# Do Rx sunglasses made for driving have any advantages **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249 "2011-06-05T20:30:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sumflow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@sumflow](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sumflow)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/1 "2011-06-05T20:30:55Z")
Do polarized photochromic lenses help fast driving? ---
**Author:** ![galant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@galant](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galant)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/2 "2011-06-05T20:50:03Z")
Actually you will be disappointed with the photochromic or transition lenses for driving. They don’t turn dark unless directly exposed to light, so while driving they are somewhat “protected” from the rays and you have minimal color change. Your eyes still see the light and are bothered by it. The better solution is clip-on’s or the larger sun glasses that cover over the whole prescription glass. The latter is better if you are very sensitive to light because it covers light coming at you from the sides too. You can buy either one for less than $20 at your local big box store. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/3 "2011-06-05T20:52:53Z")
If you do not need corrective lenses, then you do not need prescription glasses… $400 sunglasses will not improve your driving skill… ---
**Author:** ![AL5000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@AL5000](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AL5000)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/4 "2011-06-07T12:31:00Z")
Of course they help. They add about 5 HP and increase your MPG by 10%! ---
**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/5 "2011-06-07T12:54:40Z")
What other laws do you want to break, son? ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/6 "2011-06-07T14:14:10Z")
I don’t know about fast driving, but for normal sane people who don’t drive like maniacs on public roads, normal tinted lenses are fine. I have a few pairs tinted prescription glasses. Some have polarized lenses and some don’t. When the lenses are not polarized, you can get a darker tint (up to 80%). I usually only wear the polarized lenses when I go fishing or drive to a local power plant to view the manatees in the colder months. The biggest advantage of polarized lenses is they cut down on glare, helping you see into the water from above. Polarized lenses are great for bass fishing, but for driving on bright days, I prefer non-polarized lenses with a darker tint (80% grey tint). ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/7 "2011-06-07T15:24:03Z")
I too have prescription glasses. I’ve always worn sun glasses when I drive…And for the past 15 years they became prescription (damn old age). Sun glasses with UV protection is a great way to help prevent cataracts when you get older. I have a different pair of sun glasses for golf…They are a prescription insert with 3 interchangeable lens’s. These are great…Start golfing at 2 in the afternoon…by 7 when the sun starts going down…I change the lens to a yellow tint… ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/8 "2011-06-07T17:38:41Z")
I just got a pair of glasses that came with magnetic sunglasses. The magnet is to the side of the lens frame, so there’s no clip to scratch the lenses, and of course since the sunglasses were designed as part of the glasses, they fit perfectly. The brand name is Flexon, and I got them at Pearle Vision, if you want to check them out. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/9 "2011-06-07T18:46:11Z")
The larger “old person” glasses referenced by Galant can be bought polarized and actually have an additional advantage for those that like the windows open. They prevent the wind from rushin gin behind one’s prescription glasses and drying one’s eyes out. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/10 "2011-06-07T22:16:23Z")
Do polarized photochromic lenses help fast driving? No sunglasses will not make your car go faster. BTW I have noticed that the newer photochromic lenses doe react faster and they react even when they are not directly in the sunlight. ---
**Author:** ![MTraveler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@MTraveler](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MTraveler)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-rx-sunglasses-made-for-driving-have-any-advantages/65249/11 "2011-06-08T20:36:33Z")
Photochromic lenses darken based on UV intensity. Since a car windshield absorbs some UV the lenses don’t work as well for driving. The amount of darkening also varies based on the lens temperature. The warmer the lens the less it will darken. That’s why they can get quite dark on a cold but overcast day. I bought prescription Transition lenses mostly for motorcycle riding. They work great provided you don’t have a UV filtering face shield. For really bright sun and driving I use amber tint polarized clip-ons over the Transition lenses. The combination works well.