Who wins in the clip-on sunglasses vs transition lenses battle?

Almost 90% of people who use transition lenses prefer them over other alternatives. If you are like me and love a hassle-free life, you must also have transition lenses on your glasses.

I have a decent amount of spectacles in my wardrobe and all of them have a photochromic coating. They change colour when I step out in the sun and I don’t even have to move a finger.

However, people often compare transition lenses with clip-on sunglasses. As I have tried them both, I wanted to set the records straight. Read this blog to know what made me stay committed to photochromic lenses.

What are Clip-on Sunglasses?

Clip-on sunglasses offer sun protection with your regular specs. They come in different lens tints and attach to your optical lens giving them the capability and look of sunglasses.

They are nice when you wear glasses and looking to save yourself from buying a separate pair of shades. Since they are available in different tints, sizes and shapes, you can find clip ons for your current pair of glasses.

Clip-on sunglasses used to be quite popular in the 90s. However, they made a huge comeback a couple of years ago with revamped features and designs. Today, you can find polarised clip-on sunglasses that reduce glare and clear up your visual field.

Types of Clip-on Sunglasses?

We now have these sunglasses in three different styles.

1. Standard Clip-ons

The standard clip-on sunglasses have a clip on the nose bridge to attach them to your prescription eyeglasses. You can put them on when you need UV protection and take them off when you are indoors. The clip on the bridge acts as a kind of claw or hook that keep the tints attached to the optical lenses.

2. Flip-up Clip-on Sunglasses

Flip-up sunglasses use a magnet to fix on the prescription frame. You will require a little strength to snap them on. Unlike standard clip-ons, these do not require insertion or removal. You can simply flip them up when you don’t need to block the sun. Flip-up shades are also available in polarised clip-on sunglasses and different tints.

3. Magnetic Clip-on Sunglasses

The most famous type is magnetic clip-ons that use magnets to stick to the sides of your eyeglass frame. They are favoured for their convenience and ease of use. Since they have a magnetic feature, they are best to be worn with titanium frames.

Cons of Clip-on Sunglasses?

1. Don’t always work

These sunglasses can only provide sun protection when they are the same size and shape as your current eyeglasses. If they don’t cover up the optical lenses properly, they will neither block 100% UV light nor will they give you the stylish look you were rooting for.

2. Can be a bit pricey

This point brings me to the next most common demerit of clip ons - not affordable. What if you like to buy prescription glasses online in different silhouettes and styles? Then you will need to buy different clip ons in the same silhouettes as well. This does not sound economical to me.

3. Not good for your eyeglass lenses

Also, the clips and the magnets used in these sunglasses can scratch the surface of your optical lenses. Or if you have an extra coating on your eyeglass, frequently putting on and removing clip-on sunglasses may even harm that coating. This is the very reason I never came back to wearing clip-ons.

What are Transition Lenses?

Also known as photochromic lenses, transition lenses change colour and turn dark when you are out in the daylight (hence the name, transition).

They have trillions of microscopic molecules on their surface. These molecules react with UV light by changing their structure. This process is what causes the lens to darken.

So, when you are in the sunlight, your lenses will be visibly darker than when you are at home and not exposed to the UV rays. You can fit these lenses on all your prescription or blue screen glasses and make them fit for summers.

Transition lenses for driving are the perfect choice if you are roaming down the roads in daylight. They bring down glare and help your eyes in bright light conditions.

Problems with Transition Lenses

Here are the most common struggles that some people face with their light adaptive glasses.

1. Transitions don’t work in the car

And there is a reason for it. As I have mentioned that photochromic lenses only work in the presence of UV light, they won’t turn dark when you are sitting in a car. The windshields of your car already filter out the bad UV light so there is nothing left for your transition glasses to deal with.

2. They don’t change colour quickly

This problem used to be common in the early days of transition lenses. But today we have the best technology and are able to create lenses that change colour within seconds. If your lenses don’t do the same, maybe they lack in quality.

At Specscart, we only have the best quality transition lenses that turn dark the second you step out in the sun. Take them for a free trial and see for yourself.

3. They don’t offer polarisation

I don’t know about other brands, but when you buy these lenses from us, you get polarised lenses. They reduce the effect of glare and give you a crisper vision. You can also do away with this problem by adding an anti-reflective coating to your light adaptive lenses.

Made up Your Mind Yet?

Don’t let the myths and rumours keep you from making a life-saving investment. With transition lenses, you get the best of both vision and eye protection. And tbh, snapping on clip-on sunglasses is also a hassle in itself. That’s why I use transition lenses and let my glasses do all the work.

If you also have your heart set on transition lenses, we give fast delivery on glasses so you get them before the excitement fades away.