WHAT DOES POLARISED MEAN?

You will have heard of the term ‘polarised’ used before when we talk about our sunglasses, but what does it actually mean?

barberini mineral glass sunglasses lenses

Waterhaul polarising sunglasses help protect eyes from glare.

Unpolarised light from the sun travels in vertical waves of multiple different directions. However, when it bounces off of reflective surfaces like the ocean, snow or shiny cars, this light becomes polarised. This means it reflects back in harsh, uniform, horizontal lines known as glare.

Polarised sunglasses lenses are designed to be able to filter out this horizontal light, therefore reducing the amount of glare that reaches your eyes. Cheaper pairs of polarised sunglasses generally use a thin polarising film on the lenses that will wear off over time. Our polarised sunglasses lenses use a specialised polarisation filter sandwiched between two layers of glass, offering far greater protection that will last much longer.

landscape photo of a cornish tidal pool without polarising lens effect

Non-polarised

landscape photo of a cornish tidal pool with polarising lens effect

Polarised

Alongside reducing glare, polarised lenses can also improve the clarity of what you are seeing, which is particularly evident around water. The polarisation eliminates the light reflected on the water’s surface. Not only does this improve eye comfort, but polarised sunglasses lenses also allow you to see through the surface of the water. This has some particularly incredible effects when combined with the Cornish coastline!

While polarised lenses offer many benefits to the wearer, particularly noticeable when driving or when looking at the sea on a sunny day, there are some situations where they’re not suitable. Due to the way they block polarised light, using polarised lenses whilst looking at devices like laptops or phones can result in a dimmed or sometimes completely black screen.

waterhaul blue carbon crantock recycled plastic sunglasses

Every pair of Waterhaul sunglasses offers UVA/UVB 400 protection.

It is worth noting that polarised lenses on their own will not protect your eyes against harmful ultraviolet rays, which is the most important thing to look out for when it comes to choosing a pair of sunglasses.

Ultraviolet, or UV, is a type of radiation that comes in waves from the Sun's nuclear reactions, that travel to Earth as UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays damage the collagen and elastin in your skin, causing your skin to age and wrinkle early, while UVB rays are the ones responsible for burning your skin, which can lead to other diseases like skin cancer. UVA Ages - UVB Burns!

But your skin isn't all that's at risk from UV rays! Prolonged exposure to UV rays can permanently damage your eyes, and make them more likely to get cataracts; a gradual clouding of the eye lens which leads to blurry vision, or even a gradual loss of vision in the centre of your eye (macular degeneration), which is why it is so important that you ensure your sunglasses have UV protection.

When selecting a new pair of sunglasses (even if you don't buy them from Waterhaul!), we always recommend checking that the sunglasses have UVA/UVB protection, as well as what level of protection they offer. UVA/UVB 400 is the best option for this, as they offer nearly 100% protection against UV light rays, which is why every pair of Waterhaul Sunglasses offers UVA/UVB 400 protection.