Driving Glasses
 

I need new glasses, and I'm considering getting a pair just for driving (in addition to my normal clear ones for everyday). Any opinions about the type?

Options I've seen:

Sunglasses (always the same shade of darkness)
Transitions (darken in sun, not so well behind glass)
Some new sort of Transitions that darken in light, so the go mostly clear at night

I'm sort of leaning toward the last one, but not sure until I hear from some folks who wear them.

I guess you answered yourself there. Everyone has their own type of glasses that goes with their head. Just pick a frame and have a local eye glasses store match them up with a pair of transitions and you are set.

How do those "transitions" lens work when you're driving through the hills and sunlight is coming through the tree canopy sporadically?

I have transition lens in my normal glasses and they don't work inside a car. I'm guessing that they change based on UV light and auto glass is treated to block UV from sunlight. If you need sunglasses for driving I'd say just get normal sunglasses with your perscription. That's what I plan on doing.

When I wore glasses, that's what I did. Dedicated glasses for normal wear and another set of sunglasses. Back then, Oakley was the best choice for prescription sunglasses. Now you can get pretty much any frame with sunglass lenses.

My personal suggestion is to go get Lasik done and not sweat daily wear glasses ever again. I did my Lasik 10 years ago and am still better then 20/20.

I second the LASIK treatment. You'll make the money back in lost glasses/contacts/eye doctor visits and it just makes life easier. I'm so so happy I got it a year ago, hell most of the time I forget that I ever wore glasses :p

I wear polarized RayBans to cut down on glare.

I have a pair of Serengeti Vedi's with their polarized drivers lens. Best sunglasses I've ever had. They are photochromic, so they darken more in bright sunlight, but they don't go clear in the dark. The Vedi's are no longer made, but lots of online retailers have them in stock. The Serengeti Lizzano is almost the same frame.
http://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/pro...polarized.aspx

The driver lens is available in most of their line. Lots of choice for different tastes.

I know Ray-Ban makes a great lens too. I have owned Ray-Ban, Oakley, Bolle, Varnet, (and a few others) The Serengeti's edge out the Ray-Ban's by just a bit IMHO.

oh... The Vedi's fit fine inside a helmet too.

I almost exclusively wear Oakley Polarized glasses. They are light weight, have great optics and their polarization is second only to my absolute favorite glasses, Maui Jim's. If I could have MJ for the price of my Oakleys then I would have a dedicated pair for my car. I also like my Ray Ban Polarized Aviator glasses too. :-)

It's Oakleys or NOTHING for me.

Oakleys are definitely the most lightweight/rugged sunglasses on the market. However Costa DelMars have the best lens quality by far. Their 580G lenses are simply stunning, they aren't very comfortable to wear for more than 5-6 hours at a time though as the glass makes them a bit heavier than a typical polymer lens.

For my current daily sunglasses I wear Polarized Maui Jims since my Oakleys are scratched up. The MJ's fit great in a helmet and are very lightweight, but I worry about them since they seem fragile.

I have a pair of oakley holbrooks that I like right now, they aren't polarized but honestly I haven't noticed a problem with glare. I'm going to tint my windows anyway so sunglasses will be more of a fashion accessory than necessity :)

My brother is an eye doctor and he has told me that Oakleys have shitty plastic lenses. He refuses to sell them.

Also, he says Maui Jim have the best quality crystal lens for the money, especially the H2O polarized line.

Is sounds like the OP is referring to prescription sunglasses, in which case the lens is made at an optical place, not a sunglass frame supplier. It costs more to have driving sunglasses so Transition lenses would be less costly and OK for all uses. You can also get clip-ons. My brother has a place that makes clip-ons for any brand of glasses custom. My wife's first set broke immediately but the replacement was fine.

The most expensive option is nice stylish dedicated prescription sunglasses. That way the style can be more appropriate for outdoor sunglasses vs. daily wear prescription glasses.