Here are some simple tests you can do yourself.
Test like with like
When you’re next out shopping you can easily test whether your sunglasses are polarized. Just hold them at 90° to another pair labelled as polarized and if the lenses go dark where they overlap then your sunglasses are polarized too. If there’s no change, your lenses aren’t polarized.
Ask a computer
Because computer screens use polarization technology you can use one to check out your sunglasses. When your computer is switched on and you have something on the screen – a document, game or anything else – just put on your sunglasses and tilt you head left and right. If you reach a point when the screen goes dark you know your lenses are polarized.
Find the secret image
Some shops selling sunglasses make it even easier to tell if your sunglasses are polarized with polarized lens testers. Testers often look like a blank grey strip or empty grey picture on a display stand. But they are not blank at all. Each lens tester holds a hidden image, created to simulate the way that glare stops you seeing clearly. Put on ordinary sunglasses and the picture remains a secret. But put on polarized sunglasses and you’ll clearly see an image which was not visible to the naked eye or through ordinary sunglasses. Like magic.
There’s more information about polarization on our site.
How do you check for polarized lenses?
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