[Vertigo-1]

I've got this pair of Oakley Chop Top 2.0 frames that I got Oakley clear RX lenses put into...and for whatever reason, the vision's just distorted, particularly at the edges of the lenses. I tried using these for a month in hopes that my eyes would adjust, but they just never did. I'm not sure if the lenses are made incorrectly or what, but I haven't been able to use these glasses as a result of this. Which is like $200 down the toilet.

(If anybody has any idea what's up here, feel free to speak up...I'm debating raising hell with the optometrist that sent these to Oakley for the lenses if the lenses really are made incorrectly somehow, even though it's not his fault...)

On the other hand, my current pair of glasses, Oakley Thread 2.0s, have the thinnest lenses available from Walmart in them, and these things fit me like a glove from day one. My eyes instantly adjusted, there was no distortion anywhere, and the A/R coating seems very durable. Given the positive experience with Walmart lenses and their crafting, I'm now interested in having the Chop Top's represcriptioned at Walmart, but I'm considering having them be Transitions while I'm at it since they'd look great as sunglasses as well.

So...anybody else here have Transitions? I've got some questions for you...

1. Do the lenses always have a tinted look to them in normal room lighting, or is that a thing of the past?

2. Have you had any problems with them not transitioning to dark when behind a car's windshield? I've read that the transition effect is activated by UV rays, whereas a car's windshield has enough UV protection built in to prevent the transitioning effect from happening.

3. How long does it take for the transition from light to dark and vice versa to occurr? I think this may vary depending on who's the manufacturer behind the transition lenses...from what I gather Walmart seems to be offering the real deal from the Transitions company.

4. I've read that Transition lenses have a pretty short lifespan of a year to two years before they lose the ability to transition...is that true?


Thanks!

 

[scrypt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo-1 I've got this pair of Oakley Chop Top 2.0 frames that I got Oakley clear RX lenses put into...and for whatever reason, the vision's just distorted, particularly at the edges of the lenses.

I haven't had that experience at all:-- though I'm not an Oakleyphile, I've yet to wear a set of their prescription frames that exaggerated the Escher Effect. Then again, I always choose thinned lenses.

As of this moment, I'm wearing rubble-cheap but perfect Chop-Top Titanium 4.0 frames, thanks to the gracious ministrations of the ebay seller, high_fashion_eyes. (He is absolutely the most reliable and honest buyer I've dealt with; his frames/lenses include more accessories that you'd ever get in a store and arrive in such perfect condition that you can smell the new leather and metal.) I've had nothing but good luck with transition lenses so far.

1. "Do the lenses always have a tinted look to them in normal room lighting, or is that a thing of the past?" Mine don't appear tinted so long as I avoid the sun, but I do wait interminably for them to lighten after sunlight exposure. It's the waiting period after exposure that once caused a friend to call his wife Hyde at dinner. And no, she wasn't amused; she despises That 70s Show.

I opted for the sepia lenses because I like antique colors and because they don't darken as much as the green, which makes them more subtle. However, many people opt for green to heighten the darkening effect.

2. "Have you had any problems with them not transitioning to dark when behind a car's windshield? I've read that the transition effect is activated by UV rays, whereas a car's windshield has enough UV protection built in to prevent the transitioning effect from happening." Gazing through the open side window during a red light activates them for quite a long time, I've found. And I'm not certain how that works, since transition lenses usually have UV protection as well -- perhaps it's a question of the ordering of layers.

3. "How long does it take for the transition from light to dark and vice versa to occur[]?" I can only tell you how long mine take: a moment or two to darken, twice as many to lighten again.

4. "I've read that Transition lenses have a pretty short lifespan of a year to two years before they lose the ability to transition...is that true?" I've worn transition lenses for more than two years' time. They've kept their ability; pity I can't say the same for the level of depth vision I retained before procuring the sordid bastards.

I've contemplated putting transition lenses in my Kio Yamato frames. In the end, I'm likely to uncoil for prescription sunglasses and forgo half-hearted measures.

 

[Elec]

My mom has had them for a few years now and really likes not having to carry around a separate pair of prescription sunglasses. They seem to darken pretty quickly but take a little longer to clear up again. She sometimes complains about that when say, walking into a dark store after being outside on a sunny day. She's also had some issues with them going dark while in meetings at work in a rather sunny conference room.

