Archiver
Mentor
Until I was in my late 30s, I never wore sunglasses. On a long road trip through Brisbane, I was so sick of squinting in the sun that I bought a pair of cheap fit over sunglasses that went over my prescription glasses, and I was amazed at what I had been missing. I currently have about five pairs of reasonable quality fit overs, some in the house, some in bags, a spare pair in the glove box for convenience. But now, I'm looking at good quality prescription sunglasses and there are so many options.
In general, I avoid designer brands, and try to find brands that are high quality and used by industry professionals. This means no Armani or Gucci sunglasses, but I am currently interested in prescription Serengeti, Ray Ban, and normal frames with Transition lenses.
What sunglasses do you wear? What is your experience with them over the years? Do you have any recommendations?
In general, I avoid designer brands, and try to find brands that are high quality and used by industry professionals. This means no Armani or Gucci sunglasses, but I am currently interested in prescription Serengeti, Ray Ban, and normal frames with Transition lenses.
What sunglasses do you wear? What is your experience with them over the years? Do you have any recommendations?
AlwaysOnAuto
Well-known
I used to wear Maui Jim sunglasses until I needed glasses to see long distance. I loved them as they were great for seeing things you normally wouldn't with regular sunglasses. I may treat myself to some prescription Maui's next time I get glasses. I have dedicated prescription sunglasses with polarized lens coatings and anti-reflection coating too, but they're just not the same as the MJ's.
Archiver
Mentor
Thanks for the reply. Maui Jim are sold in Australia, although I'm unsure where to get them with prescription lenses. There's some anecdotal reporting that Maui Jim lens quality is better than Ray Ban, so this is another option. Thanks again!
Archiver
Mentor
I've just discovered that our beloved Zeiss makes their own photochromic lenses called Photofusion, and Zeiss eyeglass lens coatings come in a range of flavours. This gets even more intriguing.
Rayt
Nonplayer Character
I wear Maui Jim when I am driving. For walking around (not lounging around) the glass lenses can be heavy after a while so I have Ray Bans but Maui Jim is way better optically.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Cheapskate (I prefer "sensible buyer") that I am, since 2012 I've bought. all my sunnies (with prescription lenses) from a 'toko optik' at Pasar Atom in Surabaya, Indonesia. Best prices, great service. The staff there are now like family to me. Couldn't be better.
My last significant purchase in 2022 was two pairs of Nikon brand aviator frames. I'm unsure if they are true-blue originals, but for AUD $40 a pair including lenses, why would I worry? Compared to AUD $300+ from Specsavers in Australia, it's a big win-win for a pensioner's budget traveller.
Last week I ordered new lenses fitted to the three pairs I own, as a cataract op in May this year has shifted my left eye vision to zero from my previous +2.50. All the new lenses, of high-impact plastic, will cost me a whopping AUD $45.
Obviously this won't be of any great relevance to most readers here, so I will only add, if anyone is passing thru Surabaya (don't bother with Bali, ripoff prices on almost everything there), find your way to Pasar Atom for 1970s prices - while it lasts, a true bargain shopping experience...
(The AUD, aka the South Pacific Peso, is now down to a dismal economic recession low rate of 64 point something US cents. Which makes my Surabaya specs prices even better!)
My last significant purchase in 2022 was two pairs of Nikon brand aviator frames. I'm unsure if they are true-blue originals, but for AUD $40 a pair including lenses, why would I worry? Compared to AUD $300+ from Specsavers in Australia, it's a big win-win for a pensioner's budget traveller.
Last week I ordered new lenses fitted to the three pairs I own, as a cataract op in May this year has shifted my left eye vision to zero from my previous +2.50. All the new lenses, of high-impact plastic, will cost me a whopping AUD $45.
Obviously this won't be of any great relevance to most readers here, so I will only add, if anyone is passing thru Surabaya (don't bother with Bali, ripoff prices on almost everything there), find your way to Pasar Atom for 1970s prices - while it lasts, a true bargain shopping experience...
(The AUD, aka the South Pacific Peso, is now down to a dismal economic recession low rate of 64 point something US cents. Which makes my Surabaya specs prices even better!)
Dogman
Mentor
Following cataract surgery my distance vision is pretty good so I can wear non-prescription sunglasses. But my close vision sucks. I have Persol and Ray Ban sunglasses that I like a lot but switching back and forth between reading glasses and sunglasses is a PITA. I had a par of Ray Bans with blue lenses that I found to be really useful so I had my optician switch the lenses to prescription progressive lenses with a blue tint. They are dark enough to help in bright sunshine but light enough to wear all the time. I had read that blue lenses were useful for some people with decreased vision, helping with seeing contours of objects better than clear lenses. They work for me so I wear them for sunglasses unless I need something darker.
