Recently I had to buy a new pair of varifocals because my prescription had changed. Even though I bought cheap frames, the cost still came to just under £250, which was a bit of a shock.
I have been wearing spring-fit polarised clip-ons for the last 10 years whenever I needed sun protection and I've been pretty pleased with them.
However, this time I thought I'd look into the possibility of getting a second pair of prescription glasses with tinted lenses. After doing some research on the benefits of each option, I soon realised that it was much better to pursue the clip-on lenses route.
Here are my five reasons why...
1. Saving cost
If, like me, you wear varifocals, the cost of getting a second pair of prescription glasses is a costly exercise. In contrast, having several pairs of clip-ons is much less of an outlay.
Even if you have a discounted offer for a pair of prescription sunglasses from your optician, it is still normally cheaper to have, for example, one Visionaries with dark grey lenses to keep in the glove compartment for bright, sunny days and a second Visionaries with lighter lenses for overcast ones. You can even buy an additional pair to keep in the house, or perhaps in your golf bag without hurting your wallet as much as buying varifocal prescription sunglasses.
2. Better performance
Visionaries clip-on sunglasses come with quality polarised lenses as standard and from experience I know that lenses with a polarising filter in them makes all the difference for reducing glare from the sun (and reflected glare).
In comparison, polarisation of the prescription sunglasses was going to be a further cost which pushed them outside of my budget.
3. Greater flexibility
For much less than the cost of a single pair of prescription sunglasses, I was able to select 3 separate pairs of Visionaries, in a range of different polarised tints.
This will give me much greater flexibility during the course of the year, compared with a pair of prescription glasses with one fixed tint which may be too dark or too light in any given light conditions. With the Visionaries, I can choose whether to take the dark, medium, or light tinted clip-ons depending on the weather.
I should say at this point that I did consider whether a pair of photochromic light-reacting prescription glasses would be the most flexible option, but then I realised they wouldn't react to light when I am driving because the windscreen would block the UV light.
Having suitable eye protection when driving was one of my key requirements, so that ruled out the photochromic option.
4. Greater convenience and portability
Because Visionaries clip-ons are so compact in their slim hard case, I can keep them in my pocket and put them on in seconds when the sun comes out.
I also keep a pair of copper tinted ones in the glove pocket of my car so I am never without sun protection when I need it.
Much more convenient than either taking two pairs of prescription glasses around with you or making the decision before you go whether to wear the tinted or clear pair!
5. Visionaries look like you are wearing prescription sunglasses anyway!
So why spend more when they look this neat?
