With the advent of Transition® lenses, many people felt that they no longer needed to purchase prescription sunglasses. Advertising assures the public that Transition® lenses will fully protect their eyes. In reality Transition® lenses should not be used as a replacement for sunglasses as they do not protect against high energy visible light, do not get dark while in a vehicle with UV protected windows or do not normally come in styles that cover a large eye area as small frames are popular right now. Thus, it is important for people who purchase Transition® lenses to purchase a good pair of prescription sunglasses if you spend any extended time outdoors.
High energy visible (HEV) light is high-frequency light in the violet/blue band from 380 to 530 nm in the visible spectrum, which is often referred to as the near UV range. HEV light has recently been implicated as a cause of age-related macular degeneration. Blocking HEV light is especially important for children as their eye lenses are believed to transmit a lot more HEV light than adults whose lenses yellow with age. Most good sunglasses block almost all ultra-violet (UV) rays, but only HEV sunglasses filter the near UV range.
Protection against HEV light can only be found in polarized sunglasses at this time. Transition® lenses provide UV 400 protection which in most parts of the United States is sufficient. In the southwest Transition® lenses are adequate for daily wear, however there is a high occurrence of HEV light from pools, sidewalks and sand so more protection is needed when spending extended time in the out-of-doors.
Transition® lenses do not provide optimum darkening when driving a vehicle with UV protection in the windshield. Regular sunglasses stay dark even behind windshield UV protection, providing continual protection from glare and eyestrain while in a vehicle.
Popular frame styles right now cover only the immediate eye area and little of the surrounding area. Most sunglass styles have a larger coverage area in order to protect the fragile skin and to block various angles of sunlight. Therefore, while Transition® lenses do provide normal protection to the eyes, sunglasses provide extended protection from harmful rays and help cover more of the eye area.
Transition® lenses provided a great need for the everyday person who is constantly indoors and outdoors. However a pair of sunglasses should be purchased for the person who spends an extended amount of time outside.
In 2008 David Listzwan passed his abo and ncle and is waiting to take his state board exam. Davis has been in customer service for the last 12 years. He loves to play video games and remodeling his home in his spare time… . Check out some of the new designer eyewear frames and book your eye exam today.