polarized lenses lcd displays free sample

This bit of magical privacy is achieved through the way typical LCD (liquid crystal display) screens are constructed. Most light from the sun, light bulbs, or that twinkle in your eyes is actually a big messy wad of electromagnetic waves pointing this way and that. This is also the case with the source light for LCDs.

In any case you have to be careful, because not all screens are created equal so results may vary. And it probably goes without saying that this only works with LCD screens, so put the screwdriver down and slowly back away from that plasma screen.

Just tried out a fix for the black-out + polarized glasses problem with the a7iii, i.e. putting on a protective glass on the screen. And voila, it works, to some extend.

The screen is now fully visible, but as with many other things and polarized glasses, the tint of the screen changes with rotation. My suspistion is that the adhesive between the glass and screen diffracts the light from the display to become more scattered (less polarized) thus allowing various colors and light to get through the polarization of the sunglasses.

Might explain why most smartphone screens tend to be reasonably visible (as in, you see visual artifacts but at least it"s not pitch black) with polarized glasses.  Or smartphone manufacturers have taken this phenomenon into account and include QWPs by default.

The A7M3 is the only product I"ve used that went pitch black with my prescription polarized glasses.  To the point where the first time I took it out when wearing the glasses, I thought the camera was broken.

Turns out that my current phone has an AMOLED not LCD, I could have sworn otherwise, but I"ve definitely had OK results with my glasses and other LCDs.

The glare of the sun on the sea (and other surfaces) is highly polarized!Polarized lenses are used in sunglasses to reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as the surface of a lake or the hood of a car. They accomplish this feat through a process called polarization, much like a venetian blind controls sunlight through a window.

Sunlight itself is not polarized - light from the sun will either be absorbed or reflected horizontally, diagonally or vertically. The problem this causes for fishermen and drivers lies in the horizontal reflectivity. Sunlight bouncing off a horizontal surface will strike the viewer"s eyes at a similar angle. This means the glare from the surface of the water or the road or the car hood will be strong. Polarized lenses have a laminated surface containing vertical stripes. These stripes only allow vertically-polarized light to enter the wearer"s eyes. Glare is eliminated because the horizontally-polarized lightwaves cannot bypass the polarized filter.

Polarized lenses do not provide universal protection from glare, however. If the wearer tilts his head past 45 degrees or so, some of the horizontal light can enter and cause some bright spots. Some wearers who use polarized lenses in snowy areas may find that they lose some contrast between snow and shadows. Fishermen and drivers seem to derive the most benefit from polarized lenses because they deal with mostly horizontal surfaces. A fishermen wearing polarized sunglasses can see below the surface of the water to search for schools of fish or hidden obstacles. Drivers are no longer affected by a constant reflection of light from their hoods or the road ahead.

There are some limitations to the use of polarized lenses, however. Because the polarizing stripes reduce the amount of light entering the eye, polarized lenses cannot be used for regular eyewear with clear lenses. Prescription sunglasses can be tinted a very light gray to accommodate the polarized laminate, but most contact lenses cannot. Some drivers discover that polarized lenses can cause distortions in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Onboard clocks and other instrument displays may be temporarily unreadable.

Both horizontally and vertically-polarized lenses are used to view three-dimensional movies. Some of the light reflected from the movie screen is vertically polarized, which means only a lens with a similar vertical laminate will receive it. The other lens only receives horizontal lightwaves. Your brain takes both of these images and combines them to create a realistic sense of depth.

When light strikes a surface, it becomes polarized. This 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.

Polarized lenses filter the waves of light by absorbing some of the reflected glare while allowing other light waves to pass through them. The most common illustration of how a polarized lens works to reduce glare is to think of the lens as a Venetian blind. These blinds block light that strikes them from certain angles, while allowing light from other angles to pass through. A polarizing lens works when it is positioned at a 90-degree angle to the source of the glare. Polarized sunglasses, which are designed to filter horizontal light, are mounted vertically in the frame, and must be carefully aligned so that they will properly filter the light-waves.

The first polarized lenses were made of a polarizing film that was sandwiched between two flat sheets of glass. Because glass lenses are so heavy, however, the advent of plastic and polycarbonate materials, which are lighter and thinner, made the glass lenses less popular.

One of the problems with early polarized sunglasses was delamination, when the polarizing film separated from the pieces of glass or plastic. This problem has been solved with modern lenses, as the plastic can be melted and poured into a mold in which the polarizing film has been suspended. The plastic then hardens around the film, creating a solid material, rather than a layered one. Polycarbonate lenses are created in a different manner, since polycarbonate lenses are injection molded and the heat from the process would destroy the polarizing film. For polycarbonate lenses, the polarizing film is applied to the front of the lens and covered with a scratch-resistant coating. This process means that polarized polycarbonate lenses are the thinnest and lightest polarized lenses available.

All polarized lenses have some color, as it is possible to polarize light only when the film is colored. Darker colors provide higher levels of polarization. Depending on the material used, polarized lenses are available in a variety of colors. The following colors are available in each of the following lens materials:

Select your polarized lenses carefully, as lens color does have an impact on what you see. It is important to choose the right color lens for the activity in which you will be wearing the sunglasses. Each color affects vision in different ways.

Orange:Like yellow, orange lenses filter out blue light and increase contrast sensitivity. Orange is a popular color among skeet shooters because it makes the targets more visible.

