How Much Do Transition Lenses Cost Versus Regular Ones? (2024)

FAQs

How much more expensive are transition lenses? ›

You are probably asking: How much are transition lenses? A transition lens will typically add a little over $100 to a normal prescription eyeglass lens. This saves a lot of money when compared to the price of prescription sunglasses, which can be up to $600!!! Transition Lenses are also a great option for children.

Transition lenses add roughly $100–$400 to the cost of prescription eyeglasses. There are many factors that come into play around that cost, including the type of lenses you're buying. The options are plastic, polycarbonate, bi-focal, and progressive lenses.

Cost effective – Photochromic or transitional lenses can actually be quite cost effective. With transitional lenses, you end up not having to buy two pairs of glasses: prescription sunglasses and normal glasses. You get the best of both, rolled into one simple solution.

This price won't include your prescription or the frames. By the time you add in the prescription, frames and the lens, the average consumer reported paying anywhere from $250 to $450 without any insurance. Those who did have a vision insurance policy reported paying 10 to 50 percent of this price.

Generally speaking, prescription sunglasses are going to look more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing than transition lenses.

Transitions lenses are designed to last two years, which is generally the lifetime of your vision care prescription. In order to keep your prescription lenses current, regular, comprehensive eye exams are recommended to determine any prescription changes and help prevent any other eye problems.

Transition lenses can convert into sunglasses, but not entirely. If you need a darker lens to reduce the glare, then you need a dark sunglass or a polarized sunglass. So, transition lenses might not replace sunglasses in all situations.

One reason progressive lenses cost more than other kinds is that they're harder to make. Cutting and shaping the gradient on progressive lenses is simply a more delicate and time-consuming process than cutting a lens with the same prescription throughout—or even one with multiple fixed prescriptions.

Photochromic lenses are available as add-ons to most types of glasses. Depending on your vision needs, you can get photochromic single-vision lenses, progressive lenses, and even reading glasses or non-prescription glasses.

If you are looking for better contrast to increase visual acuity for things like golfing and fishing, then transition brown is the color for you. If you are looking for the absolute darkest transition lens possible, you should veer towards transition gray.

Are transition lens good for driving? ›

Combining the benefits of photochromic and fixed polarization, Transitions^® Drivewear^® provide you with the optimal vision experience and color contrast while you are driving, reacting to both UV and visible light. The lens color and the level of darkness adapt to light conditions while driving.

Transitions® Signature® lenses meet the needs of most glasses-wearers and are ideal for everyday wear. They start as clear as traditional eyeglasses, then darken according to the amount of UV light present.

Your out-of-pocket expense (co-insurance) will vary depending on the lens selected. Medicare does not pay for upgrades, such as progressive or transition lenses. The additional cost for these upgrades would be an out-of-pocket expense for you.

For progressive lenses, you won't need to carry a pair of glasses for distance and another for reading. For Transitions lenses, you don't need to carry a pair of regular glasses and a pair of Transitions lenses. Another major difference is that Transitions lenses provide much more protection of your eyes.

Most leading vision care plans—such as Anthem, EyeMed, VSP, and Versant Health's Davis and Superior plans—cover Transitions lenses for a fixed co-pay that may vary based on your plan's details. And some offer Transitions lenses to kids for free.

“Transitions Signature GEN 8 lenses are meant to replace your clear lenses. Because the windshield of your car blocks the UV light that is required for these lenses to activate, they won't work in the car.

To make the transition lens darker, keep the lenses cool. If you are particularly photosensitive, you might want to consider adding some additional tinting to your transition lenses. This will keep them from reverting to a completely clear state. It will also allow them to reach a darker shade during transitioning.

Yes, transition lenses accept anti-glare (AR) coating, and there are good reasons to have one applied. An anti-glare coating makes your glasses look better to others. They restrict stray reflections on the front of your lenses, the reflections that mask your eyes.

Transitions XTRActive new generation lenses help provide the best blue light protection indoors², and block up to 90% of harmful blue light outdoors³. They are extra-dark in sunlight to help provide you with the best overall blue light protection across light situations⁴.

Transition™ has created several options over the years, but the four best known are Signature GEN 8, XTRActive, Vantage, and DriveWear. It is good to know that not all lens types have polarization capabilities, and only some are recommended to wear while operating a vehicle.

Can you use lens wipes on transition lenses? ›

HOW DO I CARE FOR MY TRANSITIONS^® LENSES? Transitions^® lenses can be cleaned like most lenses – with a lens cleaner, mild soap or a microfiber lens cleaning cloth. Do not use window cleaner to clean your prescription eyeglasses, as it contains chemicals that could break down the coatings on your lenses.

Rubbing alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol, should not be used to clean eyeglasses. This harsh chemical also runs the risk of damaging the lenses, their special coating, and the eyeglass frames.

A There is no truth in this old wives tale! Some photochromics will appear darker, or even too dark, in cold temperatures due to slower opening and closing of the photo-chromic molecules, but storing your lenses in the freezer will not enhance performance or life span.

While transition lenses are more useful for deflecting glare and sunlight when you're driving during the day, transition lenses are also good for night driving in some cases. The strongest case for using transition lenses to drive at night is that they can create sharper vision in low-light conditions.

Conclusion. When making the decision between transitions or polarized lenses, it is important to remember that one is not better than the other. Both transitions and polarized lenses offer the same UV protection. Polarized lenses reduce glare and increase contrast, while transitions offer an all-in-one solution.

