Mouprise.com

Polarized sunglasses: what are they?

Sunglasses: a very brief history

In the beginning, sunglasses were not always worn to protect the eyes from the sun. The history goes back to ancient China and Rome. It has been reported that the Roman Emperor Nero enjoyed viewing gladiators through polished gems. In China, sunglasses were worn before the 12th century. Sunglasses were first made with lenses made from flat panels of smoky quartz. Chinese judges used these glasses to hide their facial expressions when questioning witnesses.

Sunglasses did not undergo any further changes until around the 18th century with the work of James Ayscough. He experimented with tinted lenses in shows. Sunglasses became the popular item they are today when Sam Foster introduced them to the United States in 1929. These sunglasses were designed to protect people’s eyes from the sun. In 1936, sunglasses became polarized when Edwin Land began using his Polaroid filter to make sunglasses. From this original process arises what we now know as polarized sunglasses. They have come a long way from their Roman and Chinese roots.

Why wear polarized sunglasses?

When the sun shines on water or any other reflective surface, the reflected light becomes polarized. This means that most, but not all, light waves move in a plane. You see, normal light moves in many planes, and polarized lenses allow only light in one plane to pass through the lens. Therefore, much of the glare is eliminated.

Although sunlight is not polarized, it can be separated into two polarized components that are reflected and transmitted in different amounts by the surface of the water. In most cases, more of the horizontal component will be reflected than the vertical component, thus partially polarizing the reflected light. To help eliminate glare, a vertically polarized lens is used. The height of the sun also affects the degree of polarization. Basically, the polarized sunglasses fishermen use have polarized filters to help block light reflected from the water’s surface, allowing them to see below the water’s surface.

Will polarized sunglasses eliminate all reflected light?

Absolutely not. As we said before, polarized sunglasses eliminate selective parts of the reflected light, thus reducing glare.

Why wear polarized sunglasses for fishing?

Certain surfaces, like water, can reflect a lot of light, and the resulting bright spots can be quite distracting and even hide objects (like fish). Good sunglasses can almost completely eliminate this type of glare through polarization. Polarization can occur naturally or artificially. An example of natural polarization can be seen every time you look at a lake or river. Reflected glare off the surface of the water is light that doesn’t get through the “filter” of the water, and is the reason you often can’t see anything below the surface, even if the water is crystal clear.

When light hits the surface of the water, the result is a large amount of horizontally polarized light. Therefore, you cannot see anything other than the glow of the water. Polarized sunglasses lenses are fixed on an angler allowing only vertically polarized light to enter, allowing the angler to see into the water and spot fish and structure.

What is the difference between polarized sunglasses and regular sunglasses?

Basically, regular sunglasses decrease the intensity of all light that passes through the lenses. Polarized sunglasses diminish the same light, but they do so selectively. Polarized sunglasses can selectively eliminate the reflection of light coming from the surface of the water.