Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

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currysonic
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Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by currysonic »

Hi all,

I lost my prescription sunglasses lately, and I can't afford a new pair. I used my insurance to get a new pair of glasses just before I lost them too :(

Anyone have suggestions for affordable "sun blocking solutions" or can share what you use? I do instruct VFR, so not having sunglasses is getting very uncomfortable.

Thanks!
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montado
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by montado »

Glasses and greeting cards, the most marked up retail BS on the planet. The only advice I can give is go the non brand name route. Try buying online, some places have a sweet deal for your first pair etc. “Clearly” or some other online retailers. Your glasses probably won’t look great but if you are just looking for functionality should be able to get a pair for under 100 bucks. Get something shipped from China if you have to.

And if you want to know why glasses cost so much just take a look into this monopoly:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica

Luxottica pretty much won’t let any brand touch them, becuase anyone who starts taking shelf space they buy them.
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7ECA
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by 7ECA »

Head down to your local MEC, you can find a decent assortment of affordable sunnies and lots of interchangeable lenses (tints/colours/finishes).
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currysonic
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by currysonic »

Hey thanks!

I've decided to just get 90 day contacts and wear cheap sunglasses for now as a stopgap measure. Unfortunately I got thick framed glasses so nothing really wraps around or snaps on.

But yes glasses are ridiculously priced! Perhaps I should start my own company!
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After Dark
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by After Dark »

I wear contacts instead of glasses. Not ideal as I have a bi-focal prescription. You can get killer sunglasses from www.ryderseyewear.com Vancouver based. Really good selection and prescriptions coming soon!

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C-GGGQ
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by C-GGGQ »

Go to bass pro/ cabellas. You are looking for a brand called Cocoon. Usually run $60 made to wrap around glasses. Gave a pair to my legally blind friend to go over his coke bottles. Should work for you
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CpnCrunch
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by CpnCrunch »

Try Zenni Optical. My wife and I have used them a number of times, and the quality is good. You won't get any nice designer sunglasses, but they are functional. Note that it sometimes takes a few weeks or longer for them to arrive due to them using USPS.
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Posthumane
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Re: Alternatives to prescription sunglasses

Post by Posthumane »

I second Zenni optical. I usually buy a couple different pairs of glasses at a time there because they are quite inexpensive. The quality is usually pretty good. I have been getting glasses with either magnetic or springy clip-ons, turning my regular glasses into sunglasses. If you're going that route, buy at least 3 pairs of clip-ons as they are easy to lose. They are polarized, which is nice for driving and most VFR flying, but if you have LCD screens in your plane they may not be compatible.
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