At the center of a polarized lens is a film that absorbs glare. The polarizing film's dye content and density determine efficiency i.e. a higher dye density has greater polarizing efficiency. The film is locked between the lens layers so they can't delaminate. Harken lenses block 99.9% of horizontal glare.

The eye can't focus all colors on the retina surface and will focus blue-light in front of the retina. Large amounts of blue light (found on the water) make objects appear blurred (chromatic aberration) by dominating the other colors. Shades of brown in your sunglass lens neutralize these visually distorting effects. Harken sunglasses offer different levels of blue light absorption: amber for sunny weather or blue-light absorbing rose lenses for overcast conditions.

UVA – is the most abundant, but least intense invisible light. A majority of UVA rays pass through the cornea and are absorbed by the lens. Long-term UVA damage wears down the lens. Over time, the lens weakens and becomes susceptible to the harmful effects of UVB and UVC.

UVB – is in the mid-region of invisible light and is more intense then UVA. A majority of the UVB rays are absorbed by the cornea, but some pass through to the lens, damaging the cornea. The cornea is the fastest healing organ in our body and can repair itself. However, the lens cannot. Any damage to the lens is irreparable.

UVC – The ozone layer filters all UVC, but with holes appearing in the ozone layer invisible light can pass through. Too much exposure to UVC causes cataracts and skin cancer.

When light passes through an uncoated lens, approximately 4% reflects off the surface. Only 96% of the incident light is transmitted.

An anti-reflective coating increases lens transparency and resolution, and decreases reflections (ghost images) typically found in sunglass lenses. The anti-reflective coating—an extremely thin, invisible layer of metal—is deposited in a vacuum on the back surface of the lens.

The final layer on a Harken lens is a hydrophobic coating. This coating bonds to the anti-reflective coating and helps prevent water buildup and salt deposits on the lens surface. When water dries on a lens without a hydrophobic coating, these deposits are difficult to remove—a major drawback of polycarbonate lenses with only a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coating.

The coating process uses a chemical vapor deposition method. The coating protects lenses from water-drop scarring, dirt, and facilitates cleaning. Fingerprints can be easily wiped off.

Harken's lenses are tapered to eliminate the distortion often found in other wrap sunglasses. Light is correctly directed to the center of the eye by tapering the lens thickness and by de-centering the cut of the lens so the optical center lies directly in front of the eye. Light travels directly to the eye regardless of the angle it enters the lens.

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