I had them one time, but found that with aging eyes, it drove me crazy that they did not transition back to clear quickly enough. If I went from the car (they don't transition to sunglasses inside a car, so I still had to have sunglasses to drive), stepped out of the car, they would darken, I'd walk into a store and be unable to see because they were now dark and took too long to lighten. Also, if you need bright light to read something outdoors, they thwart that because they are sunglasses you can't remove. I would never get them again.

DH has worn them a few years and 'sort of' likes them most of the time. When he comes in from outdoors, I notice they look too dark to me - they don't immediately return to clear. I just asked him if they functioned well enough when he was driving and he answered 'not quite as well as I'd like them to'. I have noticed times I'm reaching almost blindly for my sunglasses with sun in my eyes as his passenger as he continues to drive comfortably. OF course he's taller than I am too and the late afternoon sun may strike his face through the windshield differently.

He goes without when doing something like digging clams. OK, in all honesty, they can become wet with fog or drizzle and salt spray and then he can't see wearing them, if its bright out they turn dark and he can't see where the clams are any better than if he leaves them in his truck 😊

He must like them well enough to continue to wear them. He's happy with the frame style still and his prescription has not changed in three years so the lenses have not been replaced. His eye doctor says he has a couple of small cataracts that are not of consequence, BUT - if he were to choose to have those removed he could likely eliminate the need for glasses. He's considering doing that this winter.

Maybe they have improved them since my years ago prescription, but mine did not transition even a tiny bit inside the car or anywhere else where the glass had UV blocking. If I drove with the sunroof open and the sun was facing the right direction, they might darken a bit, but I really hated not being able to control when and how they darkened.

Oly, DH's do look darker to me when he's driving and through the auto glass. He never opens the sun roof in his truck or my car, not ever. Neither do I, I just don't think to. For some unexplained reason, I am the only one in my family who has never worn glasses. I passed my Spring eye exam this year too and I'd gone quite certain I was due for a pair....labels on grocery store products are really hard for me. But that's the reason I just questioned DH, I have no real experience of my own.

My last pair was from maybe 7 years ago or so. There was a convenience factor but it wasn't the best of both worlds. Even at their darkest I wanted darker. Indoors I never felt like they went 100% clear, though this was more of a cosmetic complaint than functional. I remember not loving them for driving but I don't recall if they didn't darken at all or just not enough. Walking indoors was always an an annoying adjustment; often I'd find myself switching back and forth between blind from blurriness and blind from darkness when I'd walk into stores. Temperature affects them; I recall additional frustrations in the cold.

Overall I didn't love them but I did't hate them. I lost my glasses in the harbor a few years back and haven't replaced them. If and when I do I'll probably think about transitions again but opt out.

When I was in my teens and 20s I had transitional lenses but they drove me crazy as they didn't really transition very fast when I went indoors and all the photographs of me the lenses are dark wherever I was as the flash would make them transition. I haven't had transitional lenses for nearly 40 years now and I don't miss them.

My latest glasses, the frames come with "clip on" sunglasses lenses, where they "clip" on using tiny magnets built into the tops of the frames so they look like they're meant to be sunglasses instead of those dreadful clip on sunglasses lenses they used to have that looked hideous. You might explore this option.

Not a user, but I have to say that I really don't like the look of these on other people. There's something just halfway, not getting a true look at the person's eyes.

I've had them for many years. I tried magnetic "clip on" sunglasses that went over my prescription glasses, but was not a fan. Ever.

Transitional lenses I've had a choice of, come in two colors ... gray or golden/brown. And they come in two depths of color. DARK, or light. I get gray and light. This means, my lenses are always very faintly gray, and when they transition, they get slightly darker but not DARK.

I accidently ordered the DARK version two prescriptions ago, and hated them. Too dark for me, and a very long time to return to the "inside" color. I've been very careful since then, and my optometrist even has my preference noted on his records, and asks when I'm changing glasses, do I still want the light transition. When he asks, that triggers me to ask if there's any new options to pick from.

This year's pair returns to the normal light gray much quicker than before. And as I walk into a store, I'm not blind due to the darkness of the lens.

I would not like having to carry the second pair of prescription glasses/sunglasses in my purse or pocket, and switch back and forth as I moved from inside to outside and back again. I'd either lose the second pair or break them. And that would be over $800 out of pocket with my prescription as my insurance covers just one pair of lenses per year.

Greatest thing ever invented. The only problem is when you are in an outdoor group photo!

