Compare Transitions vs. Standard Sunglasses

As we move from Spring to Summer, you might find yourself looking for some new shades. A nice quality pair of sunglasses not only make your eyes more comfortable under the bright sunlight, but with proper UV protection they protect your eyes against harmful ultra-violet rays. Plus, in the right frames, a hot pair of sunnies can really complete your look.

Peabody-Pierce #8 eye frames with brown sunglass tinting. 

Crashers metal eye frames as dark gray sunglasses.

Transition lenses, also known as photochromic lenses, contain dyes that darken when exposed to UV light and lighten to clear view when indoors. This allows the wearer to use the same frames for most any activity or situation. They're an alternative to wearing standard sunglasses, which stay dark regardless of the light.

Pros and Cons of Transitions vs. Standard Sunglasses

There are advantages to both, depending on your life style and everyday needs:

• Eyewear with transition lenses adjust their darkness for most situations, both indoors or out. If you require prescription lenses, you can wear the same eye frames while working indoors, reading on the beach, shopping and more, without having to carry an extra pair of sunglasses with you and switching between them and your "indoor" glasses.
• Conversely, an advantage of standard sunglasses lenses is you can have a different style and look for outdoors vs. indoors. Perhaps you prefer eye frames with a serious, professional executive aspect, like Tuxedo Rimless for work, but like wearing a cool set of BeBops under the sun or while driving.
• Transition lenses may save you money. Depending on the frames and lens options you choose, having one pair of eyewear that also function as sunglasses may be more cost effective than owning two pairs. But as mentioned above, you may prefer having two sets of eyewear in order to achieve a different look.
• Many auto windshields nowadays have UV protection built in, which is no problem for standard sunglasses that are always dark shaded, but might interfere with the functionality of transition lenses which only get darker when triggered by ultra-violet light. If the windshield blocks the sun's UV rays before they hit your lenses, you'll lose the benefit of dark shaded lenses to help you see in the glare of bright sunlight.
• You may prefer owning standard sunglasses if your regular glasses have a specific use, such as readers for close up viewing. In that case, you might have sunglasses with no reader diopter strength, or sunglasses with your standard prescription and regular frames as bifocals.

Your choice of transition lenses or standard sunglass shading depends on your sense of style, activity level, need for convenience and budget. If you have any questions regarding which option is best for your Focusers frames, please contact us. We're happy to help you choose!