[glassyeyes | 7085] Feedback Wanted: Zenni Customers who Bought Photochromatic Lenses

[powrwrap]

C'mon peeps! I'm thinking of ordering photochromatic lenses (auto
darkening/auto lightening) with my next foray into online eyeglasses.
I'm a die hard Zenni customer so I'm looking for feedback from people
with photochromatic lenses bought from Zenni.

What do you like about them?

What don't you like about them?

Do they darken/lighten quickly? How quickly?

When they turn dark are they as effective in blocking sunlight as
regular (80%) tinted lenses?

How well do they work in cold or hot weather?

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated.

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[David Keel]

I know you asked about Zenni specifically, but your questions about photochromic lenses probably apply to many vendors.

What do you like about them?

It's nice to have them if I forget to bring my clip-on.

What don't you like about them?

You have to look directly at the sun to get them to darken. When driving, they are little help at all and will not help with glare.

Do they darken/lighten quickly? How quickly?

They darken rather quickly. They take much longer to turn clear again.

When they turn dark are they as effective in blocking sunlight as regular (80%) tinted lenses?

IMO, no. I still wear a clip-on in sunlight.

How well do they work in cold or hot weather?

They work better in cold weather than in hot. Over all, I am sort of ambivalent about them. I thought I could dispense with a clip-on but that turned out to not be the case. I would never pay a lot for photochromic. To me they are a back-up for the clip-on. If I am going out to lunch, I will often just use the photochromic lenses and not bother with my clip-on. They are not (IMO) as cool as they look on TV. Dave

[powrwrap]

> On May 13, 1:10 pm, David Keel <dkeel.texas...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I know you asked about Zenni specifically, but your questions about photochromic lenses probably apply to many vendors.
>

> It's nice to have them if I forget to bring my clip-on.

> You have to look directly at the sun to get them to darken. When driving, they are little help at all and will not help with glare.

> They darken rather quickly. They take much longer to turn clear again.

> Over all, I am sort of ambivalent about them. I thought I could dispense with a clip-on but that turned out to not be the case. I would never pay a lot for photochromic. To me they are a back-up for the clip-on. If I am going out to lunch, I will often just use the photochromic lenses and not bother with my clip-on.
>
> They are not (IMO) as cool as they look on TV.
>
> Dave

Thanks for the input. I was hoping to ditch my set of tinted
eyeglasses as I'm getting tired of switching glasses every time I go
outside, but it doesn't sound promising according to your report,
especially the part about glare while driving.

[Chuck Knight]

According to the old Zenni site, they stated that photochromics have the benefit of always being there, and responding directly to the levels of UV light.  The negatives were that they don't get as dark as the 80% (closer to 60% if memory serves), and that they require UV light to work. 

Why is this important?  Because all car windshields have UV blockers in them, so they won't darken as much as you might like or expect.

     -- Chuck Knight

[Lucille]

On May 13, 11:44 am, powrwrap <powrw...@aol.com> wrote:
> C'mon peeps! I'm thinking of ordering photochromatic lenses (auto
> darkening/auto lightening) with my next foray into online eyeglasses.
> I'm a die hard Zenni customer so I'm looking for feedback from people
> with photochromatic lenses bought from Zenni.
>
> What do you like about them?
>
> What don't you like about them?
>
> Do they darken/lighten quickly? How quickly?
>
> When they turn dark are they as effective in blocking sunlight as
> regular (80%) tinted lenses?
>
> How well do they work in cold or hot weather?
>
> Any other comments would be greatly appreciated.
>

I like my photochromic lenses from Zenni. One of the things that I
like is that they get quite dark in sunlight, noticeably darker than
my previous pairs of "high-end" Transitions lenses ordered from local
opticians. In my nontechnical opinion, I'd estimate the Transitions
lenses to darken to about 50%, and the Zenni to 80%.

The Zenni's darken up quickly, and take a while to lighten up again;
but this may be because they get so much darker than the Transitions
lenses that I'd tried before.

I never noticed any difference between cold and hot weather.

While I like the Zenni photochromics a lot, I never depend on them
entirely to protect my eyes from the sun. If I'm going to be out for
any length of time I always wear a hat with a brim to keep the sun
out of my eyes; and I also have a pair of 80% grey tinted prescription
sunglasses that I use.





