When it comes to transition eyewear, there seems to be a lot of confusion that has been thrown at the consumer. To begin, it is important to state that not all lenses that change color outdoors are Transition. Transition lenses are a brand. Why is this important you may ask? The other manufactures of photochromic lenses (lenses that change color in variant light) are not necessarily created equally to Transitions in the technology used to allow the lenses to change.
Many of you, reading this post may remember the old glass photo grey lenses. Not only were these lenses heavy, but they didn’t exactly change colors well and had a hideous residual yellow hue. While they were a great concept, the technology left much to be desired. Since then, there have been many attempts at creating this type of lens. When it comes to photochromic technology it is key to making sure to get a Transition brand lens, and not a sub par quality lens if you are looking to have the darkest possible lenses outdoors and rapidly changing lenses indoors. Transitions VII lenses offer no residual color indoors, and when paired with Crizal glare-free products, their function is enhanced.
So what are the benefits and drawbacks of this lens technology? In our opinion, Transition VII lenses are a great feature to add to eyewear; however, we do not find them suitable to replace sunglass lenses. The main reason we feel Transition VII lenses are not a sunglass replacement is that they do not get dark enough for most patients in the car. Transition lenses are a wonderful convenience. They allow you to leave your sunglasses in the car and use Transition lenses when you are directly outdoors, walking the dog, playing outside with your kids, or running errands. The best part is that because they are built into the lenses, there is nothing to keep track of. Currently, there are several different Transition products available depending on your individual needs.
Transition lenses introduced a new product in the line called Transition Xtra Active. This lens technology does darken in the car and near a window indoors, but leaves a minor residual color indoors. In addition, there is a Transition Vantage lens that is polaroid Transition; however, similarly to the Transition Xtra Active this lens also retains color indoors. This lens is recommended for people that do a lot of driving and going from indoors to outdoors constantly.
Your eye are professional can help you to asses your needs and identify which Transition lens technology is best for your lifestyle.