The hype is real: polarized lenses allow you to see the world at its best.
Polarized lenses help reduce the amount of reflected light that enters your eyes and causes glare. This allows your vision to be crisper, clearer and more detailed.
All kinds of things reflect light: windows, cars, bodies of water, sand, snow, pavement-- the list goes on and on.
This bright, reflected light causes glare that can feel blinding at its brightest, but even when you don't notice it much, reflected light causes eye strain throughout the day which can lead to your eyes feeling dry and tired.
Glare occurs often. It can be annoying but relatively unproblematic- like when a camera flash goes off and you experience a few seconds of blurry vision. However, it can be disabling for a longer period of time, to the point where your vision might lose contrast and blur into a wall of brightness. Depending on what you're doing, that can be dangerous.
Fisherman, golfers, pilots- or anyone staring at bright reflected light sources for long stretches of time will feel the benefits of polarized lenses most acutely but crisp, clear, glare-free vision is a plus for everyone.
But make sure to note: polarized lenses don't block UVA and UVB rays. So even though your eyes may feel more comfortable and rested thanks to reduced bright light intake, they're still susceptible to sun damage. Make sure you're choosing lenses with UVA/UVB protection if you're trying to keep your peepers safe from the sun.