Melanin: Melanin lenses are relatively new on the market. They are a golden-brown tint and provide high contrast. Melanin lenses are believed to help protect against macular degeneration. Melanin is a pigment that occurs naturally in the body and protects the body from harmful exposure to sunlight. Melanin lenses are made with a synthetic form of this pigment that never loses its potency.

Polarized glasses are great for eliminating glare, which can help us see hazards and judge textures on the road or trail. But as anyone who has tried them knows, they can also do some odd stuff, like create rainbows around screens, or black spots on car windshields. Jeff Mergy and Anne Nichols of Revant optics helped explain how polarized glasses work, and why they can sometimes make us wonder if we"re seeing things.

Most of the light we see is diffused from a light source like the sun or a lamp, and either absorbed or reflected by the objects around us, which we then see as a color (or a shade, if you’re colorblind). But light reflected from a smooth surface (like ice, wet pavement, or the hood of a car) will travel in a unified direction, which looks like “glare”. This type of light is also referred to as “polarized.”

To explain how polarized lenses deal with glare, Mergy had me imagine a picket fence. If you try to jam a board through the fence horizontally, it will be blocked by the vertical slats. But rotate it vertically, and you’ll be able to pass it through.

Polarized glasses work in a similar fashion, but instead of a fence you have a chemical treatment on the lens which contains molecules that group linearly—and instead of a board, you have horizontally polarized light bouncing off, say, a wet puddle in the road. The molecules in the chemical coating are positioned vertically to absorb that horizontally polarized light, blocking glare and letting you see everything else.

Mergy suggests a simple test at home to demonstrate the concept. “If you place one pair of polarized sunglasses at 90 degrees to another and look through the lenses you should see almost no light, as one pair is blocking out light in one direction, and the other only allows light to pass in the direction which is being blocked.” Interestingly, this potential blinding hazard is part of the reason that car windshields are not polarized.

What about phones? Mergy says that LED displays (which you’ll find on most phones and tablets these days) use polarized filters, which keep the screen viewable from most angles. The polarization over your screen can actually compete with polarization in your sunglasses, especially if you rotate your screen so that the directions of polarizations on both surfaces cancel out all light (think of two sets of window blinds set at opposing angles). Mergy says that modern products are designed with polarized sunglasses in mind, so they shouldn’t go fully black even when rotated. However, not all sunglasses (or screens) are created equally, and imperfect alignment of polarization may cause screens to be less visible with certain glasses.

The rainbows you see with polarized glasses (or without) are a result of light being refracted, or bent as it passes through different mediums. When you see a rainbow in the sky after a storm, you"re seeing sunlight passing through water in the air, which behaves a like a prism to separate white light into different frequencies. When you see a rainbow through your polarized glasses (like you might on a phone screen or a windshield) it"s likely because another material is refracting the light, like a polymer coating on glass, or a tempered glass screen protector on your phone.

If you find the rainbows and dark spots too distracting, you can always keep a pair of non-polarized sunglasses for the times when you expect to be encounter a lot of screens or tempered glass. But otherwise, just enjoy the benefits of decreased glare and feel better knowing a little more about how it works!

However, polarized sunglasses are not limited to the elite competitor. Because of their affordability, they can be used by everyone—even if you aren’t a professional athlete. The reason they are so popular is due to the increased visibility and performance they provide the wearer in everyday situations. While athletes use them to maximize their performance, the consumer can use them to maximize their experience. Whether it’s taking a relaxing hike, enjoying a casual Sunday drive, or relaxing with a book on a beach, polarized sunglasses can eliminate the distracting glare that causes visual discomfort in any sunny situation. Polarized sunglasses can best be described as a sun-glass option for everyone.

Some of this light lands directly on the eye, while some of it is reflected off of surfaces like roadways or water. This reflected light is slightly bent and scattered in all directions according to its angle of incidence on the reflective surface; some of these reflected light rays become polarized.

When a bundle of light hits a flat surface, it becomes polarized, i.e., is reflected only hori-zontally. It becomes concentrated and is blinding to the viewer. This intense reflection is commonly referred to as blinding glare. The reflections can be uniform, like light reflected off of the road ahead of a driver or from another car’s hood. The reflections could also be from non-uniform or changing surfaces, like running water or a non-uniform patch of ice on the road. No matter the case, the desired requirement is to filter out the distracting reflected light and provide a clear viewing experience for the wearer.

The properties of polarized filters are used in a variety of fields such as chemistry, engineering, professional photography, geology and astronomy. As an example, polarized filters can be used to highlight clouds for photographers or detect the amount of stress in lenses in a frame by observing the amount of birefringence (internal stress) induced. This is used in a variety of engineering stress tests and is used in many finishing labs to ensure proper lens fit with minimal stress placed on the finished lens.

One can think of polarized lenses as linearly aligned slit filters used to block incident light of a particular orientation. Think of the filter acting like Venetian blinds: The horizontal blind blocks incoming light from above and below. By blocking this light, it provides a clearer view when looking out a window; there are fewer distractions and reflections observed. For optimal viewing, a polarizing lens should stop horizontally polarized light from view while allowing vertical light rays through the lenses.

As stated, reflected light off flat surfaces becomes polarized in a horizontal direction to the viewer. It causes blinding glare. This light obstructs images from the observer, such as the bottom of a shallow streambed. By eliminating the reflected blinding glare from water, the wearer is able to see below the surface of the water and clearly identify rocks and fish. The advantage in this example is safely avoiding obstacles while wading through the stream, locating the fish one might be trying to catch as in fly fishing or from a boat.

