Shades for the bespectacled
Want glares without giving up your numbered glasses? finds a solution
At my first eye exam, I was secretly hoping for bad news. I was in Standard VIII, and if there was something new to be had, I wanted it. In this case, it was spectacles. Looking back, I must’ve looked like the president of Geekville back then.
But wearing spectacles has its limitations. The most important being the inability to wear sunglasses. For someone who isn’t comfortable with the idea of contact lenses, this can lead to bizarre problems. For instance, on a trek through snowy stretches in the Himalayas, sunglasses limited my vision. I had to choose between appreciating the view and keeping the harsh reflection of snow from straining my eyes.
Finally, a few months back, I asked an optician for a solution. The salesman informed me that they could fit prescription lenses on to sunglasses’ frames. Sure, it costs more: you have to first buy sunglasses and then replace the glass with another pair of lenses. But to be able to wear sunglasses without switching to contacts seems worth the price.
Style wouldn’t be a problem, as you go about buying sunglasses like any other person with 20/20 vision. But are these sunglasses as good? What about the lens that blocks UV rays?
According to Darshini Desai, head optometrist at Gangar Opticians, for sunglasses, you can order high quality lens that protect your eyes. “You can choose the colour of the tint, as well as how light or dark it should be. You can also opt for polarised lenses that reduce glare. And if you choose a lens from companies like Essilor, Zeiss or Nikon, then the quality is as good as that of the leading brands of sunglasses.”
There are a few caveats though. Numbered lenses fitted on a frame that curves across the face may lead to some distortion in vision. And while people with lower power can manage with such frames, it is a strict no-no for people with high power, as well as those with a higher cylindrical component in their vision (check your ophthalmologist’s report to figure this out).
After all these years, it seems like I will finally be wearing sunglasses. It may not be as straightforward a process as walking into a store and picking out something that suits my face, but it’s good to know I have options.
THE PRICE OF STYLE
A basic tinted lens costs roughly Rs1,000 to Rs2,000. A polarised lens
costs Rs4,000. If you want a brand name like Essilor, the cost of a po-
larised lens can be as high as Rs6,000. Add to this the cost of the frame,
and you are looking at a bill of at least Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 for a basic pair
of sunglasses with prescription lenses.
Want glares without giving up your numbered glasses? finds a solution
At my first eye exam, I was secretly hoping for bad news. I was in Standard VIII, and if there was something new to be had, I wanted it. In this case, it was spectacles. Looking back, I must’ve looked like the president of Geekville back then.
But wearing spectacles has its limitations. The most important being the inability to wear sunglasses. For someone who isn’t comfortable with the idea of contact lenses, this can lead to bizarre problems. For instance, on a trek through snowy stretches in the Himalayas, sunglasses limited my vision. I had to choose between appreciating the view and keeping the harsh reflection of snow from straining my eyes.
Finally, a few months back, I asked an optician for a solution. The salesman informed me that they could fit prescription lenses on to sunglasses’ frames. Sure, it costs more: you have to first buy sunglasses and then replace the glass with another pair of lenses. But to be able to wear sunglasses without switching to contacts seems worth the price.
Style wouldn’t be a problem, as you go about buying sunglasses like any other person with 20/20 vision. But are these sunglasses as good? What about the lens that blocks UV rays?
According to Darshini Desai, head optometrist at Gangar Opticians, for sunglasses, you can order high quality lens that protect your eyes. “You can choose the colour of the tint, as well as how light or dark it should be. You can also opt for polarised lenses that reduce glare. And if you choose a lens from companies like Essilor, Zeiss or Nikon, then the quality is as good as that of the leading brands of sunglasses.”
There are a few caveats though. Numbered lenses fitted on a frame that curves across the face may lead to some distortion in vision. And while people with lower power can manage with such frames, it is a strict no-no for people with high power, as well as those with a higher cylindrical component in their vision (check your ophthalmologist’s report to figure this out).
After all these years, it seems like I will finally be wearing sunglasses. It may not be as straightforward a process as walking into a store and picking out something that suits my face, but it’s good to know I have options.
THE PRICE OF STYLE
A basic tinted lens costs roughly Rs1,000 to Rs2,000. A polarised lens
costs Rs4,000. If you want a brand name like Essilor, the cost of a po-
larised lens can be as high as Rs6,000. Add to this the cost of the frame,
and you are looking at a bill of at least Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 for a basic pair
of sunglasses with prescription lenses.
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