Don't know if they've improved any, but I had them many decades ago and didn't like them. I was working under fluorescents all day which darkened them so my eyes were always behind a tint and it made me look dark. I had to heat the lenses to make them go all the way clear, but it was temporary at best.

I was so done with these when driving in Hawaii. They'd stay dark too long after I entered a tunnel, then only begin to lighten when I was back out in the sun. When these can mimic the human eye, I'll give them another chance.

I got them about 7 years ago. (Maybe they've improved since then.) I was sorry I bought them. They were not strong enough as sunglasses and took long enough to go clear that when I walked into a store, it was hard to shop.

Been there, done that, won't do it again.

Son had them once, hated them.

DIL has them now, hates them and is anxiously awaiting time to get a new prescription.

All for the same main reasons others have mentioned above, slow and inconvenient transitioning.

I did have a pair that came with the magnetic sunglasses, and loved the ease and convenience of them.

Rusty

I heard someone once say that because of their light to dark and dark to light change characteristics, transition lenses were ultimately poor sunglasses and poor indoor glasses.

I've worn glasses for most of my adult life. I've never found prescription sunglasses to be inconvenient. Two sets, one in my car, one in the house for use outside, easily accessible for use.,

I find men wearing such glasses seem look like film characters in a Fellini movie. Trying to look suave and stylish in a Mediterranean-Continental way. That's probably just my own mental image.

I started wearing these when they first came out (late 70's?) or back when I could first afford them, nyuk. The early ones were terrible when it came to clearing up indoors and were always somewhat tinted. My present pair are just 2 years old and they have improved a lot over the years. Very dark when outside in the sun and they clear up rather quickly indoors. I was outside a few minutes ago but now in front of my pc and they are clear as can be. I do find that when I'm at the beach where the sun is reflecting off the water and the sand, adding a polarized clip-on helps a lot with the extra beach glare.

I find men wearing such glasses seem look like film characters in a Fellini movie. Trying to look suave and stylish in a Mediterranean-Continental way. That's probably just my own mental image.

LOL Elmer!

vgkg, maybe we should call you Ray? Short for

Re della verdura - (said as if "ray della verdura")

(Vegetable King in Italian, thx to Google Translate)

I bought a pair about 5 years ago and have been disappointed with them.

In the summer I like to read at the beach and I find myself squinting under the glasses. They seem to darken things but not in a way that's very useful. I prefer polarized sunglasses and my transitions are not polarized. Apparently someone makes a polarized version now but I don't know how that would affect the indoor functionality.

My glasses are slow to change when I move from outdoors to indoors and I swear they take longer now vs when they were new. They also are never really clear indoors and I don't like the look of wearing tinted glasses indoors.

I've had prescription sunglasses in the past and found the switching of glasses to be a nuisance. There is no easy solution except to carry around multiple pairs of this and that depending on what you'll be doing on any particular day.

" There is no easy solution except to carry around multiple pairs of this and that depending on what you'll be doing on any particular day."

Yet if you like many others become farsighted as you age and need to use reading glasses, that's exactly what you'll do unless you get lenses with corrections for both near and far. Some who do this may be dissatisfied and can't get used to using these either.

I have used transitions, separate sunglasses, and custom made clip-ons. My preference is the custom made clip-on. Easy to use in the car, no issue with dark lenses when going inside, and replacing a lost clip-on is far cheaper than a new pair of prograssive bi-focal prescription sunglasses.

I had the original style Transitions about 5 years ago and couldnt wait to get rid of them. They were useless in the car and were never dark enough for me outdoors. The newer version apparently will darken inside the car, but indoors they retain a light tint as opposed to being clear.

" My preference is the custom made clip-on. "

Do you wear eyeglasses with large lenses?

Longer ago than I can remember, my ophthalmologist told me to try to always get sunglasses with large lenses. The reason being - one of the benefits of wearing sunglasses is they block UV radiation that's damaging to eyes. He explained that UV rays bounce off of many surfaces and thus the harmful radiation comes from more angles than just directly from the sun.

My regular glasses are not particularly small, maybe more medium size, but my sunglasses are significantly larger. If you see sunglass frames with lenses larger than your regular glasses have, it's something to think about. For me, protecting my eyesight is a higher priority than convenience.

I have some clip-on sunglasses that I like to use, but I also have some prescription sunglasses, and I much prefer using those. The clip-ons are very convenient to use, as it is easy to switch from sunglasses to regular, but they do not function nearly as well as my prescription sunglasses.