I have an eye exam tomorrow- just a routine one I believe- and I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on transition lenses. Any thoughts or opinions on this?
You mean like trifocals? I have those and love them but they do take some getting used to.
Or do you mean the ones that darken in the sun? Mine do those also!
I have them because my eyes are getting older and they do wonders for my eyes. I don’t love the look but I’ve learned to live with it for my ocular health.
One trick I’ve found is to get sunglasses frames and put in transitions lenses. It tends to look less dorky than the other way around, but YMMV.
The latter, yeah
I got some bifocal transitional lenses recently (also polarised), and they are pretty cool! No need for a separate pair of sunnies, your eyes just get more protected when it gets bright.
They can get a bit dark if it’s kind of overcast outside though, and they do take a little bit of getting used to.
Oh yeah they’re great, far more convenient than carrying around separate sunglasses.
Any concerns with indoor use? I spend a lot of time in front of computers in dim rooms…. :)
They are just like normal glasses indoors. I tend to keep my lighting pretty dim too. I think they work off UV light, so unlikely to trigger outside of direct sun?
Nah why would there be? They only dim in the sun and lighten back up to normal in a few minutes. You can also spring for the blue filter stuff if you stare at screens all day. I totally did and it’s so worth it.
I just got my first pair a few months ago, and they work fine. Look a little dorky, but whatever.
If your optical stuff is covered by insurance, make sure the optometrist looks carefully for any developing cataracts. If it’s prescribed, the cost of the lenses are covered…at least for me it was.
I had read that the photosensitive material isn’t quite as clear as regular lenses even in normal lighting which worried me a little as I am inside more often than not, and vivid colors are important to me.
As someone who wears these every day that’s a load of hooey and I don’t know where you read that. They’re just fine indoors.
I wear them for hours at a time in a dark room looking at screens all day with no problems.
Good deal - thanks everyone! If anyone has more thoughts keep em coming, I’ll not be making any decisions until tomorrow.
If you can afford it get all the features you can. I splurged like hell on these glasses and it’s so worth it. Good luck!
The only downside of transitions, is that they don’t really work when driving.
They are triggered by UV light, and glass car windows block most of it, so the transitions won’t darken when you are in your car.
Other than that, they are great when you are outside.
Mine work in my car. shrug Depends on the car I guess.
I have bifocals with Transitions, and all the other stuff pretty much. And, non-dorky Danish frames that cost an arm and a leg but are worth it. The lenses work really well, though in very cold weather they can take a while to undarken. I do have a pair of over the frame sunglasses (the least dorky I could find, but still, well, dorky) for driving in severe glare, which we get in winter here with the sun on the snow. Overall, I love the Transitions though.
Mine darken about halfway or slightly less in the car. It’s enough in a pinch but not for long drives. I usually bring my prescription sunglasses for the long drives.
Yeah, it’s not that they don’t work at all, but they don’t get nearly as dark as they do in normal sunlight.
I’m pretty sure this is a universal quality of auto glass.
Some more info here:
https://www.eyeglassguide.com/my-guide/faq.aspx
Transitions lenses are a great everyday solution for outdoor use, but there will always be times when a second pair of sunwear is beneficial. For instance, since extremely high temperatures can affect lens performance, Transitions lenses may not always get as dark as sunglasses. Also, since they are activated by UV exposure, most Transitions lenses don’t work behind the windshield of a car (your windshield actually blocks UV rays).
However, Transitions® XTRActive® lenses do activate moderately behind a windshield as they react to both UV and visible light. In addition, Transitions® Drivewear® sun lenses self adjust to changing visible light conditions and are polarized to enhance visual performance and the driving experience by automatically changing their degree of darkness and color. They’re specially designed to provide a more enjoyable driving experience.
So, normal transitions lenses fact to uv light, and automotive windshields are treated to block both UVA and UVB light. Now, often other windows in a car aren’t treated, so depending on where the light is coming from, it might trigger the transitions to varying degrees, but the time you want it dark is when it’s shining in through your windshield, so you are generally out of luck.
However, as that link shows, they now have other variations of transitions which actually works work when driving.
I keep reading references to “dorkyness” and I’m not following - do they not look like normal lenses?