How To Check If Your Sunglasses Are Polarized

Sunny weather goes well with a quality pair of sunglasses! You probably know that shades with UV400 protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. However, what do we know about polarization?

What are polarized sunglasses?

When a beam of light is reflected from a smooth surface, such as water or ice, it becomes polarized. Polarized light irritates the eyes and makes it hard to see clearly. When fishing - polarization is key because it cuts the glare from the water. For example, when fishing on a sunny day, you wouldn't see through the water. You would only see a reflection of the sun hitting the water. However polarized lenses will neutralize the reflection of the water, and you will be able to see into the water.

Long story short polarized sunglasses block polarized light and remove glare from smooth surfaces.

Below is a slider of an unedited raw picture and also one photo that was taken through one of our lenses. You can see the polarized lens cuts the glare on the water and helps see more into the water.

Advantages of polarized sunglasses:

•     Reduced the eye fatigue
•     Reduced eye strain
•     Improved visual clarity

How to check if your sunglasses are polarized?

One tip to check if your sunglasses are polarized is to wear your sunglasses or hold them up and look through your lenses at a device with an LCD (usually your computer screen) and then tilt your head or sunglasses. If the screen goes black then it is proof of polarization. HERE is a quick Youtube video we made that shows you how to do this process in 3 easy steps at home!

Most screens use a polarizing filter so when looking through polarized lenses when the filters align in opposite directions, they will block all light coming from your screen. Higher-end phones now use filters that prevent or minimize this issue so most Google, Apple, and Samsung phones you will not experience this issue on.

At Detour, you can find your perfect polarized pair of sunglasses!       

If you want to test this out for yourself try it on your desktop or laptop screen! Check out our YouTube tutorial HERE!