Polarizing treatment on a lens is a term often used by opticians, but what does it actually mean and what is it really used for? Is it really effective? Mymonture explains everything you need to know about polarized lenses.

Let's go back in time to understand the origins of polarizing lenses. In 1932, Dr. Edwin LAND, a physics enthusiast with a passion for light and kaleidoscopes, invented and marketed the1st polarizing filter. In 1935, a brand began selling it for the first time: Polaroid.

Explanation

Let's start with a simple observation: light reflects off shiny surfaces, such as the sea or roads in summer, creating stray reflections. These are the same reflections that bother you in sunny situations, even with conventional sunglasses.

If we go into a little more detail, we discover that there are two types of light:

-Light that reaches the eye vertically, known as useful light (which enables us to distinguish colors and contrasts).

- Light that reaches us horizontally, which is harmful to the eye and causes unwanted reflections. This is reflected light, known as reverberation.

The aim of polarized glass in this kind of situation is to block horizontal light without blocking vertical light. Thanks to this principle, only useful light reaches the eye, improving visual comfort.

On solar lenses

To integrate a polarizing effect into a solar lens, a polarizing filter must be inserted into the lens. The polarizing filter is made up of chains of molecules, all aligned vertically, which block harmful light.

The difference between a conventional sunlens and a polarizing lens lies in the fact that a sunlens is merely a tinted lens whose purpose is to reduce the total amount of light received, and to block UV rays harmful to the retina, whereas a polarizing lens is a lens that totally eliminates annoying reflections.

The result is simple: unlike conventional sunglasses, when you fit a lens equipped with a polarizing filter, you are no longer bothered by stray light reflections, as shown in the illustrations below.

Without polarizing lenses With polarized lenses

Which brands of polarized lenses?

Some eyewear brands specialize in polarized lenses. These include Polaroid, Invu and Solar. These brands are ideal for non-corrective wearers who want a pair of uncorrected glasses with polarized lenses directly integrated.

Polaroid PLD 2052S 807 M9 sunglasses Solar Malcom Ecaille Brun/Gun Invu B2722 Black/A
Polaroid 2052S 807 Invu B2722 Black/A Solar Malcom Ecaille Brown/Gun

For spectacle wearers requiring correction, you can add the "polarized lenses" option to your sunglasses order for enhanced visual comfort.

At mymonture, we're committed to offering you all types of lenses, including polarized lenses, which protect you from UV rays that are harmful to the retina, as well as from the glare that can be annoying when the sun is shining.