A Number That Appears Everywhere, Explained Nowhere
93% glare reduction appears on every SOLASOLV® product page, in every quotation and in every specification document Solar Solve produces. It is the headline performance figure for the world’s most widely installed marine anti-glare screen range.
Most buyers accept it at face value. Some wonder what it actually means. A few ask whether it is independently verified. Almost nobody is ever told what happens to the remaining 7%.
This article answers those questions directly. It explains what the 93% figure measures, how glare is defined in solar engineering terms, what a 93% reduction looks like in practice on a working navigation bridge, and why the number that looks like it should make a bridge very dark actually leaves the crew with a clear, bright, usable forward view.
Understanding this figure properly matters for procurement managers, shipbuilders, fleet operators and vessel owners who are specifying a marine solar screen. A figure that is not understood is a figure that cannot be properly evaluated.
First: What Is Glare in Engineering Terms?
Before the 93% figure can be explained, glare needs a precise definition — not the everyday meaning but the solar engineering one.
In the context of marine solar screen performance, glare reduction is the percentage reduction in visible light intensity passing through a glazing system when the film is in place.
The key word is intensity. Glare is not simply the presence of light. Glare is what happens when the intensity of incoming visible light exceeds what the human eye can comfortably manage. The eye is an adaptive instrument. It adjusts continuously to changes in light level. What causes glare is not light itself but a sudden or sustained excess of light intensity — more than the eye’s adaptive capacity can handle without strain.
On a navigation bridge, the source of glare is typically direct sunlight entering through bridge windows at low angles during dawn and dusk, reflected sunlight bouncing off the water surface, or sustained high-intensity sunlight in tropical or equatorial conditions. In each case, the light entering the window is not just bright — it is at an intensity that overwhelms the eye’s ability to adapt, making it difficult to see clearly either through the window or across the instrument panels that the same light is washing out.
What 93% Reduction Actually Means
A 93% reduction in visible light intensity means the following: of 100 units of visible light intensity entering through an unscreened window, 93 units are removed by the SOLASOLV® shade film. Seven units pass through.
Those seven units are the light that reaches the bridge interior, illuminates the space, and provides the visual information the crew needs to work. The 93 units that are removed are the excess intensity that was creating glare, eye strain and instrument washout.
This is the critical distinction that buyers need to understand. The 93% that is removed is not randomly selected light. It is the intensity component that exceeds the eye’s comfortable working threshold. What remains — the 7% — is not a dim residue. It is light that has been filtered to a level the eye can manage without strain, while still being fully sufficient for safe working on the bridge.
To put this in practical terms: the SOLASOLV® screen does not make the bridge darker in a way that impairs the crew’s ability to work. It removes the intensity that was making it harder to work. The bridge remains well lit. The forward view remains clear. The instruments remain readable. The sea and sky visible through the screened window appear in their correct colours and without distortion.
Why Does 7% of Light Intensity Still Give a Clear View?
This is the question that most buyers ask when they first encounter the 93% figure. If 93% of visible light intensity is removed, should the bridge not be extremely dark?
The answer lies in the relationship between light intensity and visual perception.
The human eye does not perceive light on a linear scale. It operates on a logarithmic one. This means that removing 93% of light intensity does not reduce perceived brightness by 93%. It reduces it by a much smaller perceptual amount — to a level that falls within the range the eye handles comfortably in an indoor environment, roughly equivalent to looking through a window on an overcast day rather than a clear sunny one.
Put differently: the problem on a sunlit bridge is not that there is too little light. The problem is that there is far too much of it. A navigation bridge in direct tropical sunlight is receiving light at intensities many times above what the eye needs to work effectively. Removing 93% of that intensity still leaves the bridge with more than adequate natural light for every operational task the crew needs to perform.
This is why SOLASOLV® screens achieve 93% glare reduction while simultaneously maintaining 100% clear, undistorted outward visibility. The film is not blocking the view. It is removing the intensity surplus that was making the view difficult to use.
What Changes on the Bridge After a 93% Reduction
The practical effects of 93% glare reduction on a working navigation bridge are observable and consistent across vessel types and operating environments. Solar Solve has supplied SOLASOLV® screens to more than 20,000 vessels across 108 countries. The operational improvements reported across that fleet are consistent.
Instrument readability is restored. Electronic chart displays (ECDIS), radar screens, navigation computers and control panels that were previously washed out by direct sunlight become clearly readable again. Crew members no longer need to reposition, shade screens with their hands or wait for cloud cover to read their instruments accurately.
Forward visibility is improved, not reduced. Navigation markers, other vessels, coastlines, buoys and hazards that were previously difficult to identify against a bright glare background become clearly visible. True colour rendition is maintained, meaning navigation markers appear in their correct colours rather than being bleached or distorted by the screen film.
Eye strain is eliminated. The physiological cause of eye strain on the bridge is sustained exposure to visible light at intensities above the eye’s comfortable working range. With 93% of that intensity removed, the eye no longer has to work against excess light. Eye strain does not accumulate during a long watch. Crew alertness is sustained.
