Transition lenses - are they any good?

Soldato
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It is new glasses time, and I have been considering getting a pair with transition lenses - ie the lenses that darken in response to the light.

It is +£75 for standard transition lenses, and +£150 for the kind that work in a car. I think I would go for the latter, I don't like switching between glasses and sunglasses in the car!

I was wondering if any of you guys have this type of lens and if so while you recommend?
 
Soldato
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Yep. Annoying when out shopping in sunny weather, or on holiday in general, and you're in and out of shade. Also they don't work in a car unless you get the more expensive version, and in cold winter sun they barely work at all. Plus when tinted they look a bit silly; like a pair of glasses with dark lenses, not actual sunglasses.

I keep a pair of sunnies in the car and swap over when I need to. It takes 5 seconds, which is minutes quicker than the transition lenses take anyway :)
 
Caporegime
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They are fine if you are going to stay in either a bright location or inside for a length of time. They take up to 10 minutes to fully darken and up to 5 minutes to fully lighten.

Going from the sun to inside was the worst scenario. For the first minute or so it was like wearing sunglasses inside and it was that bit which became intensely annoying,.
 
Caporegime
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I had one, still have it somewhere. PITA. Even on a cloudy day there will be UV light so you are that plonker with sunglasses on when there is no sun around. Or sitting inside in a restaurant by the window with shades on.

Or if there is rain landed on it, you get a spot where the droplet is on without being shaded.

I keep my prescription sunglasses in the car, put it on before I drive and swap when i get to my destination.
 
Permabanned
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I liked mine, saved me having to carry extra sunglasses the majority of the time. Depends on the style of your frame though. Saying that I broke mine and replaced them with normal glasses and separate sunglasses. :p
 
Soldato
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I have no idea about the performance of them, which I know is what you're asking about. All I know is that transition lenses look a bit stupid and will push anyone from "slightly badly dressed" into full on nerd. Whether you care about that or not is nothing to do with me.
 
Caporegime
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Had transition lenses for two months now. I like them a lot. They work very well for me.
I like mine - with caveats. They are a couple years old now in terms of the Transitions tech used.

The transition to dark is almost instant on mine (a matter of a couple seconds).

The transition to light takes a lot longer.

One thing tho - their effectiveness is obviously impacted by the size of the frame and lenses you use.

I always have rimless glasses as weight is my prime criteria when choosing lenses. Because there are no frames, even if the lens itself is blocking light, you still have (bright) sunlight entering from around the edges.

Therefore in this case you still need something like a hat or cap. In which case you might as well have normal lenses and a hat instead.

One thing that only you can know - how sensitive your eyes are to sunlight. If you have no sensitivity, then Transitions lenses can only ever be a "gimmick". If you suffer from sensitivity to sunlight, then they are more than a gimmick, become something of a useful utility instead.

Due to the "buy one get one free" nature of the glasses offers normally found in the wild, it makes sense for me to have one pair with and one pair without Transitions.
 
Soldato
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I have reactions lenses in my prescription glasses as I got sick and tired of having to carry a pair of sunglasses and a case with me. Can't fault them, they change from clear to nigh on black in an instant and then take a couple of minutes to revert back to clear. Also have the anti-reflection coating on them too.
 
Man of Honour
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I always have them on mine. They were called photochromic when I started getting them - is "transition" the new term or a brand name?

The issue I've found is that while transparent to dark is extremely quick, dark to transparent isn't. Since I chose ones that go very dark, that's an issue. For at least 5 seconds after moving from very bright sunshine to indoors, I am effectively wearing very dark sunglasses in a normal level of lighting. That's not at all ideal for good vision. They take longer to fully clear, but it's the first 5-10 seconds when it's most noticeable to me.

But for going from normal light to bright sunshine, they're perfect. I'm a bit sensitive to sunlight and having screwed up eyes streaming tears isn't entertaining or useful.

As for what they look like, I neither know nor care. I look through them, not at them. What other people think they look like is their problem, not mine. I'm not a model at a fashion show. Maybe photochromic glasses are fashionable. Maybe not. I don't know. Or care.
 
Caporegime
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As for what they look like, I neither know nor care. I look through them, not at them. What other people think they look like is their problem, not mine. I'm not a model at a fashion show. Maybe photochromic glasses are fashionable. Maybe not. I don't know. Or care.
I do find it a bit odd that people on a forum dedicated to overclocking PC hardware, would look at glasses with a small amount of "tech" in them, and declare the wearers to be "nerds".

Your situation sounds similar to mine. Weak/sensitive eyes that can't tolerate bright sunlight. "Transitions" is a brand name; you'll find them in SpecSavers range.

I have no idea about the performance of them, which I know is what you're asking about. All I know is that transition lenses look a bit stupid and will push anyone from "slightly badly dressed" into full on nerd. Whether you care about that or not is nothing to do with me.
 
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