Just why are Aviator sunglasses so cool?

Aviators traditional-style. Aviators with a new design twist. Retro Aviators, vintage Aviators. Warren Beatty’s Aviators in the sixties, Robert Redford’s Aviators in the seventies, Tom Cruise’s Aviators in the eighties, Brad Pitt’s Aviators in the nineties, Jude Law’s Aviators in the noughties… they’re still going strong. Aviators just won’t go away.

And it’s not just men. According to Polaroid’s latest sales figures, women have also been cottoning on in their thousands to the stylish, edgy, ‘need-for-speed’ look that Aviator sunglasses give.

As the inventors of polarized lens technology Polaroid have been selling Aviator sunglasses since the 1930s. They were not really surprised when Aviators were the best-selling sunglasses on their website as recently as Summer 2007. So let’s take a look at what makes Aviators so cool?

First they’re versatile. Suits a smart suit or some shorts with Aviators. Wear your cocktail dress or your combats with Aviators. A barmitzvah or a barbeque with Aviators. A wedding or walk on the beach with Aviators. They are the ideal everyday sunglasses for men and women.
Second, they’re retro cool. Invented for fighter pilots in WW2, Aviator sunglasses are rooted in real military history as well as in Hollywood film versions.
Third, Aviators make you look good. Much-loved for their cosmetic powers, making your jawline appear firmer and your cheekbones sharper, many Hollywood stars wear Aviator sunglasses and no other style.
Fourth, Aviators are ageless. Both young guns and old gunners can carry off the Aviator look.
Finally, Aviator sunglasses are comfy. Lightweight wire frames mean you can wear your Aviators for long periods. Large round lenses cover the eye socket well and block out glare from all angles – as long as you buy polarized Aviators that is, like Polaroid’s Stealth or Cruise styles.

So it’s true, you just can’t get cooler than Aviators. If you buy Polaroid polarized Aviators you’re also protecting you eyes from harmful glare and you’ll be protecting your eyes from UV.

Polarized lenses – vital driving safety

Glare isn’t just inconvenient - it’s dangerous

Every year drivers take unnecessary risks. Not because they drive too fast or ignore safety signs but because they fail to wear sunglasses with polarized lenses. This leaves even safe drivers vulnerable to the dangers of glare.

Where does glare come from when you’re driving?

Roads create glare when the sun reflects from their surface, because they are in a horizontal plane to the driver’s eye. This polarizing effect is increpsed when the road is wet and the sun is low on the horizon, but in any conditions some glare can be present. In addition, drivers often need to contend with other sources of glare such as lakes, rivers, snow fields and other reflective surfaces. The car’s interior adds to this problem, with glare being reflected from the dashboard onto the back of the windscreen, creating a mirror-like surface, and directly into the eye of the driver.

Glare is the driver’s enemy

Glare can turn everyday driving conditions - such as vehicles turning, pedestrians crossing or cars stopping - into a real hazard. Drivers squint to try to see clearly which in turn can cause eye fatigue, reduce concentration and trigger headaches. Reaction times are slower and at worst the driver is momentarily ‘blinded’ by dazzling glare. This compromises the safety of the driver, pedestrians and other road users alike.

Polarizing lenses – for safer driving

The simple step of wearing sun protection with polarized lenses has been proven to improve visibility, so reducing the risk of accidents. Driving without polarized sunglasses is taking an unnecessary risk when ‘glare from the sun’ is cited as a factor in so many driving accidents and fatalities around the world. Drivers’ reaction times and stopping distances have been investigated in an independent test, conducted by RLT Car World.

A 12,000 watt lamp provided a simulation of the sun’s glare. Drivers travelled at a constant 50kms per hour towards the ‘sun’. A hazard – a baby’s pram – was suddenly introduced into the drivers’ path. Each driver was instructed to apply the brake only when they could see the pram. The study compared the results for drivers wearing ordinary sunglasses and polarized sunglasses against the ‘control test’ – no sunglasses at all. Stopping distances and reaction times were measured. The test reveals that when faced with glare from the sun while driving, ordinary non-polarized sunglasses make it harder to see than no sunglasses at all. Drivers without polarized sunglasses take a longer time to react, resulting in a dangerously long brake-path distance before their vehicle comes to a standstill.

