Light is both a blessing and sometimes not if you like being outdoors. Typically light waves radiate out in all directions but you run into problems when light hits a reflective surface. Water and snow are the two biggest culprits. Light rays bounced off of these surfaces, instead of continuing in all directions, it aligns itself with the water or snow. This is called polarization and it is hard for normal sunglasses to cut through the resulting glare.

This is where polarized sunglasses come in. They offer a vertical axis or polarization that can block the horizontal polarization of a bed of snow or a fishing pond. These two contrasting axis’s help cut the harsh glare. It is also important to note that polarized sunglasses lose a good deal of their effectiveness when the sun is overhead. This is because the sun is on the same axis as the sunglasses. Long popular with fishermen and skiers, polarized sunglasses are best used when the wearer needs to be able to see clearly. Normal sunglasses can cut through the glare but don't provide the same clarity of vision. Golfers, bikers and drivers can also benefit from a good pair of polarized sunglasses.