The risk of glare-induced human error is reduced. Human error is the most commonly cited factor in maritime incidents. Impaired visibility, unreadable instruments and distracted attention caused by glare are all direct contributors to error. Removing 93% of glare intensity addresses each of these error pathways simultaneously.
How the 93% Figure Is Measured and Verified
The 93% glare reduction figure is not a manufacturer’s marketing claim. It is a measured performance figure, independently verified through the Type Approval process.
SOLASOLV® screens hold Type Approval from four of the world’s leading marine classification societies: Lloyd’s Register, DNV, ABS and RINA. Type Approval requires the classification society to review the product construction, materials and performance data and confirm that the product meets the standards required for use at navigation bridge windows on classified vessels.
The test standard for glare reduction is the percentage reduction in visible light that the classification society accepts as accurate on the basis of independently reviewed data. The 93% figure is the basis on which Type Approval is granted and maintained. It is not an approximation. It is a tested and verified performance specification.
Solar Solve’s test methodology uses a free-hanging system with solar film positioned 15 millimetres from 6 millimetre thick glass, which is the standard test configuration for this class of product. The shading coefficient and performance figures may vary marginally depending on conditions at the fitted location, but the 93% headline figure represents the verified maximum performance of the SOLASOLV® shade film under standard test conditions.
For full technical data including visible light transmission, total solar energy rejected and UV filtration figures by film colour, visit the Solar Solve technical information.
The 93% Figure in Context: How It Compares to Alternatives
Buyers evaluating marine solar screens will encounter a range of glare reduction figures from different products. Understanding where 93% sits in that range requires context.
Standard window glass with no treatment provides zero glare reduction. Light-coloured window film or basic roller blinds typically achieve between 30% and 60% glare reduction, depending on material and density. At 30 to 60% reduction, glare is attenuated but not controlled — the intensity surplus that causes eye strain remains significant.
At 93% reduction, virtually all of the intensity surplus is removed. This is the level at which the bridge crew experiences glare as a resolved problem rather than a managed inconvenience. Below this level, crew members are still adapting to and compensating for excess light intensity during every watch. Above this level, the reduction in visible light transmission would begin to affect the crew’s ability to see out clearly under lower-light conditions.
93% is not an arbitrary figure. It represents the performance threshold at which glare is functionally eliminated on a navigation bridge while full outward visibility is maintained. This balance — maximum glare control, full visibility, true colour rendition — is what SOLASOLV® screens are designed to deliver, and it is why the product has been the specification of choice for classification societies, naval procurement teams, cruise operators and commercial fleet managers across 50 years of operation.
For guidance on choosing the right SOLASOLV® product for your vessel type, visit the SOLASAFE or the SOLAROLA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does 93% glare reduction mean for a navigation bridge crew?
A: It means that 93 out of every 100 units of visible light intensity entering through the window are removed by the SOLASOLV® shade film. The remaining 7% provides a clear, bright working environment without the intensity surplus that causes eye strain, instrument washout and impaired forward visibility. The bridge remains well lit and the outward view remains fully clear.
Q: If 93% of light is removed, why is the bridge not very dark?
A: The human eye perceives light on a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. Removing 93% of light intensity reduces perceived brightness by a much smaller perceptual amount than 93%. A direct sunlit bridge has far more light intensity than the eye needs. Removing the 93% surplus still leaves the bridge with more than adequate natural light for all navigation tasks.
Q: Is the 93% glare reduction figure independently verified?
A: Yes. SOLASOLV® screens hold Type Approval from Lloyd’s Register, DNV, ABS and RINA. The 93% figure is the tested and verified performance specification on which Type Approval is granted. It is not a self-declared marketing claim.
Q: Does 93% glare reduction affect the crew’s outward visibility?
A: No. SOLASOLV® screens deliver 93% glare reduction while maintaining 100% clear, undistorted outward visibility and true colour rendition. Navigation markers appear in their correct colours. The forward view is not darkened or distorted.
Q: How does 93% glare reduction compare to other products?
A: Standard window glass provides zero glare reduction. Basic roller blinds or light window film typically achieve 30 to 60% reduction, which attenuates glare but does not eliminate it. At 93%, virtually all of the intensity surplus that causes eye strain is removed while full outward visibility is maintained.
Q: Does the film colour affect the 93% glare reduction figure?
A: All four SOLASOLV® film colours — Gold, Silver, Grey and Bronze — achieve up to 93% glare reduction. The film colour choice primarily affects the total solar energy rejected, which determines the heat rejection performance. Silver film delivers the highest heat rejection and is recommended for tropical and high-sun routes.
Q: Does glare reduction performance change over the life of the screen?
A: SOLASAFE® screens carry a 7-year guarantee. The polyester film is heat-set during manufacturing with a melting point of approximately 260 degrees Celsius, making it stable in high-temperature marine environments. The film is resistant to saltwater exposure and UV degradation, which protects the glare reduction performance over the operational life of the product.
