Why are some screens not visible with polarized glasses?

polarized glasses are a good solution to avoid awkward reflections coming from flat surfaceslike snow or pond water. That is why they are widely used in some sports such as skiing or sport fishing. However, over time, its use has expanded to the present day. A lot of Sunglasses They include tinted lenses, so we wear them when we go to the beach and the countryside, while driving or just walking down the street. And it is precisely when we use them in everyday life that we realize that they also have some disadvantages, such as erase from our point of view, the content of some screens.

This can happen to mobile phone screens, car gauges, or some gas station panels. Generally happens to almost anyone. LCD screen. Also in HUDintegrated into crystals, although they are much rarer.

This makes us think that in fact the use of polarized glasses is useless in any context, so we must choose very carefully what we use them for. And for this we must first understand what exactly happens to them.

Let’s start from the beginning: what are polarized glasses?

When light rays strike a surface, they can absorb or reflect. In fact, it has to do with the color in which we see objects. The more absorbed, the blacker the surface appears, and the more reflected, the whiter it will appear. In the middle we have all the colors that will depend on the different wavelengths that are absorbed and reflected.

If we stay with the light that reflects it can be portrait or landscape. In the second case, what is known as glare occurs. This reaches our eyes with great intensity, causing us to squint, with the subsequent vision problems that this entails. In addition, constant squinting can cause eye strain.

For this reason, polarized glasses are used, the lenses of which contain a chemical product laminated in a vertical pattern to reorganize the light. Highly roughact like a blind man, blocking the passage of horizontal light rays falling on the goggles. As a result, objects appear slightly darker as some of the light reflected from the surfaces is removed, but are sharper. And, of course, he does not let his eyes squint. The problem is that some screens are not meant to be viewed with polarized glasses, so we need to know when not to use them.

What’s with the screens?

LCD displays or liquid crystalare thin and flat screens consisting of pixels of the same color placed in front of light source or reflector. The result is precisely the formation of polarized light, so glasses can filter it. In fact, when we look at an LCD screen with this type of lens, we often see it like it was turned offbecause we can’t see the light coming from it. The solution to this problem is usually to change the angle of the screen so that the light does not fall so horizontally. This can be done, for example, using a mobile phone. But with car sensors while driving, this is more difficult to achieve.

On the other hand, HUD (Heads Up Display) Screens, also found in automobiles, consist of a flat glass panel used as a surface to project an image in front of the driver. Again, these images are in the form of reflections that can be filtered out with polarized glasses.

But screens aren’t the only disadvantages of polarized glasses. And there are times when useful for catching glareAlthough they can be a little annoying. For example, when there is a possibility that ice on the road. The best way to detect this is the glare created by the light hitting it, so using polarized glasses can be counterproductive.

Thus, these types of lenses are extremely useful, including for driving. After all, a sudden outbreak can make driving very difficult. But it is true that there are times when it is better to be aware of any changes in the light. As for the screens, the key is in the corner. But, if this cannot be changed, we should at least make sure that they are not indispensable screens.