Another instance in which polarized lenses provide an advantage is while driving because of the elimination of glare from oncoming traffic or the road itself. Both the metal finish from other cars and the road itself can be quite reflective on bright days, but this effect is amplified if it has recently rained or snowed. Suddenly these surfaces are reflecting much more light and in many more directions. Polarized lenses filter and reduce the most intense horizontal reflections from these surfaces. This ensures that the wearer’s eyes are relaxed and don’t feel strained, which can result from even a short drive.

Polarized lenses have never been suitable for pilots of major aircrafts. The Federal Aviation Administration (or FAA) advises pilots against wearing polarized sunglasses. The FAA specifically mentions polarized lenses creating striations and decreased visibility through aircraft windscreens. This can create much more visual noise (a colorful rainbow effect and visual obstruction)

for the pilot. This is extremely important when spotting other aircraft in high-traffic situations during takeoff or prior to landing. Polarized lenses effectively mask the sparkle of light from other aircraft, which is necessary to provide an additional measure of safety for pilots in these high-traffic situations.

The FAA even discourages the use of polarized sunglasses due to reduced visibility of instrument clusters equipped with anti-glare filters. This is a result of newer instruments incorporating LCD technology for digitally displaying flight data such as altitude, pitch and yaw of the plane. A polarized filter can dim or even make gauges disappear entirely, which can result in an unsafe situation for the pilot. The AR surface of the gauge helps reduce reflections from the sun or other lights in the cockpit that might mask the LCD display. However, this AR cannot reduce the problem of polarized sun lenses.

To the average consumer, the largest drawback is the disappearance of LCD screens like smartphones, car gauges, radio displays and gas pumps while wearing polarized sunglasses. LCD displays utilize a polarizer, placed at 45 degrees to ensure proper color contrast and clarity of the picture. This isn’t a problem for the wearer when their lenses are aligned in a parallel orientation to the polarizer in the LCD screen. But when the wearer is looking at an LCD device at a perpendicular angle to the polarizer, the image turns black. The same effect occurs if you hold two polarized lenses at 90 degrees to one another.

While this has been more of an issue in the past when looking at digital displays such as GPS navigation, advances in screen technology displays emit light at various angles to ensure that displays can be seen through polarized lens filters, though potentially dimmed. This is still a critical point of note when choosing lenses for those who work outside and rely on digital displays. I have asked many engineers and construction workers to bring in their digital devices and explore how their screens look through polarized lenses. This has saved costly remakes and patient dissatisfaction from choosing the wrong lenses for their needs.

One other note of importance is that some skiers prefer tinted lenses instead of polarized lenses because of the reduced visibility of ice. Since the reflections are eliminated, skiers might not be aware of the ice until it is too late. Those competing in slalom events need to know where they have to check their speeds to safely take the corners. Although competitive skiers wear goggles for competition, many recreational skiers will wear their sunglasses and go straight from the mountain to their après-ski activities. This is another point of mention with patients who express interest in using their sunglasses on the mountain.

Despite these cautions, the advantages of wearing polarized sunglass lenses outweigh the disadvantages. It is important to consider lifestyle and overall use of the sunglasses to make the most appropriate decisions concerning patient lens selection. It is very important that these limitations are understood and easily explained by the dispensing optician for troubleshooting purposes or to discuss how polarized lenses will work for patients’ specific needs.

The advantages to the consumer are invaluable in creating a better visual experience during daytime activities. First, they remove reflections in the form of scatter (“visual noise” as the reflected short wavelengths are polarized and crisscross over one another). This is called Rayleigh’s Effect and is a major reason that polarized lenses are so comfortable overall. Secondly, polarized lenses increase color saturation to the viewer by increasing edge contrast and color variations of an object. Because of this, environments look more vivid than if observed by the unaided eye: Leaves are a vibrant green, and the sky is a darker hue of blue. By eliminating blinding glare, polarized sunglasses provide visibility of an otherwise hidden object for the wearer. This is important for spotting debris and road imperfections whether on a bicycle, motorcycle or while driving a car.

Anti-reflective coatings, especially on the back surface of polarized lenses, are a requirement for the best sunglasses. These coatings improve acuity while driving and should be recommended to anyone wearing sunglasses when commuting. This option eliminates distracting reflections from objects behind the wearer, most noticeably the image of the wearers’ eye reflected on the inside of the lens, which can obstruct vision. Some premium anti-reflective coatings also prevent harmful UV from being reflected into the eye when the sun is behind the wearer.

The acuity polarized lenses can provide to the wearer is also important to mention. Colors look truer and better defined than a neutrally tinted sunglass. Depth perception and horizon differentiation is improved due to this filtration. This makes a big difference to the golfer following a ball bouncing down the golf course or a spectator at a baseball game tracking the ground ball from the infield into the outfield. However, golfers may have difficulty “reading the green” because of the individual grass blade reflections (the grass blades are pointed in all directions) and as a result, many prefer golf-specific tints.

While you don’t need polarized sunglasses to watch these events happen in real time, they are more comfortable and noticeably reduce eye fatigue over the course of several hours of watching the same events.

Comfort is a major factor to wearing polarized sunglasses. The eyes can become tired after viewing the same activity occur for several hours. This is most evident to those with long commutes or individuals who drive for a living—they are fixated for hours at a time on a road emitting horizontally reflected light and blinding glare. This reflection can cause discomfort, sensitivity and distraction. Polarized lenses help to reduce this fatigue by filtering “noisy light” (or distracting reflective polarized light). This can relax the eye, eliminating eye strain and making the wearer more comfortable.

