Lenses for sunglasses

Prescription lenses for sunglasses

Prescription sunglasses are sunglasses with your corrective prescription built into the lenses. They protect your eyes from the sun and glare whilst enabling you to see clearly. This means you can read in the sunshine or drive safely on sunny days.

Almost all corrective prescriptions can be made into prescription sunglasses. You can also have prescription varifocal sunglasses, so you can see well at all distances outdoors or when driving. However, not all sunglasses are suitable. We can advise you on which ones will work best.

Prescription sunglasses are so convenient that you often forget you are wearing them!

Polarised lenses for sunglasses

Polarised lenses can improve clarity and reduce eye strain on sunny days by reducing glare and light from the sun. This can improve your vision and safety. When you’re wearing polarised lenses, things will look a bit darker but much clearer and easier to see. They are great for driving and when you’re around the water. However, they make it difficult to see images on LCD such as car dashboards, ATMs, cell phones and some watches.

Varifocal lenses for sunglasses

You can have varifocal lenses in your sunglasses for the ultimate in good vision.

Also known as progressive lenses or multifocals, varifocals make life easier by helping you to see at all distances, without having to strain or change your glasses. You can switch between long, intermediate and close range easily. The top section of the lens gives you clear distance vision and as you look down through the lens it gradually increases in strength to reading vision at the bottom. They are perfect for driving and using the satnav for example, when your eyes need to be working on several tasks at the same time. They are also much more cosmetically attractive as you can’t see the change between distances.

Not all frames are suitable for these lenses and we can advise which sunglasses will not work well. Taking extremely accurate measurements once you have chosen your frame is essential, ensuring perfect vision. Varifocal lenses vary in design, depending on your needs, some lenses are better for distance and have smaller reading areas, others are great for computer work and the best are sharp at all distances. The great thing about varifocals is that they can be designed to work best for you. Varifocals sometimes take a little time to adjust to although most people are able to wear them immediately.

Photochromic lenses for sunglasses

These are special lenses for sunglasses that change tint precisely when needed. Photochromic lenses react quickly to every situation, sunlight or shade, indoors or outdoors. They are virtually clear indoors and can rapidly change to a stylish tint outdoors to give protection against harmful glare. They provide 100% protection from UVA and UVB radiation. They are available in a choice of brown, green or grey tints. Made from lightweight plastic, they are much lighter than glass lenses. They are really convenient when going in and outdoors to save you having to swap spectacles with sunglasses. However, they do not work as well inside a car due to the car windows absorbing the UV rays which activate the lenses.

Sunglasses for driving

A good-quality pair of sunglasses can help to reduce eye strain and squinting by reducing the amount of glare. Sunglasses with category 3 lenses are best for daytime driving conditions — any higher is considered too dark to drive safely and may affect your ability to see clearly. Polarised lenses are good for daytime driving.

Polarised lenses are also very good for wet or snowy road conditions, such as on wet road surfaces, and they provide sharper contrast, making it easier to see pedestrians and read road signs. The disadvantage is that it’s difficult to see what’s on any kind of screen or dashboard.

Lens tints for your sunglasses

Lens colours affect how much visible light reaches your eyes, how well you see other colours and how well you see contrasts.

Dark colours (brown/grey/green) are ideal for everyday use and most outdoor activities. Darker shades are intended primarily to cut through the glare and reduce eyestrain in moderate-to-bright conditions. Grey and green lenses won’t distort colours, while brown lenses may cause minor distortion.

Light colours (yellow/gold/amber/rose/vermillion) excel in moderate- to low-level light conditions. They are often great for skiing, snowboarding and other snow sports. They provide excellent depth perception, enhance contrasts in tricky, flat-light conditions, improve the visibility of objects and make your surroundings appear brighter. These tints are not recommended for driving as they can distort the colour of traffic lights. These tints are usually Category 2, which means they won’t provide enough UV protection on very sunny days.

Mirrored or flash coating refers to a reflective film applied to the outside surfaces of some sunglass lenses. They reduce glare by reflecting much of the light that hits the lens surface. Mirrored coatings make objects appear darker than they are, so lighter tints are often used to compensate for this. Mirrored lenses are particularly good for snow sports.

For more information on tinted lenses, click here for our sports sunglasses page.

Lenses for sunglasses

Contents

Prescription lenses for sunglasses

Polarised lenses for sunglasses

Varifocal lenses for sunglasses

Photochromic lenses for sunglasses

Sunglasses for driving

Lens tints for your sunglasses

Observatory the Opticians | Wardale Williams the Opticians

Locations

Stay connected