dear LJ brain trust (glasses)

[cellio]

I'm looking for an eyeglasses solution for bright sunny days. Currently I use clip-on sunglasses when driving and squint the rest of the time, but there's got to be a better way. Here are some parameters:

I don't carry a purse, briefcase, backpack, etc with me all the time, so carrying around an extra pair of glasses is challenging. That said, I'm willing to accept breakage in cheap plastic sunglasses stuffed into a back pocket (or on a belt, or something like that) as a recurring cost. (But not for prescription glasses; that's way too expensive.)

Clip-ons are kind of uncomfortable for routine use.

I'm interested in knowing about tint/polarization/??? options for a sole pair of glasses, if there are any that also work well indoors and at night. 20 or 30 years ago there was a fad called, I think, "photo-gray" -- lenses that automatically darkened or lightened based on light levels. Whatever happened to that approach? (My ideal, I-think-ficticious, pair of glasses involves a little knob for that. :-) )

What other options are there?

Comments

[astroprisoner.livejournal.com]

As noted above, there are lenses that automatically polarize, and there are lenses that automatically darken (still available), but so far as I know there are no lenses that automatically polarize and darken. (If that was what you were looking for.

For years I used the cheap plastic clip-ons because I wanted "dark" and "polarized," and this was the only way to do it. I ran into the problem I think you're having: that bulky clip/hinge mechanism at the front isn't comfortable, it's hard to keep the shades aligned, and frequently it drags the glasses down my nose.

Then, last November when I got a new pair of glasses, I got these. They clip on easily, and come off easily. They attach using small clips that hook to the outside of the lens frame.

There are more styles available on this page.

BTW, I found that by Googling "Shade Control" (in quotes, it's the brand name) and the word "sunglasses," this came up at top of the list. A little poking around might get better prices, and probably come up with some different brand names as well.

Good luck!