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Post by cheaptentguy on Jan 8, 2016 21:19:00 GMT -8
I wear glasses and occasionally contacts. Wondering if any of you have experience with transition lenses for hiking?
I'm trying to decide if I'd like to get a pair of polarized prescription sunglasses that I probably wouldn't wear as much (and need two pair of glasses on the trail) or if the transition lenses would work in most situations.
Obviously, I could hike with contacts, but I'd like the option to not have to wear them.
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daveg
Trail Wise!
Michigan
Posts: 565 
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Post by daveg on Jan 8, 2016 22:11:56 GMT -8
I've worn transition lenses for decades and hiked thousands of miles with them. As with any glasses, there are conditions when glasses impair visibility (such as when the lenses fog up or get covered with raindrops). As for transition lenses, there are circumstances when they don't darken as much as I would like them to. If I suddenly go from a light to dark environment it's difficult to see anything until they change. In the past, as my lenses aged, I noticed they retained some of the tint and never cleared completely. But to me, these are minor inconveniences that I can deal with and are well worth putting up with for the advantages transition lenses offer.
A much cheaper but less convenient option that might be just as good (and sometimes better) is to get glasses with regular lenses and carry a pair of polarized clip-on sunglasses that can be used as needed.
I wore soft contact lenses in the 1970s and 80s. Back then, I had to remove my contacts every night and sterilize them. This became a real pain when I was hiking or sailing. If I was sleeping and had to get up quickly and be able to see immediately, glasses were the better choice. So I quit using contacts and went back to glasses. (Contact lenses today are very different, of course.)
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zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,884
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Post by zeke on Jan 9, 2016 3:57:19 GMT -8
I take 2 pr of glasses. I wore transitions for a couple of yrs, but found that they don't lighten up quick enough and those dappled shadows were too difficult for them to know if the should be light or dark.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Jan 9, 2016 5:44:42 GMT -8
A much cheaper but less convenient option that might be just as good (and sometimes better) is to get glasses with regular lenses and carry a pair of polarized clip-on sunglasses that can be used as needed. +1, this is what I do, except I don't find any inconvenience to this approach. |
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Post by cheaptentguy on Jan 9, 2016 6:07:59 GMT -8
A much cheaper but less convenient option that might be just as good (and sometimes better) is to get glasses with regular lenses and carry a pair of polarized clip-on sunglasses that can be used as needed. +1, this is what I do, except I don't find any inconvenience to this approach. Don't know much about these. Would a $10 version from the drugstore do the trick? |
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Post by cweston on Jan 9, 2016 6:08:04 GMT -8
The big polarized sunglasses designed to fit right over your glasses are awesome, as long as you don't mind looking like a geriatric dork in pictures.  |
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Post by cheaptentguy on Jan 9, 2016 6:13:02 GMT -8
With that view, most looks would be acceptable!
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Post by cweston on Jan 9, 2016 6:43:12 GMT -8
With that view, most looks would be acceptable! Yeah, here's one from the same summit with less of the scenery and more of the geriatric dorkiness.  Seriously, though--they are a really good solution, and even have side lenses (which are especially appreciated on snow). |
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Post by cheaptentguy on Jan 9, 2016 9:01:10 GMT -8
What brand? Just generic type at drugstore?
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 9, 2016 11:15:50 GMT -8
If your vision needs significant correction its best to carry a backup prescription pair anyway (losing the ability to read a map, compass, gps or meal recipe are all bad things) so having that be your sunglasses could be a savings.
Unfortunately for me my prescription only allowed for distance for the sunglasses (there's a limit on how thick Oakley can provide for a seamless multi-focal prescription lens) so I still have a backup general use pair (though that, as are my regular glasses, are transition, but unlike my Oakleys they're both seamless triple corrections). In a lot if circumstances I find a billed cap and my transitions are sufficient. Though not on snow, sand or the ocean.
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Post by cweston on Jan 9, 2016 13:01:58 GMT -8
What brand? Just generic type at drugstore? Solar Shield is the brand. I don't remember exactly where I bought them, but they were not very expensive. My only real beef with the them, other than cosmetics, is that I think they increase the chances of lenses steaming up on hot, sweaty climbs. |
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tomas
Trail Wise!
Posts: 1,906
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Post by tomas on Jan 9, 2016 13:29:46 GMT -8
I use polarized prescription sunglasses in a sport frame. But I also use them for everything else I do outdoors from mowing the lawn, to chainsawing, to fishing.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Jan 9, 2016 15:49:42 GMT -8
Would a $10 version from the drugstore do the trick? As long as they're polarized. I also prefer a brown/amber tint rather than gray, the brown/amber has a "blue-blocker" effect and sharpens focus a bit and also seems to let colors show better. The brand of the ones I got was Polar Optics I believe, and I don't think they were $10 but they definitely were less than $20. |
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 9, 2016 17:49:35 GMT -8
The caution is any "sunglasses" that doesn't block ultraviolet light is dangerous: the dimness opens the iris in compensation so the UV gets to flood in and burn the retina. Those may no longer be allowed (they used to be) but it's best to check. www.allaboutvision.com/sunglasses/spf.htm |
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Post by Lonewolf on Jan 9, 2016 20:33:13 GMT -8
I've been using transition prescriptions since the 70s (called "photogray" back then) and haven't had any problems. What I have noticed is they'll get extremely dark when it gets really cold so it helps on snow.
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