Are you new to wearing prescription glasses? Then you've noticed an issue that no one really tells you about until after you get glasses -- your sunglasses. Unless your prescription is minor, your old sunglasses aren't going to be very safe to wear anymore because you won't get the benefit of the prescription, and everything will be blurry. So you need to figure out what to do about blocking bright sun while still being able to see. You have a few options, and two of the most common are clip-ons and prescription sunglasses. But each type has its quirks that can make them better or worse for you, depending on your lifestyle.
Full Prescription Sunglasses
Prescription sunglasses are full glasses -- frames and attached lenses -- that are made to fit your prescription. If you wear them a lot, you'll have to treat them like regular glasses, carrying around a separate case, cleaning the lenses, and generally not losing them because they can be expensive to replace.
At the same time, these full glasses are easy to wear -- you wear them just like regular glasses. There's no danger of extra parts falling off, and the glasses are a little harder to misplace just because they do have the full frame. If you prefer having a basic set of frames on your face rather than any attachments, full prescription sunglasses are the way to go.
But they will cost you -- you'd be paying for an additional set of glasses. If your vision insurance or your own budget can't cover that, you might want to consider clip-ons.
Clip-on Attachments
Clip-ons attach to the front of your regular glasses with either magnets or actual clips. These are easier to store than full frames; they often fit into the case for the regular glasses or can be stowed away in a backpack or purse compartment. The lenses in the clip-ons are not prescription themselves; they just rest right on top of the prescription lenses.
These are smaller, but that means they're easier to lose. There's also the very real chance that you could reach up to brush hair away from your face, for example, and end up knocking the attachments to the ground. The attachments generally come with the frames, so if you lose them, you could try to get replacements from the manufacturer -- though that depends on the company and whether they still make that style at the time you lose the attachments.
Costs for these vary; it is possible to get frames with clip-ons that aren't any more expensive than non-clip-on frames. Many of these frames can be covered by insurance.
Do be careful with the magnet versions, though. If you work with a lot of sensitive electronic or computer media that can't be exposed to any magnets, you'll have to ensure the magnets on the clip-on don't get near the media. The magnets are tiny, but if the media are really sensitive, you won't want to risk anything.
If you'd like more details about clip-ons, prescription sunglasses, or other options, contact an optician or places like Eyes on Second and ask to see their inventory of frames. There is an option that's right for you.
Share25 February 2015
Vision problems can be sneaky. When my daughter started having trouble in school, nobody thought that the problem could be with her vision. She wasn't complaining about not being able to see ; she was acting out instead. Plus, she could read the eye chart. It took a lot of trial and error to realize that while she could see, her eyes weren't working together correctly. She needed vision therapy to get herself back on track. I started this blog to share information with other concerned parents about how vision affects learning. Don't let a vision problem sneak by you and impact your child's education.
