Polarized sunglasses were invented in the 1930s.
The innovation is credited to Edwin H. Land, who later founded the Polaroid Corporation. Land discovered that a special filter applied to lenses could significantly reduce glare and improve visibility, a breakthrough that led to the creation of polarized sunglasses. These lenses made outdoor activities much safer by cutting down on reflective glare from surfaces like water and snow. The polarized lenses block horizontally polarized light, which is the primary source of glare, while allowing vertically polarized light to pass through, thus reducing eye strain and improving visual clarity.