> --
> Check us out at the oft-updatedhttp://glassyeyes.blogspot.com!

[silenthunder]

I just got a pair of photochromatics from zenni.

i have also had transitions (on essilor lenses) from my optician -
several times (as far back as a i can remember)

negligible differences between the transitions and the photochromatics
- other than weight (the transitions were a higher index though so
this is not a fair comparison)

there is a slight possibility that the 1.57 zenni photochromatic may
be a bit thicker than regular 1.57 lens they use ( i posted a thread
about this a couple days ago but have had no responses to my query)

my power is moderately bad though so all this thickness stuff will not
apply to you unless you are like me: around a -4.25 or so

the one thing of note here though: i have had a pair of transitions
that i regularly used for going on 5 years, and the neutral shade
(i.e. the base shade outside of light) has barely changed. I don't
know how zenni lenses will be different - with time they may get
discolored (i have heard that some photochromatic lenses do this)
again - I just don't know if zenni lenses do this - they may not.

I have not noticed ANY difference in the speed to change. have not
noticed ANY difference in how dark they get versus transitions (seem
comparable, zenni possibly lighter?)

NO photochromatic lense works in a car due to the UV blocking of the
windshield (i guess if you're in a convertible or sunroof open there
is exception), and i agree with previous poster that they won't cut
down on glare at all simply b/c they are not polarized - although the
zenni anti-glare coating is better than i expected.

on the whole I am VERY happy with the photochromatic effect on my
zenni lenses compared to my transitions. and the price is VERY good.

[Beaugrand®™©]

I was an "early adopter" of photochromic lenses in the day when they
had to be glass. At that time we had the choice between "Photo Grey"
and "Photo Sun." "Photo Grey" didn't get as dark as "Photo Sun" but
"Photo Sun" never quite lightened as much as "Photo Grey."

I didn't like either of them- I had both- because they didn't darken
as fast as I could clip on my clip-ons, or flip down my flip-ups.

For the merest fraction of the cost of photochromic or transition
lenses I can buy a pair of polarized, UV-blocking, 80% tint clip-ons,
or clip-on flip-ups, in my choice of tint, even at retail prices. (I
never pay full retail, I always get them at the end of the season,
when they're marked down 80-90%. Trust me, they'll work just as well
next summer...)

WHL

Character is doing the right thing when no one is watching.

> Check us out at the oft-updatedhttp://glassyeyes.blogspot.com!

[Valerie]

I got my first pair or photochromatic lenses in a couple of decades,
from Zenni. They're great for going in and out of the house in
summer, or walking around outdoors. It's bright up here in summer,
and I never take the time to juggle clipons or sunglasses. I keep my
prescription sunglasses in the car.

They don't get as dark as my sunglasses, but definitely cut down the
glare. I wear them all seasons.

One thing I didn't know about photochromatic lenses - it's a film, not
a tint. And computer screencleaner is not the same thing as glasses
cleaner! It makes the film crack. I'm glad I only paid $80 for
them...going online to order another pair, which I will take better
care of. :-)

On May 13, 10:44 am, powrwrap <powrw...@aol.com> wrote:
> C'mon peeps! I'm thinking of ordering photochromatic lenses (auto
> darkening/auto lightening) with my next foray into online eyeglasses.
> I'm a die hard Zenni customer so I'm looking for feedback from people
> with photochromatic lenses bought from Zenni.
>
> What do you like about them?
>
> What don't you like about them?
>
> Do they darken/lighten quickly? How quickly?
>
> When they turn dark are they as effective in blocking sunlight as
> regular (80%) tinted lenses?
>
> How well do they work in cold or hot weather?
>
> Any other comments would be greatly appreciated.
>
> --

> Check us out at the oft-updatedhttp://glassyeyes.blogspot.com!

[Sasha]

I was under the impression that photochromatic lenses are not a film
but a
gas sandwiched between two layers of lens material. In my experience
they
have tended to lose their photochromatic quality somewhat over several
years of use,
a condition I attributed to gas "leaking" from between, or through,
the plastic
lenses. Anyone else know anything about this?