Eyewear Talk

Some people find prescription eyeglasses with transitional lenses very convenient. Transitional lenses adjust to the light conditions (that’s why they are also called lighted adjusting lenses). In other words, these prescription lenses darken under direct sunlight. LA lenses are available in all lens materials and different blank sizes, so your prescription should not be a problem.

If you would like to wear your frames as eyeglasses / sunglasses, you will have a choice of “clear to gray” or “clear to brown” transitional lenses. They will go completely clear inside and turn to gray of brown outside. Some sunglasses manufacturers also make tinted lenses that become darker when exposed to UV rays. Serengeti and Ray-Ban are two most popular photochromic sunglasses designers. Serengeti even offers their light adjusting lenses as a part of their prescription sunglasses program - Serengeti prescription sunglasses.

I also know some people who got sunglasses frames with the light adjusting lenses that go from clear to gray/brown. They liked the sunglass frames a lot and did not want to switch to an eyeglass frame. With the current wide choice of eyewear designers you can always find something that will work just right for you!
I will blog more about rx sunglasses with transitional lenses later!

I decided to blog more about sunglasses and prescription sunglasses. Here are some frequently asked questions & answers to them.

How do you protect your eyes in the sun? - Sun can be damaged to our eyes as well as it can be damaged to our skin tissue. If you use different cosmetic products with SPF to protect your skin, why don’t you use a protection for your eyes? Sunglasses are not just a fashion accessory or an eyegear that protects your eyes while playing sports or motorcycling, they also protect our eyes from harmful UV light. You can always choose a frame from the vast variety of sunglasses currently offered on the market that will be both fashionable and functional and suit your lifestyle.

What if you need vision correction? - If you wear contact lenses, you can just get a pair of regular sunglasses. If contact lenses is not your first choice, I recommend getting a pair of quality prescription sunglasses in addition to your eyeglasses. Rx sunglasses will protect your eyes from harmful UV rays as well as regular non-Rx sunglasses. Some eyewear brands offer their prescription authentic programs. For example you can get a pair of Serengeti prescription sunglasses or Bolle prescription sunglasses that will be fitted with authentic Serengeti and Bolle prescription lenses. The Rx lenses will feature the same optics as your favorite non-Rx Bolle or Serengeti. Other brands, like Ray Ban, do not offer their authentic Rx program. Nevertheless, OpticsPlanet and EyewearPlanet can fit Ray Ban prescription sunglasses with high quality prescription lenses matching non-Rx Ray-Ban lenses and customizing them to customer’s prescription.

Please be advised that Panoptx sunglasses are now sold under the name 7EYE. Here is the disclaimer that you can find on PanOptx official web site:

The great Panoptx products you’ve come to know and love are now being sold under the name 7EYE. Our core technologies remain unchanged; only the brand name and logo are new. Our new identity signifies our commitment to color management, delivering the 7 colors of the visible light spectrum with unsurpassed clarity. This marks the beginning of a new era of innovation that will see us introduce new frame styles, new eye protection technologies and new lenses to the eyewear market. …

The quality of the sunglasses did not change indeed. We currently carry the full collection of Panoptix sunglasses advertised under 7 EYE brand and we have not heard any complains from our customers yet. I will keep you posted!