There are many things you want to investigate before you purchase a pair of sunglasses, such as the UV protection that the sunglasses offer, whether the sunglasses are polarized or not, and if they compliment your face shape. But how can you test whether or not the sunglasses are polarized?

1. Check for a polarization test sticker. Look at the tag or sticker through the lens while rotating it to a 90-degree angle. If the tag gets darker, then you know that the sunglasses are polarized.
2. Find a reflective surface and hold the glasses so that you are viewing the surface through one of the lenses. Then rotate the glasses to a 90-degree angle and see if the glare gets worse or better. If the sunglasses are polarized, the glare should diminish.
3. You can test the polarization of two pairs of sunglasses by looking through them at the same time with one rotated 90-degrees relative to the other. If both pairs are polarized, the view through them will become darker as you rotate them away from each other. If this doesn’t happen, at least one pair is not polarized.

If you still aren’t sure you can go to an optometrist. They should be able to confirm whether or not the sunglasses are polarized.

Photo Credit: Photo: eyesave.com

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