Transition lens

[johnnyb47]

Hi,
I'm in the process of getting some proper glasses.The cheap reading glasses I use are not really up to the job any more.
I've booked an eye test and will see what goes from there.
As I work out doors a lot ,I was thinking of getting some Transition glasses (they go darker in bright weather).
Before I go spending my hard earned cash on them ,I was going to ask are they any good..
Are there any pros and cons to them.
Very much appreciated to hear your views on them ( pun not intended 😉)

 

[Beebo]

I have some for cycling. I like them as I can use them during the day and at night.
The one thing you have to be aware of is that the change isn’t instant. But.
They darken much quicker than they clear.
So you will look like you have sunglasses on for a while when you come inside on a sunny day.

 

[Beebo]

They also don’t work when driving as the car windscreen stops the UV light.

 

[johnnyb47]

Thanks for replying,
How long do they take to change..Are we talking minutes

 

[johnnyb47]

They also don’t work when driving as the car windscreen stops the UV light.

That's interesting,
I genuinely didn't know windscreens stop UV light

 

[Alex321]

Transitions are a particular brand. The generic term is photochromic lenses.

But if you say your cheap reading glasses don't cut it any more, that implies your issue is long-sightdeness, rather than the short-sightedness most prescription glasses are for. And for that, you will rarely be wearing them outside anyhow, since they are only useful for closeup work.

Uness of course you are both long and short sighted, as many of us are (particularly older people, and including me). Cheap reading glasses should always be sufficient for close up vision, but you will need decent prescription glasses for distance vision.

And the Transitions lenses are supposed to clear much more quickly than older photochromic lenses, but we are still talking minutes rather than seconds - they go dark in seconds when exposed to sunlight.

 

[johnnyb47]

I definitely struggle reading things close up (I can't read a phone without reading glasses) but lately I've noticed my sight struggles with things further away too.

 

[Jenkins]

Photochromic lenses such as Transitions are worth it - one pair for day & night use.

 

[Alex321]

They also don’t work when driving as the car windscreen stops the UV light.

That's interesting,
I genuinely didn't know windscreens stop UV light

Transitions do make one (Transitions Drivewear) which actually does work when driving, although they are always somewhat tinted, so not suitable for driving at night.

 

[johnnyb47]

Thanks all, I'm learning something new with each post 👍

 

[Alex321]

I definitely struggle reading things close up (I can't read a phone without reading glasses) but lately I've noticed my sight struggles with things further away too.

It was the other way around for me, I was seriously short sighted from my teens onwards, and have worn contact lenses for distance vision since I was 18, but it wasn't until my 50s that I started struggling with close up vision.

I now use reading glasses at 2.5 strength, and buy multiple cheap pairs, so I can leave them wherever I am likely to need them, and it doesn't matter too much when a pair gets lost or broken.

 

[a.twiddler]

They're not the answer to everything. They may not fully darken if the weather is hot (which is usually when it's sunniest) though maybe not such a huge problem in the UK, and dark enough for most users. The lenses are more sensitive at cooler temperatures. There will still be a residual tint, even indoors. It's a while since I had photochromic lenses, but as I wear glasses whenever I'm awake, all mine get a good workout. I used to drive more than I do now, and had a set of normal specs and a pair of prescription sunglasses due to the previously mentioned uv filtering effect of car windscreens. Like everything else, you won't know if you like them until you've tried them.

I tried varifocals some years ago when I started having to use reading glasses as well as distance specs. It was like adding insult to injury since I'd been short sighted since childhood. Perhaps I'd somehow hoped they would meet in the middle. I didn't get on with them at the time. I tried them again more recently and found that I got on with them much better. Perhaps the same might apply to more modern photochromic lenses, with advances in technology.

 

[roley poley]

And the Transitions lenses are supposed to clear much more quickly than older photochromic lenses, but we are still talking minutes rather than seconds - they go dark in seconds when exposed to sunlight

This was a problem for me as a postie walking from full sun into a shaded area to deliver ..they aren't quick reaction like some posh welding goggles but i solved it by using flip-up clip ons on my normal specks

 

[ianrauk]

I wear Transitions lenses all year round, on and off the bike and have done for many years. In all weathers, day and night. They are great, simple as that.
When you get a new pair, they do take a while to darken and lighten, but after a few times it gets quicker. After a while you wont even notice them going from light to dark and vice versa. Mine also fully darken even in the hottest temperatures.
But as they say, everyone's experience is different,

 

[Profpointy]

That's interesting,
I genuinely didn't know windscreens stop UV light

There's the anecdote in Richard Feynman's memoirs. When watching the first atom bomb test they are all issued with welding goggles or something like that. Feynman realises that a car windscreen will also stop the UV so doesn't bother with goggles and just sits in the car. Thus, he's the only person to clearly see the first test. It was quite a nice detail included in the recent Oppenheimer film. Feynman isn't a named character in the film but a bongo playing physicist is shown at a party and he appears again with the fore-mentioned windscreen episode. A nice touch