected glare from surfaces like roads, water, and snow. Because glare is reduced without excessively darkening your vision, you can enjoy sharper contrast, improved clarity, and more comfortable vision outdoors.
   

Things to Keep in Mind

While polarized lenses offer many benefits, there are a few things to be aware of:

• Digital screens may appear darker or distorted. Some LED and LCD screens—such as vehicle displays, GPS units, smartphones, and tablets—can appear dim or show rainbow-like patterns when viewed through polarized lenses.

• Polarization is not the same as UV protection. Polarization reduces glare, while UV protection shields your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays. The good news is that our team will recommend lenses that provide both glare reduction and 100% UV protection, so you can enjoy clear vision while keeping your eyes protected.
   

How to get polarized sunglasses

Come into our office at any point during business hours, and one of our opticians would be happy to go through lens options with you! 

We are able to add polarization to any of our lenses in office. Some may require proprietary technology like the Maui Jim Polarized Plus and Oakley Prizm lenses. They are excellent products that are well-loved by our patients.

We also offer the best anti-reflective coating compatible with polarized lenses called XPerio UV. 

Call us if you would like to learn more about polarized lenses from Optic Gallery Horizon Ridge (725) 220-2020