Part of the necessity of sunglasses is to protect the eyes and the adnexa (the skin surrounding the eyes) from UVA and UVB light. All polarized filters are engineered to block these specific wavelengths of light waves regardless of the material of the lens. However, very light polarized lenses may not be as UV-absorbing as dark sun lens densities. Significant absorption is important for the health of the eye and ensures protection from damaging ultra-violet radiation that is associated with cataract development and retinal damage from prolonged exposure. Large sunglass frames act like a shield, protecting the eye and the sensitive skin around the socket. Sunscreen is used to protect the body from sunburn, so think of polarized sunglasses as sunscreen for the eyes.

This is also very important to consider at higher altitudes where the UV and visible light is much more intense. Sunlight includes potentially damaging high-energy blue-violet radiation (415 to 455 nm) of concern by ECPs and a predominant conversation with patients using digital devices. This light, associated with retinal damage is also filtered by polarized lenses. This makes for another crucial talking point when recommending polarized lenses to the wearer.

Polarized sunglasses act like sunscreen for the eyes by blocking these damaging frequencies of light. In fall 2012, Anderson Cooper suffered from sunburn to his cornea (commonly referred to as snow blindness, the clinical term is photokeratitis) while reporting for “60 Minutes.” He was recording a segment from a ship off the coast of Portugal without wearing any eye protection for only two hours. Even with limited exposure to light reflected from the water’s surface, it was enough for him to lose sight in his right eye for 36 hours. While the effects of a corneal burn are temporary, the long-term effects of intense UV exposure could result in cataracts, pingueculae, pterygia, skin cancers or permanent damage to the eye.

Sunglasses can also protect the bones that form the eye socket from projectiles. According to the National Eye Institute, approximately 800,000 total eye injuries occur in the United States annually. Of those total recorded injuries, roughly 100,000 occur while engaged in sports; but it is estimated that 90 percent could have been prevented with proper eyewear. Sunglass manufacturers purposely pair Trivex or polycarbonate lenses in sport frames for maximum protection.

Polarized sunglasses in many ways sell themselves to the consumer. It is important to demonstrate the advantages and to be able to explain how polarized lenses will benefit the wearer whether they are recreating or competing. Reinforce to the viewer that polarized sunglasses ensure the highest quality of vision to maximize both their performance and experience. This way you will strategically align your practice to sell more polarized lenses, because polarized sunglasses are truly everyone’s most important piece of outdoor equipment.

Polarized sunglasses may make it easier and more comfortable to see outdoors, but wearing them while trying to read an LCD (liquid-crystal display) screen can sometimes — literally — leave your eyes in the dark.

Most LCDs, such as your smartphone and tablet, use a polarizing filter to help you see the screen in bright sunlight. But so do polarized sunglasses, meaning the two essentially cancel each other out, causing your LCD screen to appear dark or completely black when you look at it.

Polarized sunglasses are designed to block glare — overly bright light reflected off shiny surfaces such as water and snow. Natural light consists of protons bouncing in many directions; polarized lenses filter that light, causing those protons to travel in a single, uniform direction (usually horizontal).

Polarized sunglass lenses are coated with a chemical compound composed of molecules that are parallel to one another. These molecules absorb any light waves traveling in the direction in which they’re aligned, preventing them from passing through the coating.

LCD screens and sunglasses typically contain a polarizing filter for the same reason: to make it easier for you to see clearly, especially in bright sunlight.

What tends to happen is your polarized sunglasses do their job by only allowing light to pass through vertically. Meanwhile, your phone screen emits horizontally vibrating light while blocking vertical light.

Your lenses and screen end up counteracting each other by working in opposite directions. As a result, you wind up seeing a dark or blacked-out image.

The solution is simple: Rotate your tablet or phone screen by 90 degrees. This trick usually works because it positions your screen’s polarizing filters so they block light waves traveling in the same direction as your polarized sunglasses, allowing light to pass through.

Newer smartphone and computer screens have found ways to compensate for this issue, but you may still notice a darker screen when wearing polarized sunglasses with an older model screen.

In some cases, you may need to view LCDs on an instrument panel that can’t be rotated. This can be true for boaters and pilots who must be able to read instrumentation quickly and accurately to ensure their safety. For this reason, you should avoid wearing polarized sunglasses in these circumstances.

Polarized lenses also can interfere with your ability to see and read the displays on gas pumps and ATMs. To see more clearly when filling your tank or withdrawing money, remove your sunglasses when performing these tasks.

Any reputable eyewear retailer (brick-and-mortar store or online shop) will provide accurate labeling on sunglasses they offer, so you should be able to tell at a glance whether those sunglasses you’re considering have polarized lenses.

Hold the sunglasses in a way that allows you to look through both pairs of lenses at the same time. Rotate one pair of sunglasses by 90 degrees. If all light is blocked when passing through both pairs, then your older sunglasses probably have polarized lenses.

You also can test your sunglasses by looking at an LCD screen while wearing them. Just remember to rotate the device 90 degrees to make sure you’re checking for a polarizing filter that blocks light traveling either horizontally or vertically.

ARE YOUR SUNGLASSES POLARIZED? If not, it might be time for a new pair. Shop for polarized sunglasses at an optical store near you or an online eyewear retailer

Polarized, or anti-glare, sunglass lenses reduce light glare and eyestrain. Because of this, they improve vision and safety in the sun. When working or playing outdoors, you can become frustrated and even temporarily blinded by reflected light and glare. This is a potentially dangerous situation that polarization can prevent.