Deardorff38
Mentor
I alternate between Raybans and various Vuarnet models & occasionally a pair of Julbos..... all prescription
agentlossing
Well-known
Careful with many of the traditionally higher-quality brands - most of them have been gobbled up by monopolistic corporations like Luxottica and are outsourcing more and more of their work. I would say some traditional lines, like the Wayfarer, are still decent. I have a prescription New Wayfarer that is pretty decent. I never wear it, and need to get it updated. I have used transitional/photochromic lenses in my regular glasses for several years now, and I would say the technology gets better every time I get updated glasses lenses. It's quite good now. Doesn't get overly dark and transitions very quickly, both darken and lighten.
Archiver
Mentor
Thanks to all for the replies. I'm due for a new pair of glasses, so it is probably prudent to get two pairs - one set of normal glasses with Transition or Zeiss Photofusion lenses, and a pair of long distance sunglasses for driving. I'm still investigating the many options, which has yielded some interesting things:
- the budget brands in Australia like Specsavers vs bigger chains like OPSM are definitely a 'you get what you pay for' situation. Lens and frame quality of OPSM, which are owned by Luxxotica, are reportedly much better than Specsavers. As an aside, my partner had an eye test at Specsavers and was referred to an eye specialist who told her she had to have cataract surgery. She went to another eye specialist who told her she didn't have cataracts, and this was not necessary at all! So I'm never going to Specsavers, regardless.
- Independent optometrists sometimes offer lenses from multiple companies like Zeiss, Nikon, Hoya and Essilor (which is Luxxotica owned)
- Transitions is a brand name for a specific type of photochromic lens, others include Photofusion by Zeiss, Corning were the photochromic pioneers and have their own lenses in Serengeti, and Ray Ban does not seem to offer photochromic lenses at all.
agentlossing
Well-known
My most recent pair of prescription glasses are Banana Republic frames with Zeiss lenses, Zeiss AR coating and transition. So far I'm pretty happy.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Super good advice overall here. If I didn't have Pasar Atom and Surabaya at my beck and call, I would go with Raybans. They seem to have kept up their standards and resisted the switch to 'populist' ranges to keep the baby doll brigade happy. Most of us oldies tend to wear them, to me that is the best recommendation for them. Ha!
I will now keep my eyes open for Wayfarers. Occasionally very decent brands of sunnies end up in charity shops in Australia and now and then I've picked up a prized find. In fact there is a box of them somewhere at home, I must make an effort to find them and take them to Surabaya for new lenses.
My one concession to 'style' is the Nikon frames. China-made, I suspect, but at AUD $30 the pair, for me it's the way to go. As in almost everything, YMMD.
What follows is somewhat off-topic (apologies for this, my usual way of thinking-talking-writing), but here goes anyway.
Dogman, when I had my left eye 'de-cataracted' in May, the operating surgeon told me almost all new replacement lenses (I'm now a Hoya peeper, ha!) are calibrated for distance viewing. For reading and/or close-up work, prescription lenses are still the way. This in Australia, at least.
Overall I'm amazed at, and truly thankful for, the excellent vision I've regained after two cataract ops, this in my mid-70s. Pre-November 2022 I had cataracts in both eyes and my overall vision was reduced to 45%. Now my right eye is 'wonky' but usable and my left ieye s as good as it was at age 40. A modern day miracle.
I too have used Specsavers in Australia , and had no issues with them. Good service, reasonable (in 2012-2017) prices. My neighbor went to them for an eye test earlier this year, and they found cataracts. Both fixed within two weeks (he pays for a private health plan).
In late 2022 my local optometrist saw a new cataract in my left eye, and more importantly a 'dropped' lens in my right eye. I was referred urgently to the excellent Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, and the right eye was fixed, a fairly complex op as the eyeball was given "a gas-job" (as the surgeon joked while doing it) to try to fix some macular degeneration. All well and good, I'm relieved to say.
Post-op I was grounded (unable to fly) for a month. All is now fine, my vision jiggles a bit and I can't read with the right eye. The hospital then booked me for a less urgent op on my right eye, which was done in May. No complications.
The left is as good as it ever was. I also had a cataract in the right eye for almost a decade, but when the lens fell out, the cataract went with it. So two for one, sort of...
I now have Hoya lenses in my two peepers, as well as on my cameras...
As for sunnies, my left eye vision went from +2.50 before the operation to 'zero'. So I can now pick my sunglasses off the rack, and avoid having to pay extra for prescription lenses.
I've never used OPSM but from what Archiver has written, I would have no hesitation in doing so.
We live in a wonderful medical-technological age. Blessings for all these modern fine services available to us.
I will now keep my eyes open for Wayfarers. Occasionally very decent brands of sunnies end up in charity shops in Australia and now and then I've picked up a prized find. In fact there is a box of them somewhere at home, I must make an effort to find them and take them to Surabaya for new lenses.
My one concession to 'style' is the Nikon frames. China-made, I suspect, but at AUD $30 the pair, for me it's the way to go. As in almost everything, YMMD.
What follows is somewhat off-topic (apologies for this, my usual way of thinking-talking-writing), but here goes anyway.
