Polarized sunglasses are eyewear made with special lenses that reduce reflected glare from surfaces such as water, snow, and glass. Polarized sunglasses can be especially useful to see clearly and avoid hazards. Despite what some people think, polarized lenses do not protect against ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. Both prescription and non-prescription lenses can be polarized. This article explains how polarized lenses work. It also lists some of the benefits and drawbacks of this type of protective eyewear.

What Do Polarized Sunglasses Do?

Polarized sunglasses are designed specifically to reduce glare so that you can see clearly where you might otherwise squint or be blinded by reflected light. Glare is caused when light hits a reflective horizontal surface, causing light beams to be scattered horizontally. This can overwhelm photoreceptors in the eyes, including rods that allow you to see in darker conditions and cones that allow you to see color. Glare can dramatically impair your vision, making colors harder to distinguish and even “whiting out” your vision entirely.

Squinting is your body’s natural response to this, designed to prevent damage to the rods and cones from excessive light exposure. Polarized lenses counteract glare by applying a special chemical to the lenses in a vertical pattern. The vertical orientation of the chemical application is what blocks the horizontal light. This chemical process can be applied to the surface of the lenses only (for less costly sunglasses) or sandwiched in between two layers of lens materials (for costlier sunglass brands). Therefore, a high-quality pair of sunglasses will almost invariably have polarized lenses.

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