Many patients opt for clear lenses, but there are other options out there that may be of interest to you.  

Light-reactive lenses are a wonderful option for patients who are on the go.  These will automatically change into sunglasses when you go outdoors and lighten up when you return.  They are activated by UV light, and also temperature sensitive.  These are available in Brown tones, Grey tones, and a Green G-15 lens.  Uptown Eye Care works with Transitions brand lenses as well as the new release of Hoya's Sensity lens.  

Light-reactive lenses are an excellent option for kids who are active outdoors and less likely to put on sunglasses. Dr. Bauder's daughter loves her transition lenses and calls them her "magic sunglasses."  

Patients love their prescription sunwear!  Tints are available in a variety of colors and can be customized to your preferences.  We have had patients in grey, brown, green, amber, and even rose colored tints.  Do you prefer a light tint to help with mild glare or like double-black dipped sunglasses for extreme light sensitivity?  We can order them as light or dark as you prefer. 

Also, many fashion sunglasses are equipped with a gradient tint that is darker at the top and lighter at the bottom.  This can be done in prescription eyewear as well.  

Green/G-15

• Transmits all colors evenly and good for general purpose use
• Dims glare while brightening shadows
• Good for All outdoor activities
• Good in rain or shine

Brown and Amber

• Improves contrast
• Contains a red element to enhance depth perception
• Great for golf, tennis, high-altitude sports, fishing, or boating 
• Best in partly cloudy to sunny conditions

Yellow 

• Provides greater clarity in fog, haze, and other low-light conditions
• Filters out blue light that can make focusing difficult
• Great for skiing, mountain biking, hunting, aviation, tennis, and target shooting
• May cause color distortion
• Good for dawn, dusk, and foggy or hazy conditions

Purple and Blue 

• Fashionable and cosmetically appealing
• Reduces glare and helps to see contours
• Improves color perception
• Great for golf
• Good in misty, foggy and snowy conditions

Grey 

• Good for general purpose use
• Anti-fatigue and true color perception
• Dark enough to provide overall protection
• Reduces glare, especially off water
• Good for driving, baseball, tennis, football, soccer, water sports, and all other outdoor activities
• Good variable weather tint for both sunny or overcast days

Rose/Pink 

• Enhances visual depth and reduces eye strain
• Provides good road visibility
• Comforting to the eyes and helps adjust contrast
• Great for cycling and racing
• Good in most weather conditions, especially in snow.

Although you have more options for variability with a tinted lens, polarized lenses are what is recommended by our office.  Polarized lenses have special filters in them that help eliminate horizontal glare.  This can be found in many instances in our everyday world including:

• Sun reflections off the hood of your car when driving
• Sun reflecting on the lake or ocean
• Blinding glare on a sunny, snowy day
• Glare coming in windows onto your work surface
• Sun reflections on a roadway

Polarized lenses are 100% UV protected and available in grey, brown and green.  Because the glare is being reduced, clarity is much improved.  Pairing polarized lenses with a backside anti-reflective coating will make the ultimate pair of sunglasses for you.  

The only down side is that polarized lenses can make it difficult to see some LCD screens and cell phones because they filter out the , but the benefits far outnumber this inconvenience.

As mentioned above with tints, yellow tints have long been known to help reduce eyestrain and provide reduction of blue light rays.  In recent years, blue light damage has been studied extensively.  We are surrounded by blue light everyday--the sun, overhead fluorescent lighting, our computer screens, televisions, smartphones, tablets, and eReaders are all emitting these high energy light rays. 

We are all familiar with UV light and wear sunscreen and sunglasses to protect our skin and eyes.  However, this UV protection does not filter out the high energy wavelengths of blue light. 

Blue light can cause poor sleep cycles, eye fatigue, dry eyes, and increase your risk for macular degeneration. 

At Uptown Eye Care, we recommend blue light protection for all of our patients with extensive use of backlit devices as well as time outdoors.  Blue light protection is available in sunwear and clear lenses.