General Question

Sarcasm's avatar

For those who have to wear corrective lenses most of the time, what's your solution for sunglasses?

Asked by Sarcasm (16793points) January 17th, 2011
38 responses
“Great Question” (2points)

I’ve never owned sunglasses. I’ve worn corrective lenses since I was about 10, and since high school I’ve pretty much worn them from the time I wake up till the time I go to sleep. For the most part, I was always able to tolerate the sun shining, but lately (I have no idea why) it just seems too intense and I feel the need for it to be toned down. But given that I need prescription lenses to actually, y’know, see things, that’s not as easy as it is for everyone else.

So I’m curious, for the other people who need glasses most of the time, how do you deal with the sun?
Do you have prescription sunglasses? Do you have standard sunglasses that you switch with your clear lenses when it gets too bright, and just put up with the loss of clarity? Do you use those sunglasses designed to go over your regular glasses (That seems really uncomfortable. Just wearing one pair is uncomfortable enough)? Do you simply shield your eyes or hide in the shade as best you can, and avoid wearing tinted glasses?
And whatever solution you’re going with, how’s that working out for you?

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Answers

Tropical_Willie's avatar

Yes, to prescription sunglasses. Used them since I started wearing glasses.

augustlan's avatar

I have to wear sunglasses, even on pretty overcast days, and I must wear my glasses when I drive, so I always get a pair of prescription sunglasses whenever I get new glasses. It works just fine for me, but then again, I carry a purse. I imagine it’s harder for a guy… where do you keep the shades?

A couple of people I know get the kind of glasses that come with a clip on or magnet sunglasses thingy, that sort of rides on the regular glasses frame.

heresjohnny's avatar

I just don’t wear sunglasses, and it’s not very effective. I usually use my hand to shield the sun, or stay in the shade. I keep meaning to get contact lenses, one of the reasons of course being able to wear sunglasses easily. One of these days.

lillycoyote's avatar

I use clip-ons. They make some really cool ones now. You should be able to find a pair that mach your glasses.

mrentropy's avatar

I wear glasses that have their own magnetic sunglasses that work kind of like clip-ons.

chyna's avatar

What about the kind of glasses that turn dark in the sunlight?

crisw's avatar

I use clip-ons. I got some good quality ones from REI.

crisw's avatar

@chyna

“What about the kind of glasses that turn dark in the sunlight?”

They aren’t very good- they can be dark when you don’t want them to, and the coatings scratch.

tinyfaery's avatar

Prescription sunglasses.

augustlan's avatar

Also, regarding those ‘transition’ lenses… they don’t darken in the car, since car windshields have a UV coating on them. If you need sunglasses for driving, don’t choose those!

Sueanne_Tremendous's avatar

fyi…they make contact lenses now…..

crisw's avatar

@Sueanne_Tremendous

Some people (like me!) don’t like contact lenses.

Seaofclouds's avatar

I have transistion lenses and I love them. It does suck that they don’t darken in the car, like @augustlan mentioned, but I didn’t want to buy prescription sunglasses as well because my lenses are so expensive due to my prescription.

I also have contacts, but I rarely wear them. I have regular sunglasses I wear when I wear my contacts.

Seelix's avatar

I have clip-on sunglasses. My last pair of glasses came with magnetic clip-ons that were awesome, but not all frames have magnetic ones.

However, you can get clip-ons made for just about any frames. Because they’re specially made, they don’t look weird or anything, and they only cost me about $90 extra. Better for me than getting a separate pair of prescription sunglasses.

@Sueanne_Tremendous – Contacts are more expensive than glasses. I can’t afford them.

SuperMouse's avatar

I tried the prescription sunglasses route for awhile, but I am way too lazy to keep track of two pairs of glasses. A clip ended up being the best thing for me.

Sarcasm's avatar

@augustlan Yeah. That’s another issue altogether. With an inhaler, phone, wallet, keys, I don’t really have much spare pocket room.
@chyna I’ve heard mostly just complaints about them, not really rave reviews. Also, the insurance we have will only pay for a pair of glasses per 2 years and I just got these glasses a few months ago, and I believe that transition coating is a rather expensive option (it’s highly likely I’m incredibly wrong about that).
@Sueanne_Tremendous Yeah. but I’ve always had issues with putting things in my eyes. Even eye drops or simple water give me incredible struggles. I can’t even watch other people touch their eyes. I asked a question about contacts a few months ago. I wussied out.

@Seelix / @crisw Did you have to get clip-ons from somewhere special to make sure they matched the shape/size of your lenses? Or are thee shapes/sizes more universal than I thought?