Dogman, when I had my left eye 'de-cataracted' in May, the operating surgeon told me almost all new replacement lenses (I'm now a Hoya peeper, ha!) are calibrated for distance viewing. For reading and/or close-up work, prescription lenses are still the way. This in Australia, at least.
Overall I'm amazed at, and truly thankful for, the excellent vision I've regained after two cataract ops, this in my mid-70s. Pre-November 2022 I had cataracts in both eyes and my overall vision was reduced to 45%. Now my right eye is 'wonky' but usable and my left ieye s as good as it was at age 40. A modern day miracle.
Good information here. Many thanks!
I too have used Specsavers in Australia , and had no issues with them. Good service, reasonable (in 2012-2017) prices. My neighbor went to them for an eye test earlier this year, and they found cataracts. Both fixed within two weeks (he pays for a private health plan).
In late 2022 my local optometrist saw a new cataract in my left eye, and more importantly a 'dropped' lens in my right eye. I was referred urgently to the excellent Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, and the right eye was fixed, a fairly complex op as the eyeball was given "a gas-job" (as the surgeon joked while doing it) to try to fix some macular degeneration. All well and good, I'm relieved to say.
Post-op I was grounded (unable to fly) for a month. All is now fine, my vision jiggles a bit and I can't read with the right eye. The hospital then booked me for a less urgent op on my right eye, which was done in May. No complications.
The left is as good as it ever was. I also had a cataract in the right eye for almost a decade, but when the lens fell out, the cataract went with it. So two for one, sort of...
I now have Hoya lenses in my two peepers, as well as on my cameras...
As for sunnies, my left eye vision went from +2.50 before the operation to 'zero'. So I can now pick my sunglasses off the rack, and avoid having to pay extra for prescription lenses.
I've never used OPSM but from what Archiver has written, I would have no hesitation in doing so.
We live in a wonderful medical-technological age. Blessings for all these modern fine services available to us.
Last edited:
raydm6
Yay! Cameras! 🙈🙉🙊┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘ [◉"]
I used to wear prescription Raybans in Outdoorsman frames but with my Rx changing more frequently in recent years, I decided to go with Frazala polarized clip-ons and I love then for their convenience. Not as optically superior to the Raybans but they do the job, And I use the yellow/night vision clip-ons when driving in the rain.
Archiver
Mentor
Many years ago, I had a pair of Le Specs clip ons, but they have been lost to the mists of time. I hadn't thought about clip ons until now, thank you for the reminder!
Archiver
Mentor
Minor update. No sunglasses yet. But I bought a new pair of glasses from Zenni Optical, some of the most inexpensive glasses I've ever had, using my old prescription. I figured I would get these until I go to local optometrist and have my eyes checked and buy some better ones.
The Zenni frames were only USD $15, and the lenses $87. They are 1.74 index plastic, thicker than my old high index plastic lenses despite the frames being smaller. They are the Blockz brand which block blue wavelengths which can cause eyestrain and eventually eye damage over time. The lenses themselves are a slight blue colour, and have a water repellent coating which works very well.
The nose pads didn't sit right, but after looking up a 'how to adjust your glasses' tutorial on YouTube, they fit much better. The spring loaded hinges help everything sit well.
Despite being an old prescription, my distance vision appears to have changed very little. My old glasses were extremely scratched over time, to the point where it was like looking through a beauty lens! But now that I have new glasses, I can see much more clearly. It's quite shocking to note how much the scratches affected my vision.
Knowing this, I plan to get a nice pair of Ray Bans online with my old prescription. Will update when this happens some time in the future.
The Zenni frames were only USD $15, and the lenses $87. They are 1.74 index plastic, thicker than my old high index plastic lenses despite the frames being smaller. They are the Blockz brand which block blue wavelengths which can cause eyestrain and eventually eye damage over time. The lenses themselves are a slight blue colour, and have a water repellent coating which works very well.
The nose pads didn't sit right, but after looking up a 'how to adjust your glasses' tutorial on YouTube, they fit much better. The spring loaded hinges help everything sit well.
Despite being an old prescription, my distance vision appears to have changed very little. My old glasses were extremely scratched over time, to the point where it was like looking through a beauty lens! But now that I have new glasses, I can see much more clearly. It's quite shocking to note how much the scratches affected my vision.
Knowing this, I plan to get a nice pair of Ray Bans online with my old prescription. Will update when this happens some time in the future.
Alpsman
Well-known
Ray Ban Olympian - since 40 years
willie_901
Mentor
Two pairs of Maui Jim's. Excellent lenses; cheap, fragile frames. One pair for driving (never leaves the car) and one for general outdoor use.
Two pairs of Raybans. Decent all the way around; a low-risk purchase. One pair for hanging out in the pool and one for everyday, outdoor use.
Two pairs of Raybans. Decent all the way around; a low-risk purchase. One pair for hanging out in the pool and one for everyday, outdoor use.
