Summer is almost here, which brings to mind the famous slip, slop, slap campaign. So while you’re slipping on breathable fabrics, slopping on mounds of sunscreen and slapping on a hat to keep the heat off your head, you should also be sliding on your favourite shades to complete a protective sun hygiene routine. Both sustained and intermittent exposure to UV rays can damage even the most accurate eyesight – the sun does not discriminate, nor does it relent, even in winter. Sunglasses protect your peepers, ensuring your sight remains unimpacted by bright weather… even if you need a prescription to get you from A to B.
Maybe you’ve never considered investing in prescription sunglasses before now, or perhaps you’re unaware of just how much sunglasses can improve your day to day, from the moment you get in the car to reading a book on the beach or spending time with friends outdoors. Don’t let your prescription hold you back – take a moment to learn more about prescription sunglasses lenses, from polarising to multifocal and pull back the curtain on optometry’s coolest subject.
Can I Make My Sunglasses Prescription?
What if you have sunglasses already, but they’re dated from a time before your prescription and you’d love it if their windows could be replaced by glare and UV busting lenses? While replacing ordinary lenses with a prescription is technically possible, we rarely recommend it. Non-prescription sunglasses aren’t always designed to take a specialised prescription lens being inserted, particularly low quality, off-the-shelf varieties that look great but do very little to protect your eyes.
Can Any Sunglasses be Made Prescription?
It depends. If you’ve set your heart on swapping out the lenses in the cost-savvy sunnies you found in Kmart, you may be in for a bit of disappointment. On the other hand, most sunglasses at Custom Eyecare can be transformed into prescription eye protection.
How Are Prescription Sunglasses Made?
We’ll work with you to identify the right frames to suit your prescription needs and budget, discussing thickness, coverage, colour and style before moving onto lenses. Lens selection usually relies on two things, appearance and function – while there are a few more specifics you may want to explore in-store, we’ve covered three of the most common decisions below.
The Benefits of Polarising Lenses
Polarising lenses are ideal for people who spend their lives on the coast or near high-glare environments. These specialised lenses filter intense beams of light reflected off horizontal surfaces such as water and concrete. Polarising lenses improve sighted detail and remove surface glare. Although seafarers swear by polarising lenses, they can be extremely useful in everyday situations away from the water. Polarised sunglasses are perfect for anybody who drives a lot or anybody who drives at all, minimising the impact of glare caused by glassy tarmac, pavement or car bonnets.
The Drawbacks: Polarising lenses can make some LCD gadgets tricky to see. They also cost a little more than non-polarising sunglasses.
What if I Don’t Want Polarising Lenses?
That’s okay! Not everybody chooses polarising lenses, in fact, Australia is packed with people who prefer the all-round use of non-polarising lenses. Customise your sunglasses to suit your needs and style preferences more completely with non-polarised lenses and pay a smidge less for the pleasure! Non-polarised lenses offer more choice in the customisation of lens tint and darkness, you can choose any colour you like!
The Benefits of Multifocals Lenses
Multifocal sunglasses are perfect for the over 45s crowd, focusing their vision in sunny situations, ensuring anything from menus to travel guides to small print appears entirely readable to the protected eye. Put these sunglasses to work in every outdoor context, including going for a run or taking a weekend drive – you won’t struggle to see the speedo or read a map with multifocal sunglasses!
Clip-Ons
Far-flung from the dodgy days of the 80s and early 90s, clip-on sunglasses are no longer the public embarrassment they once were. Magnets have transformed the clip-on industry, meaning your everyday frames are also your sunglasses with the aid of one small attachment – although no one will know. Unless you tell them. Although only a couple of brands have jumped on the magnetised band-wagon, clip-ons remain a legitimate, cost-effective choice.
Ready to take the plunge? Not quite sure? Do you still have questions? Our team of Custom Eye Care experts are always ready with the answers you need to make the right decision for you. Enjoy the sun today, and every day, as long as the good weather lasts!
