Ah, sunglasses - our trusty sidekicks through bright days and those deceptively overcast ones where the sun still manages to ambush our eyes. But if you're looking for a new pair, you've likely been faced with the decision between polarized and non-polarized lenses. In this blog post, you can settle this debate, lens by lens, so you can make an enlightened choice before your next optical investment. Whether you're a beach goer, skiing enthusiast, or someone who squints uncomfortably in daylight, this post sheds light on the polarized vs non-polarized sunglasses debate. How do polarized lenses work? Polarized lenses contain a chemical filter (called a polarizer) which is either applied externally to each lenses' surface or sandwiched within two lens-layers. This very thin film hosts microscopic rows of molecules which are vertically aligned in relation to the sky and ground - similar to fence panels or prison bars. When visible light waves bounce off something flat and and shiny like water, the light waves go from being randomly orientated to horizontally orientated making it strenuous to look towards. (This is known as glare.) But thanks to the vertically orientated polarizer filter, horizontally orientated light waves can't pass through. This provides you with glare free vision, thus reducing the taxing effects on your eyes. For driving or water sports, polarized sunglasses are ideal for long durations of sun exposure. What are non-polarized sunglasses? Non-polarized sunglasses protect your eyes from invisible ultraviolet light consisting of UVA, UVB and UVC wavelengths. They're just as UV protective, but lack the same level of glare-blocking functionality of polarized lenses as they don't contain polarizer filters. Non polarized sunglasses are typically cheaper and come in a wider variety of colors as the lenses are less intricate to manufacture.
