Summer Tip: Why You Can't Read Tablets with Polarized Glasses

Pack your cutest swimsuit, cover-up and the new pair of sunglasses you bought for your first summer beach trip. Now grab your tablet and you can catch up on all your reading as summer begins. This is so much better than the days when we had to lug around books and magazines to read at the beach. Right?

Maybe not.

Polarized Lenses & Tablets

If your sunglasses have polarized lenses, reading on your device may not be that easy. Your reading plans are foiled because of how your screen and the lenses work together. Note: Polarized lenses aren’t the bad guy here! Optometrists recommend polarized lenses for a variety of reasons. Polarized lenses are the absolute best protection for your eyes from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Polarized lenses also offer a superb visual experience while outside.

Polarization refers to how the way light is filtered through the lens, so that only waves that align exactly with the filter will get through. Polarized sunglasses are often polarized at a forty-five degree angle. This minimizes the reflection of the sun off of the water, your windshield or sand at the beach. Polarization allows you to be squint-free, and protects your eyes from the glare you can experience during summer.

Tablet Screens

The other half of this equation is the screen to your device. Some screens work fine with polarized lenses, and some screens have a polarization of their own. You probably appreciate this feature when you’re reading in bed at night. It’s not great when you’re unable to read your favorite book by the pool.

Looking at your tablet with sunglasses, you may just see black! Changing the orientation of the device (portrait to landscape, or vice versa) may allow you to see the screen. The polarization of the device screen can vary which direction it’s in!

Some devices that aren’t back-lit are easier to use outdoors, but you may need to do some experimentation. Depending on how old or new the technology is, and the polarization of your sunglasses, you may or may not be able to read on the beach as you planned.

Your best bet: Experiment first. Try your devices different modes (portrait or landscape), adjust glare settings, and just see if it works before you leave for your vacation. If it doesn’t, don’t ditch those sunglasses. Your eyes need that protection and you’ll enjoy the clear view of everything around you. Instead, grab your favorite paperbacks and remind yourself that you didn’t want to get sand on your iPad anyway.