Reaction times for drivers wearing polarized sunglasses are up to 20% quicker compared to driving without any sunglasses and up to 40% quicker than with ordinary sunglasses. Faster reactions mean that stopping distances are shorter - by up to 6 metres - compared to driving with non-polarized sunglasses, and as much as 3 metres shorter than driving without sunglasses. Wearing sunglasses with polarized lenses is proven to block out glare, significantly improving driving safety.

Top performance – Polaroid® lenses

Polaroid polarized lenses provide the highest possible levels of polarizing efficiency for glare-free vision. The clarity, natural colours and clear contrasts mean no squinting, less eye fatigue and shorter reaction times when driving.

What is polarization?

Polarizing sunglasses block harmful glare

Polarization is a natural phenomenon that describes how light behaves. Visible light waves from the sun travel in all directions. When these scattered light rays meet a horizontal surface, like a wet road or car bonnet, much light is reflected horizontally. This ‘horizontally polarized’ light is what we know as glare. Glare makes it hard to see as it masks the light which is useful to the human eye. Glare makes outdoor activity, such as driving, fishing, walking or reading, difficult, uncomfortable and potentially hazardous.

Polarizing – also called polarized – lenses work by using vertically-aligned filters to block the unwanted horizontally polarized light – glare – and allow the useful vertical light through to the eye. So polarized sunglasses help you see despite the glare. Non-polarized sunglasses do nothing to fight glare and can even make your vision worse. They only reduce the amount of visible light entering the eye, darkening the view. Good quality polarizing lenses make it easier to see when there is glare.

Polarized sunglasses are hugely popular

More and more people are beginning to understand the benefits of wearing polarized sunglasses. Already, one in five sunglass lenses sold worldwide is a polarized lens, amounting to almost 60 million polarizing lenses.

The history of polarized sunglasses

Dr Edwin Land became captivated by light at an early age. Born in 1909 in Connecticut, USA, his fascination with kaleidoscopes and desire to control light led him to invent the world's first man-made polarizer for commercial use in 1929. The first pair of Polaroid polarized sunglasses was sold in 1935 and Edwin Land established Polaroid Corporation in 1937. In 1972 sunglass lens manufacture was brought to the Vale of Leven, in Scotland, in the UK from where Polaroid Eyewear now services a worldwide market for polarized sunglasses.

7 functional layers

Polaroid’s polarized lenses are made up of 7 functional elements ultra-carefully bonded together to achieve a high-performance optical product. The main element of the sandwich-lens construction is the polarizing light filter in the centre manufactured to exacting LCD industry standards.

UV light absorbers are laminated to both sides of the filter. These block all harmful UVA, UVB, and UVC light rays. Optically-corrected, shatter-resistant cushion elements are then laminated to both sides of the UV absorbers, making the lens material lightweight, flexible, and impact-resistant. Finally, a unique scratchproof layer is applied to both the outer surfaces.

100% protection against UV

Polaroid polarized lenses not only eliminate glare they offer 100% protection against harmful UVA, UVB and UVC rays, fully meeting all international standards including the higher Australian Standard (AS/NZS1067) up to 400nm. The lens has been assigned the highest possible EPF (Eye Protection Factor) of 10 by the Australian Cancer Council.

Scratch-resistant polarized lenses

To ensure that lens performance is not compromised when the lens is worn a durable scratch-proof finish is applied to the polarized lenses. This coating allows the polarized lenses to retain their high optical performance.

Shatter-resistant polarized sunglasses

Polaroid PTX4000 lenses help protect the eye and eye zone in an impact situation, providing greater protection than acrylic lenses which may fragment on impact. Shatter-resistant cushioning layers are bonded inside each polarized lens making them safe for medium-impact sports, driving, outdoor activities and everyday urban life.

Shock-absorbent polarized sunglasses

Polaroid’s unique polarized lenses are resistant to impact. Whereas polycarbonate lenses offer only low energy absorption, so any impact on the lens is transferred to the frame and the head, Polaroid polarized lenses absorb impact, protecting the eye and the eye zone.