Getting Used to Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses can be difficult to get used to initially, and you may experience distortion in your vision until you get used to them. It can take anywhere between a week to a couple of months to adapt and get used to progressive lenses.

So no matter where you live or what you do—day in and day out—Transitions lenses are the ideal everyday prescription eyeglasses for children, adults, and patients with special eye care needs.

Transition sunglasses, which are also called photochromic sunglasses, have lenses that change from clear to dark in color. The lenses can darken and lighten because they are made with special dyes that chemically change when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Gray Lenses

Gray or smoke-colored lenses are the most popular choices. That's not surprising, since they provide a clear image on both sunny and cloudy days, and provide great overall protection against glare. Additionally, gray lenses allow true color recognition so you'll see colors in their truest form.

Do transition lenses look like sunglasses? ›

They start as standard, clear prescription lenses when you're indoors. Once exposed to sunlight, the chloride and silver halide molecules are stimulated and become darker. In about 30 seconds, they resemble sunglasses rather than clear eyeglasses.

When Transition lenses do wear out, they will take on a yellowish tinge when they're clear. They will no longer get as dark at that point. Transition lenses don't get as dark as standard sunglasses.

What colour lens is considered best for driving? Grey, amber, and brown tinted lenses are most often preferred for driving. Pink, red, and blue tints are not recommended for driving sunglasses because, although stylish, they can distort colours on traffic lights.

Night driving glasses have non-prescription yellow or amber-tinted lenses and can be purchased over the counter. Yellow-tinted lenses for night driving help to filter out blue light, the light most likely to cause glare when it enters the eye.

Don't clean your lenses with Windex or any glass cleaners. Using glass cleaners can damage the anti-reflective treatment or other lens treatments. Don't place your glasses face down on any surface.

As of 2023, Medicare does not cover most vision care, including eye exams, glasses, lenses, and contacts. Medicare will only cover medically necessary vision care, such as cataract surgery or eye exams for glaucoma.

Prescription sunglasses use a similar prescription lens as regular eyeglasses, with the added feature of darkened lenses to help protect the eyes against the sun and other UV light. In a pair of transition lens glasses, the lens darkens only when exposed to light which protects the eyes from the sun and UV light.

You will not harm your eyes by wearing your old glasses. However, you may prefer not wearing them since, in most cases, your vision will have improved after surgery, in particular your distance vision.

Would I recommend transition lenses? Definitely. It saves money and it's convenient. New technological advancement for this lens will make it last longer, change colors faster, go clearer indoors, and darker when you are outside.

Cost effective – Photochromic or transitional lenses can actually be quite cost effective. With transitional lenses, you end up not having to buy two pairs of glasses: prescription sunglasses and normal glasses. You get the best of both, rolled into one simple solution.

Do transition lenses help astigmatism? ›

Do transition lenses help astigmatism? No. At this time, transition lenses are not available for patients with astigmatism.

As a result, just like clear lenses, Transitions lenses do not activate inside a car. However, Transitions^® XTRActive^® lenses react to visible light so they do moderately darken behind the windshield. In fact, many people use them while driving.

The strength of progressive lenses is actually the factor that leads to initial peripheral blurriness. Progressive lenses tend to be blurry on the sides because each lens promotes three fields of vision: An upper lens segment designed to help the wearer see objects in the distance.

How Long Do Transitions Lenses Take To React? They typically take around 30 seconds to fully darken and between two to five minutes to return to a clear state.

One reason progressive lenses cost more than other kinds is that they're harder to make. Cutting and shaping the gradient on progressive lenses is simply a more delicate and time-consuming process than cutting a lens with the same prescription throughout—or even one with multiple fixed prescriptions.

For instance, since extremely high temperatures can affect lens performance, Transitions lenses may not always get as dark as sunglasses. Also, since they are activated by UV exposure, most Transitions lenses don't work behind the windshield of a car (your windshield actually blocks UV rays).

Transition Lenses Can Be Added to Any Existing Frame

While you can't add transitions to your existing lenses, the lens replacement service at Overnight Glasses allows you to get new transition lenses for your current frames.

If you are looking for better contrast to increase visual acuity for things like golfing and fishing, then transition brown is the color for you. If you are looking for the absolute darkest transition lens possible, you should veer towards transition gray.

Transition lenses generally last the life of a pair of glasses (or longer), though they do wear out after years of use. Most Transition lenses wear out in about three years, with a yellowish tinge forming in the lenses while clear and a noticeable reduction of the lenses' darkness in full sunlight.

Since UV rays are able to penetrate through the clouds, not only do transition lenses darken on bright sunny days, but also when the sky is cloudy and overcast. Transition lenses automatically adjust their color according to the light and UV intensity in the environment.

Do I need sunglasses if I have transition lenses? ›

Transition lenses can convert into sunglasses, but not entirely. If you need a darker lens to reduce the glare, then you need a dark sunglass or a polarized sunglass. So, transition lenses might not replace sunglasses in all situations.

If you want a good all-around pair of sunglasses or can only take one pair on a trip, then brown lenses are a good choice. They are not as good as gray lenses when it comes to blocking sunlight, but they do an excellent job while increasing contrast, clarity, and depth perception by filtering out blue light.

Transition sunglasses, which are also called photochromic sunglasses, have lenses that change from clear to dark in color. The lenses can darken and lighten because they are made with special dyes that chemically change when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.