There’s nothing like trying on that perfect pair of sunglasses that offers just the right amount of sun protection and the right amount of style to compliment your face. In 1929, Sam Foster sold the first pair of sunglasses, Foster Grants, in Atlantic City. Afterwards, he started the Foster Grant Company in 1919 and contributed greatly to the popularity of sunglasses in the 1930’s. Sunglasses have come a long way since then, with Ray Ban sunglasses serving as the first anti-glare, also known as polarized, sunglasses during World War II for pilots.
What are polarized lenses?
Polarized lenses reduce glare that is reflected at certain angles off non-metallic surfaces. Many experience glare from water, asphalt, and concrete. Polarized lenses are needed because UV rays can damage the eyes- specifically the retina- and can also cause skin cancer.
How do polarized lenses reduce glare?
Polarized lenses contain a filter which blocks intense reflected light that hits the eye from a horizontally oriented direction. In order to check if your sunglasses are polarized, take two pairs of polarized glasses and look through both, rotate one glass 90 degrees, and you should see an obvious blocking of light if the glasses are polarized.
How to clean polarized sunglass lenses
A cleaning cloth should be provided for your sunglasses (especially ray ban sunglasses) that is made of a fine cloth that won’t scratch the surface material. Either use warm water or optical spray that is designed for polarized lenses. Polarized replacement lenses should also be treated the same way. If your lenses do scratch, sunglass lens replacement is always an option for most high end brands.
What are polarized lenses good for?
Polarized sunglasses are popular for hunting, fishing, golfing, water sports such as rowing, and driving long distances. They have become more popular over the past few years because they are better at reducing eye strain, and with more than 50% of Americans losing or breaking their sunglasses each year, the market is always successful.
sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunglasses
http://www.allaboutvision.com/sunglasses/polarized.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Polarized-Glasses More on this topic: Sunglasses lens replacement Find more on this topic here.