Keep in mind I haven't worn/owned said lenses, but it seems like sort of a tradeoff. They're not quite perfect, but you can lose the extra pair of shades.

 

[KYTGuy]

The colder the weather/ambient temperature, the slower they transition...

Clear to dark is pretty fast, the other way is slower...

Old ones are a little slower, and their range of dark to light narrows a little, but I have the same technology (not Transitions) that is over five years old, and they are a little yellow in natural state, but still darken well...

The amount of darkness is related to how thick the lenses are and the amount of UV, so they will be darker at the edges of most glasses, and will not darken as much inside a car (this is a good thing, as you can still read the gauges, etc)

 

[Alexhifi]

I had transitions for several years, was never particularly happy with them. I now own sunglasses and regular glasses...I find dedicated sunglasses better. The reason I say that is because I got a larger frame and they are more darkly tinted then a transition.

As for the distortion in the Oakleys, it could be from the huge bend those things have. It could be very difficult to get a lense cut that doesn't distort. I would, of course, complain and see if it can be corrected.

-Alex

 

[Kenny12]

i use presciption transison lenses and i havn't any any problems with them, i'm too lazy to carry around two pair of glasses esp if they both need to be prescription

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo-1 So...anybody else here have Transitions? I've got some questions for you... 1. Do the lenses always have a tinted look to them in normal room lighting, or is that a thing of the past?

Yes, this is a pretty much thing of the past. There is always a VERY VERY slight tint because they only let about 85% of light through I think, but you shouldn't be able to notice it.
Quote:

2. Have you had any problems with them not transitioning to dark when behind a car's windshield? I've read that the transition effect is activated by UV rays, whereas a car's windshield has enough UV protection built in to prevent the transitioning effect from happening.

Yes, this is a problem. Even inside a convertible with the top down, I could not get enough UV to darken the lens significantly. With a normal car, there is almost imperceptable change.
Quote:

3. How long does it take for the transition from light to dark and vice versa to occurr? I think this may vary depending on who's the manufacturer behind the transition lenses...from what I gather Walmart seems to be offering the real deal from the Transitions company.

Going to dark seems faster...within a minute to see very noticeable change. It gets noticeably dark even on a heavily overcast day. Going to light, it takes takes about 5 minutes to go to a faint tint, and then another 5-10 to clear up completely.
Quote:

4. I've read that Transition lenses have a pretty short lifespan of a year to two years before they lose the ability to transition...is that true?

Mine seem to be still effective after two years.

I was looking the the newest generation Essilor Transition V, and it seems they've improved the lightening transition a lot. It only takes 2-3 minutes to get almost completely light.

 

[zotjen]

I had transition lenses once and didn't particularly care for them. I found that for me, there were times when I didn't want them to transition. I also thought they took too long to lighten.

 

[Mikey01]

Have had Transitions lens for many years. Just got the version #5 Transitions lens. They darken very quickly (about 1 min.) and lighten up fast when going inside. They darken more than they used to now but still not as dark as sun glasses. They will last way beyond 2 years. No, they will not darken behind most windshields. Temperature differences effect them very very little now. Mine are polycarbon bifocals with no distortion problems of any kind.

 

[Vertigo-1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexhifi As for the distortion in the Oakleys, it could be from the huge bend those things have. It could be very difficult to get a lense cut that doesn't distort. I would, of course, complain and see if it can be corrected. -Alex

I thought it might've been this at first, but the Chop Top 2.0 frame is part of Oakley's RX frame lineup made for clear lenses, which means it's actually pretty flat. It's got a very slight curvature, but it's definitely not curved like their sunglasses. And the thing is, I've got a pair of their Juliets prescriptioned by Oakley which is very much curved and its been perfect since day one. In the past I've had some glasses where they felt distorted and things looked slightly bigger for about two weeks, but within a month my eyes had adjusted to them. With these, I can't seem to adjust to them at all. Actually, the Oakley lenses do not have a A/R coating on them...could that be the problem?



Well, I think you guys are kinda convincing me so far to stay away from transitions...I would like them to darken when using them to drive, and the transition from dark back to light seems way too long for my liking...as someone mentioned, walking into a dark store and having to wait 5 mins for them to lighten up seems annoying. I may just get the frames represcriptioned with normal lenses.