Eye Health More Eye Issues & Safety What to Know About Polarized Sunglasses By Troy Bedinghaus, OD Troy Bedinghaus, OD LinkedIn Troy L. Bedinghaus, OD, board-certified optometric physician, owns Lakewood Family Eye Care in Florida. He is an active member of the American Optometric Association. Learn about our editorial process Updated on August 02, 2021 Medically reviewed by Ami A. Shah, MD Medically reviewed by Ami A. Shah, MD on May 26, 2020 Ami A. Shah, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a practicing clinician specializing in oculofacial plastic and orbital surgery. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Polarized sunglasses are specialized eyewear designed to reduce glare from surfaces such as water, snow, and glass. Glare distorts the true color of objects and makes them harder to distinguish. Polarized sunglasses can be useful for certain sports and driving, helping participants to see more clearly and avoid potential hazards. How Polarized Lenses Work Polarized lenses are available in a variety of colors, depending on the material from which the lenses are made. Darker colors provide higher levels of polarization. Sunlight can be absorbed or reflected in several different directions. Sunlight that is bouncing off horizontal surfaces such as water, land, or the hood of a car is usually reflected back in a similar horizontal direction. This reflection produces an agitating source of glare that cannot only create visual discomfort but can also cause a potentially blinding glare. Glare has the potential to create a very dangerous situation, especially while driving. Polarized lenses contain a laminated filter that allows only vertically oriented light to pass through. This blocks the horizontally oriented light so that glare is almost eliminated. The most common colors of polarized lenses are gray and brown. However, depending on the manufacturer, many other colors may be available. Green, yellow, or melanin color are also very popular colors. Advantages Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin A high-quality pair of sunglasses will usually include polarized lenses. A polarized lens offers the following advantages over non-polarized lenses: Improves visual comfortImproves contrast and visual clarityReduces eye strainAllows for true perception of colorsReduces reflections and eliminates glare How to Choose the Best Sunglasses Disadvantages By and large, polarization is the best choice for people concerned about debilitating sunlight and glare. However, there are some who cannot wear them. Whether the reason is psychological or neurological, there are those who say that the lenses make them feel dizzy or disoriented, while others insist that they create an artificial 3-D effect. For this subset of individuals, it is possible that the photoreceptor cells at the back of their eyes pick up the vertical light signals differently than the rest of us. Under these circumstances, tinted lenses may be the best option. There are also occupations that require a worker to be able to read certain digital numbers on a liquid crystal display. Polarized lens sometimes can interfere with the visibility of the numbers and should be avoided. How to Tell If Your Lenses Are Polarized If you're unsure whether your lenses are polarized:Take your sunglasses to the drugstore and grab a pair of polarized sunglasses from the shelf.Place the lens of your sunglasses at a 90-degree angle to the lens of the drugstore sunglasses.If the combined lenses turn dark or nearly black, your sunglasses are polarized. Frequently Asked Questions Are polarized sunglasses good for sports? Yes. They can be especially helpful on sunny days and for activities that take place on or near water, such as boating or fishing. Polarized sunglasses also can reduce glare on snow and so can be beneficial for winter sports. An exception is skiing in areas where there might be patches of ice, as they will be harder to see with polarized lenses. Do polarized sunglasses make driving safer? Generally speaking, yes. However, it's important to note they can make it hard to read LCD displays, such as those on dashboards (as well as ATM machines and cell phones). Is it OK to wear polarized lenses while driving at night? Ideally, no. You want the road to be as well-lit as possible and polarized sunglasses can interfere with this. Even polarized lenses marketed for night driving can limit visibility. If you find night driving problematic, talk to your ophthalmologist. Best Sunglasses for Migraines Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Shaw JA, Vollmer M. Blue sun glints on water viewed through a polarizer. Appl Opt. 2017;56(19):G36-G41. doi:10.1364/AO.56.000G36 Borkenstein AF, Borkenstein EM. Polarized glasses may help in symptomatic cases of intraocular lens glistenings. Clin Optom (Auckl). 2019;11:57-62. doi:10.2147/OPTO.S202796 Kepecs MR, Boro A, Haut S, Kepecs G, Moshé SL. A Novel Nonpharmacologic Treatment for Photosensitive Epilepsy: A Report of Three Patients Tested with Blue Cross‐polarized Glasses. Epilepsia. 2004;45(9):1158-1162. doi:10.1111/j.0013-9580.2004.07004.x Cronin TW; Handling editor: Becky Fuller. A different view: sensory drive in the polarized-light realm. Curr Zool. 2018;64(4):513-523. doi:10.1093/cz/zoy040 American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Are Polarized Lenses For? Updated July 9, 2021. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Night Driving Glasses May Hurt, Not Help. Jan 30, 2018.