Prescription Sunglasses

So you are thinking of buying Prescription Sunglasses? Well stop thinking about it and just do it! Too many spectacle users suffer because they can’t see out of normal sunglasses and the bargain prices and quality that you can get online more than justifies the purchase. So through away your clip on’s and your squinty eyes and read on.

Your choice of frames is probably larger than your imagination and the only thing to watch out for is extreme wraparound frames. Prescription lenses tend to distort vision when they are curved too much although some lens manufacturers claim to have fixed this problem.

Lens options are about the same as your normal prescription eyewear including polycarbonate, CR-39 plastic lens, high-index lens etc. There are also lenses specific for the sun:

Polarized Lenses

These days Polarized lenses come in many different materials and lens types include CR-39, high index, polycarbonate, glass and photochromic. I believe they are also available in Progressive lenses.

Light comes at us from all directions but most of the glare we get comes from the horizontal plane.

Polorized lenses block all the light from the horizontal plane, so they reduce glare dramatically. Normal sunglasses need a tint to reduce the light from all directions but a tint is not required for Polorized lenses to work their magic … but most are also tinted.
Photochromic / Photochromatic / Transistions

Transitions lenses contain patented photochromic dyes which cause the lens to activate-or darken-when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight. When the UV light diminishes, the lenses fade back to clear. As outdoor light conditions change, the level of darkness adjusts, creating just the right level of tint and allowing just the right amount of light to enter the eyes at any given time. This action allows Transitions lenses to help protect your eyes from the light you can see — reducing glare, diminishing eye strain and fatigue and enabling you to distinguish contrast more easily.

Most people love these lenses and the only complaints I have heard is that sometimes they do not go dark enough in the car. This problem can occur because glass in a motor car blocks a considerable amount of UV and Photochromics require UV to go darker.