An optical element comprising an at least partial coating having a first state and a second state connected to at least a portion of a substrate, the at least partial coating being adapted to switch from the first state to the second state in response to at least actinic radiation, to revert back to the first state in response to thermal energy, and to linearly polarize at least transmitted radiation in at least one of the first state and the second state, wherein the at least partial coating having the first state and the second state comprises at least one at least partially ordered anisotropic material and at least one at least partially aligned photochromic-dichroic compound, wherein the photochromic-dichroic compound comprises: (a) at least one photochromic group chosen from pyrans, oxazines, and fulgides; and (b) at least one lengthening agent attached to, i.e. directly bonded to or indirectly bonded to through another group, the at least one photochromic group and represented by: -[S 1] c -[Q 1 -[S 2] d] d' -[Q 2 -[S 3] e] e' -[Q 3 -[S 4] f] f' -S 5 -P, wherein each Q 1, Q 2, and Q 3 is independently chosen for each occurrence from: a divalent group chosen from an unsubstituted or a substituted aromatic group, an unsubstituted or a substituted alicyclic group, an unsubstituted or a substituted heterocyclic group, and mixtures thereof, wherein substituents are chosen from: a group represented by P (as set forth below), aryl, thiol, amide, liquid crystal mesogens, halogen, C 1 -C 18 alkoxy, poly(C 1 -C 18 alkoxy), amino, amino(C 1 -C 18)alkylene, C 1 -C 18 alkylamino, di-(C 1 -C 18)alkylamino, C 1 -C 18 alkyl, C 2 -C 18 alkene, C 2 -C 18 alkyne, C 1 -C 18 alkyl(C 1 -C 18)alkoxy, C 1 -C 18 alkoxycarbonyl, C 1 -C 18 alkylcarbonyl, C 1 -C 18 alkyl carbonate, aryl carbonate, C 1 -C 18 acetyl, C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, C 3 -C 10 cycloalkoxy, isocyanato, amido, cyano, nitro, a straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 18 alkyl group that is mono-substituted with cyano, halo, or C 1 -C 18 alkoxy, or poly-substituted with halo, and a group represented by one of the following formulae: -M (t-1) and -M (t-1), wherein M is chosen from aluminum, antimony, tantalum, titanium, zirconium and silicon, T is chosen from organofunctional radicals, organofunctional hydrocarbon radicals, aliphatic hydrocarbon radicals and aromatic hydrocarbon radicals, and t is the valence of M; each S 1, S 2, S 3, S 4, and S 5 is independently chosen for each occurrence from a spacer unit chosen from: -(CH 2) g -, -(CF 2) h -, -Si(CH 2) g -, -(Si[(CH 3) 2]O) h -, wherein g is independently chosen for each occurrence from 1 to 20; h is chosen from 1 to 16; -N -, -C =C -, -C =N-, -C(Z')-C(Z')-, wherein Z is independently chosen for each occurrence from hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl, and Z' is independently chosen for each occurrence from C 1 -C 6 alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl; and -O-, -C -, -C≡C-, -N=N-, -S-, -S -, -S -, straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 24 alkylene residue, said C 1 -C 24 alkylene residue being unsubstituted, mono-substituted by cyano or halo, or poly-substituted by halo; provided that when two spacer units comprising heteroatoms are linked together the spacer units are linked so that heteroatoms are not directly linked to each other and when S 1 and S 5 are linked to PC and P, respectively, they are linked so that two heteroatoms are not directly linked to each other; c, d, e, and f each are independently chosen from an integer ranging from 0 to 20, inclusive; and d', e' and f' each are independently chosen from 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, provided that the sum of d' + e' + f' is at least 2; and P can be chosen from: aziridinyl, hydrogen, hydroxy, aryl, alkyl, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, alkylalkoxy, alkoxyalkoxy, nitro, polyalkyl ether, (C 1 -C 6)alkyl(C 1 -C 6)alkoxy(C 1 -C 6)alkyl, polyethyleneoxy, polypropyleneoxy, ethylene, acrylate, methacrylate, 2-chloroacrylate, 2-phenylacrylate, acryloylphenylene, acrylamide, methacrylamide, 2-chloroacrylamide, 2-phenylacrylamide, acryloxy, methacryloxy, 2-(acryloxy)ethylcarbamyl, 2-(methacryloxy)ethylcarbamyl, aziridine, allylcarbonate, epoxy, isocyanate, thiol, thioisocyanate, itaconic acid ester, vinyl ether, vinyl ester, a styrene derivative, siloxane, main-chain and side-chain liquid crystal polymers, a liquid crystal mesogen, ethyleneimine derivatives, maleic acid derivatives, fumaric acid derivatives, unsubstituted cinnamic acid derivatives, cinnamic acid derivatives that are substituted with at least one of methyl, methoxy, cyano and halogen, and substituted and unsubstituted chiral and non-chiral monovalent or divalent groups chosen from steroid radicals, terpenoid radicals, alkaloid radicals and mixtures thereof, wherein the substituents are independently chosen from an alkyl, an alkoxy, amino, cycloalkyl, alkylalkoxy, a fluoroalkyl, a cyanoalkyl, a cyanoalkoxy and mixtures thereof and wherein at least a portion of the at least one at least partially aligned photochromic-dichroic compound is at least partially aligned by interaction with the at least one at least partially ordered anisotropic material.