Usually light scatters because it bounces at varying angles off an object’s uneven surface. But if the surface is smooth, as with calm water or a flat piece of sheet metal, light reflects at one angle. When this light reflects right in your eyes, this is what we know as glare. Polarized sunglasses reduce glare and solve this problem.

Polarized lenses have a special chemical applied to them to filter light. The chemical’s molecules are lined up specifically to block some of the light from passing through the lens. Think of it like a miniblind hanging in front of a window. Only light that passes through the blind’s openings can be seen.

As a result of this filtering, the image you see with polarized lenses is a bit darker than usual. But objects look crisper and clearer with polarized lenses, and details are easier to see.

People who use polarized sunglasses often say they are less tired than usual after hours of battling sun glare. Polarized sunglasses can be a good choice for most everyday situations. These are some specific situations when polarized sunglasses may be especially helpful:

Golfing. Some golfers feel that polarized lenses make it hard to read greens well when putting, but studies haven’t all agreed on this issue. Many golfers do find that polarized lenses reduce glare on fairways, and you can remove polarized sunglasses when putting if that’s your preference. Another benefit? Though this would never happen to you, golf balls that find their way into water hazards are easier to spot when wearing polarized lenses.

Most snowy environments.Snow causes glare, so a pair of polarized sunglasses are usually a good choice. See below for when polarized sunglasses may not be the best choice in snow.

when driving at night. You can buy polarized glasses that are supposed to help reduce glare when driving at night. Use caution when considering these glasses. Polarized night driving glasses may do more harm than good.

Keep in mind that if your sunglasses are labeled as blocking the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, it does not mean they are polarized too. Polarized lenses will have a label saying so.

What does “polarized” even mean? And, what are the benefits of polarized vs. non polarized sunglasses? Do non-polarized lenses really protect your eyes? These are the types of questions we all ask ourselves before splashing out on a new pair of sunnies or when we’re choosing replacement lenses for our favourite sunglasses. Read on to find out all you need to know. We’ll start with the all-important basics…

A polarized lens is one which is designed to reduce glare from reflective or bright surfaces. We apply a polarisation film to the outside of our lenses, which is created using a very delicate chemical process, to help filter out light. The chemical molecules in the film line up to proactively block out some of the light that passes into, and through, the lens, kind of like a blind might do with a window. Close the slats a little, and only some light can come streaming through – this is essentially how polarized lenses work.

For sunglasses, this means that they filter out ambient light as well as counteract glare. Technically, what’s also occurring is that the filter creates vertical openings for light – only light rays that beam in towards your eyes vertically can get through those openings. Polarized lenses therefore block out all horizontal light waves, including the glare created by light bouncing off flat surfaces like a window, car hood or patch of ice", as examples. So, you’re less likely to experience this “glare”, and it is safer for you when, for example, driving, as well as less irritating and stressful on the eyes themselves.

In order to make clear the difference between polarized and non-polarized lenses, we need to take a look at the non-polarized option. Non-polarized lenses, put simply, only offer protection from light; they do not contain a filter allowing them to cancel out surface glare. So, yes, they can protect your eyes from the sun and from associated sun damage – this is called UV protection, which is different from polarisation in any case – but they will still allow glare or ambient light through, unlike polarized lenses, which as mentioned above, are designed to reduce glare.

You might think that not being polarized is less advantageous, somehow, but in actual fact both modes have their benefits. So, before you buy any replacement lenses, let us fill you in on what the benefits are for polarized sunglasses vs regular so that you can make an informed choice. Let’s take a closer look…

As you might imagine, the benefits of polarization are many. They reduce eye strain, increase clarity of vision and remove glare, which means eyes are far more comfortable. When you repair scratched sunglasses, a polarized lens offers all of these advantages over its non-polarized counterpart. Although polarization, as a process, makes a pair of lenses a little more expensive to buy, it’s also true that you get what you pay for and sometimes it’s definitely worth spending a couple bucks more, especially when there are so many tangible benefits. Money isn"t everything, particularly when it comes to the health of your corneas, the quality of your vision, and also the stress you put your sensitive eye muscles under.

Reduced glare can also make activities such as driving safer, in many instances, because it means you’re not going to be suddenly blinded by reflected light from, say, a windshield or bumper. However, there are times when it might be more beneficial to take the non-polarized option – or take your polarized sunnies off.

There are some benefits to non-polarized sunglasses that are worth weighing up before you make a choice on your new lens option. For one, common non-polarized lenses can sometimes be a little more hard-wearing than treated lenses, although it"s up to you as to whether that would outweigh the benefits given in the previous section.

It"s also been found that non-polarized sunglasses may make white tones more true to their intended color, if that’s an issue for you. As a linked benefit, it can be easier to view LCD (liquid crystal display) screens with this type of lens. If you"re using an LCD screen, well, maybe you shouldn"t be wearing sunglasses anyway, would be our argument! But, anything LCD, like your car’s dashboard controls, your cell phone display, your LCD watch, as well as the info displayed on an ATM cash machine, will be affected if your lenses are polarized. Pilots, for example, don’t wear polarized sunglasses because it can make their instruments appear blacked-out. Meaning that non-polarized are the most beneficial in these cases.

