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Abstract

An optical film is disclosed which is reduced in diffuse reflection while retaining anisotropy in the scattering of a linearly polarized light and is practically usable in a light diffuser film or viewing-side polarizing film for liquid crystal displays and the like. The optical film comprises a light-transmitting resin and dispersedly contained therein minute regions differing from the light-transmitting resin in birefringent characteristics, wherein the difference in refractive index between the minute regions and the light-transmitting resin in a direction perpendicular to the axis direction in which a linearly polarized light has a maximum transmittance, .DELTA.n.sup.1, is from 0.03 to 0.5 and that in the maximum-transmittance axis direction, .DELTA.n.sup.2, is smaller than 0.03, and the diffuse reflectance of linearly polarized light in the .DELTA.n.sup.1 direction is lower than 30%. Also disclosed are: an optical element comprising two or more layers of the optical film, wherein the layers are superposed such that the .DELTA.n.sup.1 directions for any of the layers are parallel to those for the adjacent layers; and an optical element comprising a multilayer structure which comprises at least one of a polarizing film, retardation film, transparent resin plate, and reflecting layer and one or more layers of the optical film.

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First Claim