It's always a good idea to wear sunglasses in the bright sun regardless of season. There are safety concerns and maybe more important, beauty concerns to be considered. For most of us in the thrifty bespectacled masses, owning prescription sunglasses hasn't been an option and we've got the crow's feet to prove it. We muddled through with any number of strange and difficult clip-on arrangements or did as I did, went 20 years without prescription sunglasses. Contact lenses with sunglasses was always an option, but I've never been much of a contact lens wearer apart from sports.

One of the most important improvements in my life over the past year and a half is the addition of sunglasses and the ability to get affordable Transitions lenses. It's so much more pleasant to be outdoors and not have to be squinting all the time. You really don't know what you're missing until you get a pair.

Any of the retailers can set you up for as little as a few dollars extra ($0 extra at Goggles4U) for tinting. It really is a no-brainer.