There are also some situations in which more glare or light might be an advantage, too, making non-polarized lenses the better option. When driving, if conditions are icy, then non-polarized shades are better for seeing patches of ice on the road (this holds true if you’re skiing, too) – as polarized lenses would reduce glare, making the ice harder to spot.

This is a question we need to pick apart a little in order to give an answer. In truth, both polarized and non-polarized lenses will protect your eyes, if – and it’s a big if – they are made for UV protection. It’s whether they safeguard your eyes from ultraviolet rays that is the key query here, rather than ‘polarized vs non polarized sunglasses’. Polarized lenses and non-polarized lenses, protect your eyes from UV if they are labelled “UV blocking”. If they are not labelled as such, then, whether they’re polarized or not, makes no difference. They will not protect your eyes from UV rays.

Yes! You can repair scratched or damaged sunglasses with either lens type. We hold replacement sunglass lenses for all top brands, too. Simply decide which lens would be most useful and advantageous to you, and select the style that suits. It’s as easy as 1-2-3, all you have to do is think about where you’re going to wear your reinvigorated sunnies and what you’ll be doing when you wear them. Think about this before you buy, then get our lenses delivered straight to your door. Polarized are, with us, cheaper than you’d imagine, and we can fit them perfectly to your favorite frames, no problem at all.

Polarized sunglasses vs regular is a difficult question. Both polarized and non-polarized sunglasses have their place in our sunshine world! It really depends upon your own needs, what the shades will be shading you from, and so forth. As an example, if you"re thinking of wearing sunglasses when playing water sports, then polarized lenses,to counteract glare coming from refracted light hitting off the water, would be the best choice. If you"re going skiing and need the terrain to remain clear, as well as to spot icy patches, then maybe non-polarized glasses would be best.

At goodr, we’re recklessly committed to fun...blah blah blah, sunglasses. Especially polarized sunglasses. Ah, polarized eyewear, a topic that leads to more polarizing existential questions like, “Does pineapple belong on pizza?”

For the last time, pineapple 100% does belong on pizza and we will fight you to the death on this. Yes, bears sh*t in the woods. And yes, active sunglasses are the perfect application for polarized lenses. DUH.

OK yeah, so why are we talking about polarized sunglasses like it"s the "Secret Word" on Pee Wee"s Playhouse? (AHHHHHHH!!!! We said the SECRET WORDZ: polarized sunglasses!!! Dibs on sitting in Chairy’s lap!!!) The truth is we recently had a very special guest visit our Lagoon headquarters who got us thinking about what polarized sunglasses means to us. No, it wasn’t Pee Wee. We don"t want to brag or anything, but our visitor is a famous feline internet celebrity who asked us a plethora of questions when he saw our impressive wall of polarized sunglasses. Luckily for him, Carl the Flamingo has the patience of a saint when discussing polarized eyeglasses. It"s only one of his favorite topics of all time!!! It’s “polarized sun lenses” and “polarized lens goggles” and “polarized glass” and “polarised glass sunglasses” all day e’ry day. We told Carl he needs to seek professional help. He threatened to fire us if we didn’t write this. He told us our jobs depended upon cramming as much information about polarized eyewear in here as we could. So here we are. We apologize in advance.

Our visitor, Captain Meowzipan, asked SO many questions. “Carl, I can has lots of questions about polarized sunglasses? Why polarized sunglasses, Carl? What does polarized mean in sunglasses? Or, what is polarized sunglasses mean? What is polarized sunglasses meaning? What is polarized sunglasses? What is polarized lens? Or, more importantly, what is polarized lenses? Does polarized sunglasses come from the North Pole? Does polarized lenses come from polar bears?! Does polar bears wear polarized sunglasses? Does polar bears eat cats?!?! I can has protection from polar bears?!”

To the hoomans sitting around the office, this succession of questions was super cringe and awkward. It’s like when your friend’s toddler asks you a bajillion questions at brunch and you’re hungover and just want to shove your shrimp toast into their sweet little boogery face so you can get two minutes of peace and quiet. Hey, it’s not your friend’s fault that you’re the only one lucky enough to still be on the Uncle Buck lifestyle plan. Right? Carl was thrilled though because he could share his polarized sunglasses view literally, and figuratively with Captain Meowzipan.

“Of course you can! You can has cheeseburgers, you can has pizza, you can has polarized grey sunglasses! Is that offensive? Sorry, I had heard that cats could only see gray and blue. So I assumed you wanted polarized gray sunglasses, but you can choose any color of polarized protective glasses you want!!! Just ignore those signs over there that say you have to do the Truffle Shuffle if you touch the sunglasses wall. I own this place and can do whatever I want!!! And I do. And I have never done the Truffle Shuffle. Try on as many pairs of sunglasses with polarized lenses as you want!!! OK, now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get started on answering some of your questions!!! What is polarized glasses? Or really, what does polarized sunglasses mean?

“It’s obvi you’ve never looked up “polarized definition sunglasses”. Oh jeez, I’m talking like you now. Let’s see, What do polarized lenses do… What are polarized sunglasses… What are polarized lenses…Well, if you’re looking for sunglasses glare reduction, polarized sunglass lenses are fantastic for reducing eye strain and light glare. For that reason, they can improve your vision in super glare-y situations, like when you’re shreddin’ gnar on snowy slopes or executing wheelies on water using a jet ski. Is it still called a wheelie if there aren’t any wheels? But like, we’ve all experienced the frustration of being temporarily blinded by reflected light and glare. It’s like when your team makes the beach volleyball playoffs, and there’s light bouncing off of the oiled up bodies at Muscle Beach, and then the glare causes you to miss the setpoint, and then you have to blow this month’s rent on the alcohol tab for the opposing team. Know what I mean? What do you mean you don’t know what I’m talking about? Don’t famous internet cats play beach volleyball?! Anyhow, polarized lenses reduce glare and this is one of the most important reasons your sunnies should be polarized. Do you understand polarised sunglasses meaning now?”

