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Medical Forum / General / Vision / February 2006Choosing sunglasses
I want to get a pair of sunglasses that allows me to see clearly in bright sunlight. The inexpensive ones I have work well most of the time but really fail when hit by direct sunlight. What features should I be looking for? Does the lens need a non-glare coating? Are there some good OTC sunglasses or do I need to order them by prescription? Thanks for any advice. > I want to get a pair of sunglasses that allows me to see clearly in > bright sunlight. The inexpensive ones I have work well most of the time > but really fail when hit by direct sunlight. What features should I be > looking for? A hat? That's what I use. I almost never wear sunglasses, but *always* wear a hat (although not just to help me see). I'll be wearing sunglasses tomorrow morning because I expect that my eyes will be major dilated.  SignatureDan Abel dabel@sonic.net Petaluma, California, USA >I want to get a pair of sunglasses that allows me to see clearly in bright >sunlight. The inexpensive ones I have work well most of the time but >really fail when hit by direct sunlight. What features should I be looking >for? Does the lens need a non-glare coating? Are there some good OTC >sunglasses or do I need to order them by prescription? Thanks for any >advice. A prescription is only necessary if the lenses have a power. It is possible that you can have custom made plano lenses (no power) to a fit any frame, with various coatings as you desire from a regular eyewear shop, but no Rx is needed. > A prescription is only necessary if the lenses have a power. In the US, you can get reading glasses without a prescription. > It is possible that you can have custom made plano lenses (no power) to a > fit any frame, with various coatings as you desire from a regular eyewear > shop, but no Rx is needed. Costco used to (and may still) advertise these in the store, for really cheap. Don't quote me, but it may have been as little as US$5 over the cost of the frame. SignatureDan Abel dabel@sonic.net Petaluma, California, USA The cheapies (those throw away sunglasses you can get for a few bucks) can have moderate to heavy distortion/warpage in the lenses which can cause problems with fatigue and strain compared to the quality ones such as Ray Bans, Serengeti's. You get what you pay for. frank > The cheapies (those throw away sunglasses you can get for a few bucks) > can have moderate to heavy distortion/warpage in the lenses which can > cause > problems with fatigue and strain compared to the quality ones such > as Ray Bans, Serengeti's. You get what you pay for. We've had this discussion before, but hey, it's always a fun game. It's possible, by holding the cheapies at a distance and moving them around in front of a vertical line, to determine whether they have any distortion at all. Thus far I have found none. My former optician looked at one pair of them with <some machine> and asked me where I got them so he could get some. I've got a couple of pairs of decent big polarized lightweight sunglasses for $5/pair at the Big 5 sporting goods store -- ask for the cheap ones for fishermen that they have on sale every once in a while -- normal price is $7. SignatureCheers, Bev --------------------------------------------------------------- "Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket." -- George Orwell >I want to get a pair of sunglasses that allows me to see clearly in bright >sunlight. The inexpensive ones I have work well most of the time but >really fail when hit by direct sunlight. What features should I be looking >for? Does the lens need a non-glare coating? Are there some good OTC >sunglasses or do I need to order them by prescription? Thanks for any >advice. I used to buy OTC sunglasses. Name brands were ok, but I once bought a cheap pair that behaved exactly as you described. I'm convinced they used a cheaper plastic, one that scatters light more. Most name brands use the same acrylic that prescription glasses are made of, called CR39. I never noticed the light-scattering effect in Foster Grants or other $10-$20 sunglasses. But it was very noticeable in the cheapies - walking out from under a porch into the sunlight there was a definite "fog" appreciable with direct sunlight. I'm sure the scattering was a separate problem from waves, coatings, and distortion. -MT It is really simple. You go to a good SG store, put a few hundred bucks on the counter and tell the clerk you want to try the specs on outside in the sun. Take a pair at a time out and find a lens you think is best, then worry about what the frame looks like. p.s. Ray Ban are sh.t, try Serengetti, Revo, Maui Jim, Vuarnet, Oakley and Bolle. They all have different properties so will do different things. Personally, I am yet to find better lenses than Mako, but you can't get them over there. dr grant Or better yet, find what you want then go on Ebay to buy them at 1/4 the cost. I am partial to Vuarnet but you can find anything out there. >>I want to get a pair of sunglasses that allows me to see clearly in bright >>sunlight. The inexpensive ones I have work well most of the time but [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I'm sure the scattering was a separate problem from waves, coatings, and > distortion. I think Oakley M-frames are made of thin sheets of polycarbonate. I really like those and am regretful that since they're no longer fashionable you can't find $10 knockoffs any more. SignatureCheers, Bev --------------------------------------------------------------- "Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket." -- George Orwell >>> I want to get a pair of sunglasses that allows me to >>> see clearly in bright sunlight. The inexpensive ones I [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > since they're no longer fashionable you can't find $10 > knockoffs any more. I like the Rudy Project shades I have now. They're not inexpensive but I keep shades forever. Rudy has an unconditional lens guarantee. $15 and you can replace your lenses for any reason. They are not as good as the Nikons I retired because I was getting a bit worried about having glass in front of my eyes. They also were getting a bit heavy. I had them for more than 4? years or so. Nikon made shades for a very short amount of time (not just the frames). Darkest shade of neutral grey, double gradient mirrored, polarized, glass. The unique thing about the Nikons is that they put all the coatings on the inside of the sandwich (maybe not the AR coating). Can't rub them off or scratch them. Nikon or their retailers were dumping them at huge discounts when they got out of the business. Not sure if you can find them any more. Maybe technology has caught up but I always believed the way to go for no compromise shades was: Glass - best optics Darkest shade of neutral grey - it really is color neutral Polarized - *huge* difference with respect to fatigue Double gradient mirrored - I'm not so sure about the glare reduction but it does make it darker. I drove a semi so the glare came from above and below. AR coated. Downside is they're not so safe, heavy, and limited wrap. -Quick
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