Can polarized sunglasses make you dizzy?

Answers (6)

• vylk

  01/22/2013

  YES. I just bought a pair of O@kley fuel cell polarized sunglasses and the first thing I noticed was that I felt nauseated and dizzy the first few minutes. I tried it again the next day and I felt like vomiting. I returned the glasses and replaced them with non-polarized ones and I was OK. I don't think the human brain has evolved to easily adapt to polarized light waves. Contrary to what other people say, polarizers DO NOT protect you from UV, a polarizer simply lets through light waves in one polarization direction and blocks the rest, irrespective of the wavelength. Polarized light rarely occurs in nature so I think that we/some are not used to it which causes the dizzying effect.

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• vylk

  01/22/2013

  To support my answer above, here is a quote from a scientific paper: "polarization sensitivity has long been associated with behavioral tasks like orientation or navigation. However, only recently have we become aware that it can be incorporated into a high-level visual perception akin to color vision, permitting segmentation of a viewed scene into regions that differ in their polarization. By analogy to color vision, we call this capacity polarization vision. It is apparently used for tasks like those that color vision specializes in: contrast enhancement, camouflage breaking, object recognition, and signal detection and discrimination (Cronin et al., 2003, Integr. Comp. Biol. (2003) 43 (4): 549-558. doi: 10.1093/icb/43.4.549 ). Therefore by artificially subjecting our eyes to fully linearly polarized light, such as what we see through polarized sunglasses, we somehow "trick" our photoreceptors into seeing certain signals in nature that are not acutally present. Note that the paper also mention that some organisms are more sensitive to polarization and some are not. So this could be akin to other people getting dizzy with polarized shades and some not.

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• Bob Witek

  10/11/2012

  As we know, the polarized sunglasses just like the sunglasses protect our eyes from the strong sunlight and uv. However the coating part which adopts the special material may make you feel dizzy at first time of wearing. And whether you wear it under the sunlight is also important. If you wear it in the dark room, you will dizzy.

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• george

  10/11/2012

  Well, it seems that you are not used to wearing polarized sunglasses for the time being. Generally speaking, by wearing polarized sunglasses, our eyes could be better protected from harmful sun lights and have better vision under the sun. But, sometimes, there are people who cannot jut adjust to them, or perhaps it is because it takes time before you are fully used to wearing them. For now, just take them off, and try them on later on.

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• california_babi

  10/13/2012

  Well, it's hard to say that the polarized sunglasses made you feel dizzy. As we know that polarized sunglasses are very popular with the people who work outdoor. Because of the special design and perfect material, Polarized lenses can block 100% of glare. In this way, they help reduce eyestrain. Besides, Polarized lenses will also help enhance an image and its color so that your surrounding will have bolder and brighter colors and look clearer. In my opinion, you may not be familiar with the polarized sunglasses, so it can just make you feel dizzy. Maybe after you have worn them in a long time, it would be better. If they still make you feel dizzy, I think you may be not supposed to wear them.

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• Jackie

  09/27/2020

  Gave me very bad headache and nausea while in a car. It is the invisible horizontal stripes that are to blame.

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