“Sunglasses that aren’t polarized won’t really block glare. That’s why you need polarised eyewear, or better yet polarized sunglasses. You know, like goodr sunglasses!!!

“Carl, that was shameless plug for your polarized sunglass lenses. How important is polarization in sunglasses? Is polarized sunglasses better? Why polarized tinted lenses?!”

“Carl, does polarized glass block polarized glare from my angry ex-talent-agent, Bebe? She can"t has my bizness anymore. Carl. Tellz me more about polarized shades. Can polarized eyeglasses protect me from the angry glare of my haterz?”

“Let me see if I can explain this. So, light will scatter when it bounces at different angles off of an object’s uneven surface. But when the surface is smooth, like a frozen lake or skyscraper’s windows, light reflects at one angle. When this light shines bright like a diamond and reflects right into your peepers, blinding you, this is what we call glare. Polarized sunglasses reduce this glare and solve this problem. goodr sunglasses are a fun, functional, ‘ffordable, fashionable way to reduce glare. Except they, unfortunately, don’t work for blocking the glare from bitter exes and ex-talent-managers.”

“Polarized lenses have a special chemical applied which filters light. Molecules of the chemical are lined up precisely to block some of the light from passing through the lens. Think about those tacky mini blinds in your first apartment, the ones you keep closed all the time because you’re usually hungover. Oh wait, I’m projecting again. Well, it’s like those blinds. Only the light that passes through the openings is visible. HAAA listen to me, I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about. You really can’t run a sunglasses company if you don’t know these things. Just sayin’.”

“OK, hmmm. On polarized sunglasses, the chemical that filters light creates vertical openings for light. Only the light rays that approach your eyes vertically can fit through those openings. It’s basically like pol lenses are saying, ‘F*ck horizontal light rays!!!’ The polarized lens color blocks all of the horizontal light waves and bright sunlight that are bouncing off a glassy lake or chrome bumper, for example. Thanks to this filtering out of the horizontal light waves, you will be able to see details more easily, and objects will look crisper and more clear!!! Some people even report that polarized lenses give objects an almost 3D appearance. Pretty fancy, huh?”

“Duh!!! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Sunglasses with polarised lenses are great!!! Some people who wear pol lenses report that they are less tired than usual after hours of battling the harsh glare bear (the sun). Lots of everyday situations can be improved with polarized sunnies!!! Let me guess, you want specific examples?”

“Ok, I can do that. Uhh, just curious, would you consider taking a grammar class in return for this information?! I kid, I kid. Again, please don’t plot to kill me. Here are some scenarios that are improved by polarized glasses. Or polarized glass if you’re a cyclops. I imagine that since you’re a cat, you enjoy fishing. People, or cats, who fish often find that polarized sunglasses help them see into the water and drastically reduce the glare reflecting off of the H2O’s surface. It probably comes as no surprise then that people who enjoy boating can also benefit from a polarized lens. If you’re driving a boat, polarized lenses can help you see below the surface better, which could be important for safety. Polarized lenses may reduce the eye fatigue caused by eyestrain that is common when staring at the water’s surface all day. Also, do you know that we make special lenses for golfing? Our Flamingo Eye Technology provides polarized glasses perfect for golfing. They’re designed to help you spot the ball easier on the greens compared to golfing without them. We aim to reduce the glare on the fairway while increasing your chances of scoring a Flamingo. If you don’t know this already, it’s not a Bogey, it’s a Flamingo. You’ll also have an easier time spotting golf balls that have accidentally found their way into that murky golf course pond water when you’re wearing polarized lenses. Pro-tip: Don’t submerge your head under that water. No one wants a parasitic brain amoeba. What am I talking about? Cats hate water, right? Oh yeah, polarized glasses are great for a lot of snowy environments too.”

“Good call my feline friend. There are a few instances where use of polarized sunglasses is not good. For example, a polarized lens material can interfere when you’re looking at LCD (liquid crystal display) screens. So they may be a very bad idea if you have LCD car dashboard controls, or if you’re using an ATM machine, using a cell phone, and some digital watches. Also, even though we offer our aviation-themed Mach G sunnies with polarized lenses, you should not be wearing them when flying an actual plane!!! Side note, we’re not responsible if you fly into the Bermuda Triangle and are lost forever because you didn’t heed our warning to not wear polarized lenses while flying a plane and then end up misreading your instrument panel because you were desperate to look stylish!!!”

“Oooooh, that’s a great question! UV blocking and polarization are two completely different things! UV protection or UV blocking is NOT the same as polarized or polarization. goodr glasses offer full UV 400 protection. UV 400 means that the lenses provide nearly 100% protection from harmful ultraviolet light rays, blocking wavelengths up to 400 nanometers, including harmful UV rays. Polarization is different, as I have already described earlier. Almost all of goodr’s sunglasses are polarized. If you’re not sure, you can always reach out to one of our Customer Service Parrots to inquire about a specific pair. It will also show you on the product display page on

“So Carl, seeing as how I have secretly recorded this entire conversation in hopes of publishing it on my podcast, I will give you another opportunity to shamelessly plug your business. How to buy polarized sunglasses, Carl?”