Sueanne_Tremendous's avatar

@crisw : Well then I guess you are shit out luck when it comes to wearing sexy sunglasses. Too bad. So what don’t you like about them?

Seelix's avatar

@Sarcasm – I bought my clip-ons when I bought my frames… they had to be specially made and took about a week. Depending on your frames, though, you might be able to get a pair that are pre-made. You can get them at Lenscrafters and other optical shops – I’d just stop in one day and check ‘em out.

Bellatrix's avatar

Hi Sarcasm
For years, I just didn’t bother with sunglasses. Like you I have always been pretty light tolerant. So I just didn’t get any sunglasses. However, I had lens replacement recently though (for another eye problem and not cataracts and now I am more light sensitive. I can now pretty much manage without specs for everything but reading but I decided to get prescription sunglasses for driving because I just prefer my vision to be super sharp when I am driving. I am legal to drive without but I think after having my vision corrected to perfect for so long, I just feel more comfortable with prescription sunnies. As augustlan said, don’t go with the transition type lenses if you want to drive in them. They don’t darken in your car!

It is healthier for your eyes to wear protection from the sun, and I don’t know about where you are, but here, you can get great 2 for 1 deals on specs. It can be expensive of course if you need multifocal lenses. Prior to surgery, the lenses for my specs were always horrendously expensive. Bats had an advantage over me in terms of blindness, because they have sonar.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

wilma's avatar

My glasses have sunglasses that fit on them and secure with magnets.

gailcalled's avatar

I have regular bifocals, bifocal sunglasses, computer glasses and glasses for the piano. I need another person to tote them all around. It is a nuisance but better than the alternate.

deni's avatar

Cry about it mostly. I hate contacts…they hurt. And prescription sunglasses are too expensive and I wouldn’t like ONE pair enough to wear them all the time. Fucking big ass mother bummer.

Rarebear's avatar

I use clip ons.

SavoirFaire's avatar

I go the prescription sunglasses route, but I also have a pair of wrap around sunglasses which I can fit over my regular glasses. My wife says they make me look like an old man, so I’m not allowed to wear them in public. But they work great when I’m driving.

Response moderated (Off-Topic)
YARNLADY's avatar

I love those wrap around.

SavoirFaire's avatar

@YARNLADY I do, too. I’ll just have to find some more fashionable ones!

JLeslie's avatar

@SavoirFaire I usually wear my prescription glasses, so I defietly don’t other with script sunglasses, but when I buy sunglasses I usually buy the biggest, biggest lenses and on the sides, that are fashionable. I like to think it is preventing more wrinkles from forming around my eyes. Lol.

@Sarcasm I hope you find a solution you are happy with. I think exposure to the sun can give you cataracts. I remember last time I was at the eye guy they had some glasses where you could just snap on darker lenses. They were magnetic.

My dad buys those $2 thingies you put inside your glasses, and just uses that in the car.

YARNLADY's avatar

@SavoirFaire I found some really good ones at the California State Fair, and they included a fabric case that is a lens cleaner.

iphigeneia's avatar

I used to have prescription sunglasses, but I never wore them because they were ugly (even though they were the nicest ones I could get with dark lenses)

I’ve also had the magnetic clip-on sunnies, which were better looking but I still didn’t like wearing them.

You can probably guess that I am very picky about sunglasses, I even struggle to buy non-prescription ones, though eventually I found a pair I liked and they broke last week!. I ended up just wandering around blind whenever it got sunny, and then I got contacts.

faye's avatar

I have prescription ones as well.

crisw's avatar

@Sarcasm

As I mentioned, I got mine at REI- I just tried them on first.

Response moderated (Off-Topic)
downtide's avatar

I used to get prescription sunglasses but they’re so freakin’ expensive, I just use clip-ons now. I found some neat, slim ones that clip round the sides and you can’t tell they’re not just ordinary sunglasses, unless you look closely.

I also always wear a baseball hat in sunny weather, which helps a lot with the glare.

RocketGuy's avatar

Costco sells 4 styles of clip-ons with polarized lenses. I need polarized lenses for glare.

sinscriven's avatar

I use transitioning lenses. It’s a moderately costly upgrade, but it beats buying a whole other pair that I would likely not carry around with me and use it when I should be using it anyway. This way, I have nothing to lose like a clip on, eye protection is automatic, and i get double duty out of frames that cost wayyy more than they should have. >.<

Response moderated (Unhelpful)
echotech10's avatar

I say go with presription sunglasses. I have had Rx sunglasses since I have been wering glasses. I also have my clear glasses that have Transitions® lenses. The problem with Transitions lenses, is that they do not get dark inside a car (or a plane as well, in my case). My eves are very sensitive to the sun, and since I fly, I have very darkl Rx sunglasses.

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