Prescription

If you have vision impairments and have to wear prescription glasses, you have probably encountered the problem of finding the right sunglasses. It is just too impractical to wear sunglasses over your prescription eyeglasses. So there have been many manufactures that have developed the clip-on sunglass lenses that will attach to your prescription glasses. Some clip onto the bridge in the middle and often are hinged to raise them out of the way inside. Other clip-on sunglasses have small hooks on the side to attach to the temples of your glasses. A few even use magnets to hold to metal eyeglass frames. All of them are a second best option when you consider that almost all of the designer sunglass manufacturers will produce a pair of prescription sunglasses for you.

You can't really expect to find cheap prescription sunglasses. They are made with the same types of materials and special grindings as the regular prescription eyewear. It is a comfort though that because of the extreme popularity and effectiveness of polarized sunglasses, your prescription sunglasses can be polarized at no extra cost. You can get the same features as regular lenses in your prescription sunglasses. Bifocals? No problem. Want transitional lenses? That is also available with prescription sunglasses.

As for brands, you have a full range of designer name eyewear to choose from. Ray-Ban and Panoptix carry a full series of prescription sunglass frames to fit your lenses in. Nine West, Anarchy and Bushnell all provide top of the line prescription sunglasses in so many styles you may have trouble deciding between them.

While most prescription sunglasses have their lenses made of polycarbonate, CR-39 grade plastic or Trivex (tm) lightweight plastic because of its improved scratch and shatter resistance, you can still get interchangeable glass lenses for indoor use. Prescription sunglasses do not adapt well to wrap around style sunglasses. The extreme curvature of wrap around sunglasses causes too much distortion of the view to be safe. One of the few exceptions to this rule is the Oakley brand "Penny" style semi-wrap around sunglasses that offer the wrap around look while allowing the lenses to remain in a flat configuration.

Whether you go to your local eye doctor or check around for the frames and lens manufacturer online, you will find both quality prescription sunglasses and often discounted prices on prewritten prescriptions. While the market for designer prescription sunglasses is mostly geared for the adult market, you can find several companies that will provide prescription sunglasses for toddlers as well.