“Is this a joke?! Are you really asking ME about buying polarized sunglasses? Never mind, I can see that you’re serious. goodr.com is the only place I would recommend buying polarized sunglasses. (and you receive free shipping on orders of $50+!) But I am incredibly biased. So, do you have any other questions for me now that our cheezburgers have gotten cold and congealed?”

“HAAAA. Why you no good, furry sonofabitch...Your mom loves my wardrobe. And my polarised glass lens sunglasses. She says they make everything look bigger. Bet from now on she wants all her ​​eyewear polarized.”

In liquid crystal displays (LCDs), use is made of linear polarisers, familiar to most as the glass in polarising sunglasses. If you �cross� two polarisers (i.e. arrange them at 90 degrees to each other) then light does not pass through. This is the basis of the LCD, but between the cross polars the liquid crystals are arranged with a �twist�. This twist allows light to pass through. However, when an electric field is passed through the liquid crystals, the twist is removed, and so light cannot pass through � the area appears black.

If you"ve ever played with polarized sunglasses (or polarized plates in physics class), and noticed that when you have two polarized lenses rotated at the right angle, you know the basic idea behind Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs).

An LCD has two polarized layers on top of each other. Normally they are both polarized in the same way, so that light gets through both layers just fine. One (or both, I"m not sure) of the layers is made of liquid crystals which have the ability to change the direction of their polarization when a voltage is applied to them. When the voltage is applied, the crystals" polarization shifts so that it is at 90 degrees with respect to the second layer, and no light gets through the layers. This creates an area which looks dark. Different areas are controlled by voltages from whatever circuitry controls the device.

Placing the LC molecules into pixel format and putting Red Green and Blue filters above them, you can get color! Now, some LCDs like your watch don"t have what is called a "backlight" and therefore you only get black and a greyish background. They use the light around you to pass through the liquid crystals. LCD monitors used in gameboys and computers have backlights. They are necessary for vibrant color incorporation (RGB filters absorb a lot of light) and high brightness levels.

These LCDs are more sophisticated than the ones in your watch and require a more advanced controlling mechanism to operate it at the speeds and color levels desired when watching DVDs and playing games. They accomplish this through the incorporation of what is called an "active matrix". An LCD with an active matrix just has a matrix of transistors behind the screen controlling each pixel. These transistors are extremely fast and through the use of addressing and a controller computer, the pixels on your LCD can be efficiently managed such that it meets the requirements for movies, games and everyday applications such as "Word".

At least, in order for LCDs to be successful, they have to match CRTs in every way. At least the one I am writing with is a 17" LCD and it has more vibrant colors, better contrast and weighs considerably less (and takes up less room) than an equivalent 17" CRT (normal) monitor. I must also mention that when they say a CRT monitor is 17", its actually like 16" viewable area. With an LCD, if it says 17" then you can SEE 17". Now if they were to just bring down the price tag!

Light is polarized. That is, it has components which oscillate up and down and left and right. There are materials which can only allow certain polarizations through them. Polarized lenses on sunglasses help to reduce glare by not allowing the polarizations that come from reflections through but allowing other light through.

Because all light can be broken down into two perpendicular polarizations, two types of polarizing film can be used to block out all light. That is, if you take two pairs of polarized sunglasses and rotate them so that the lens of one is over top of the lens of the other and the glasses are at right angles to each other, no light should come through the combination of the two lenses. The first lens will block out light in one polarization and the second lens will block out the rest.

In an LCD, there are two polarizing films arranged in a very similar manner as what I just described, so that no light can pass through them. A special type of material -- a "liquid crystal" which has a certain structure but can tend to "unwind" in the presence of heat or electricity is placed in between them. This crystal"s structure twists and, as it twists, can cause light of one polarization to twist with it.

As a consequence, if the two films are placed exactly the right distance away from each other with the liquid crystal between them, light will pass through the first film, get polarized, and will then twist down the liquid crystal until it is perpendicular to its original polarization and will pass through the second film. Thus, because of the liquid crystal, light WILL pass through this arrangement, however it will be polarized on the other end (this is one of the reasons for the way LCDs look -- the particular quality of the image, especially when looked upon at certain angles).

Now, what allows a computer or some other controller to actually make a display out of this is that those liquid crystals can actually be manipulated by electricity to "straighten out." By applying an electric current to the liquid crystal, it will stop twisting the light. As a consequence, light at that point will once again get blocked by the combination of the two polarized films.

A matrix of these LCD pixels can be built and each pixel can be turned on (causing a black lack of light) or turned off (causing light to pass through) in such a way that allows images to be displayed.

LCD technology is constantly evolving. These are just the basics of what makes it work. Different liquid crystals are being used to create different LCD materials, and different types of control are being used to create different types of LCD displays. It can be very complicated, but all of these new technologies depend on a liquid crystal which can bend and unbend light and polarization films which can block out light.

Well before you start cursing out Samsung and throw your phone in the lake, take a second. It’s less to do with your phone and more to do with your polarized sunglasses.

Polarized lenses are popular formanyreasons, as we have writtenLCD screens have their own polarizing screen filter, so when you add another filter, (your sunglasses) things get tricky.

This is also a good test if you have ever wondered, “how do I know if my sunglassesare polarized?” Hold your sunglasses in front of an LCD screen and rotate them. If the screen starts to dim through your sunglasses lens then congratulations. You have yourself a bonafide pair of polarized sunglasses.