Working in the yard over the weekend, in between the bouts of rain, it became clear that I need another pair or two of sunglasses to add to the collection. I've never lost a pair of my glasses (save that pair at the bottom of Lake Marion before I bought my prescription swim goggles) but my sunglasses seem to have scattered to the four winds. I have a tendency to leave them places, and while I usually find them, I was only able to find a scratched pair this weekend.

Anyway, there haven't been any BIG DEALS out there in a couple of months, but hoping that changes over the busy summer sales period.

Going to head over to a few of my favorites (over at the left) and see what is available to help me with my sunglasses deficiency.

Prescription sunglasses. I could never afford them when I was getting fleeced by Lenscrafters, and now I'm never without a pair. For as little as $8 more than a non-tinted pair, you're able to go all day in the sun without the eye fatigue and the premature crow's feet.

I carry a pair in my work bag, one in each car and even leave a pair in my bike bag in case I forget to grab a pair on the way out.

They're not just for the (fleeting) days of summer. I find them even more useful in the winter as I head out into the blinding reflections of the sun on the new snow.

I bought a UV meter a couple of years ago to verify that I was getting the lenses and coatings I was paying for. All pairs I've ordered have measured up. Don't forget that UV blocking is inherent in polycarbonate material -- so never pay extra for UV protection with polycarbonate lenses. CR-39 (or regular plastic) lenses need the UV coating.

For me, this is one of the biggest benefits of low-cost online prescription eyeglasses. I spend less per pair than my wife does on non-prescription sunglasses.

How many pairs do you have?

There is no reason that that should ever happen with prescription sunglasses prices as low as they are to us online. Find a pair of glasses you like and turn them into sunglasses by adding an 80%+ tint for as little at $8 more. I find myself ordering a pair of sunglasses with almost every order I make -- they're so useful!

Once you have a few pairs, the real issue is making sure they're properly spread out amongst the car, house, bag and even friends houses! My problem today is due to just that -- improper spreading of sunglasses assets. I have three pair in the car and none where I need them -- on my face.

Anyone else have this problem?

I just spent a weekend up at the lake in Northern Minnesota. The weather turned out to be a lot better than the forecast. I was really glad I had my sunglasses, because I gotta tell you life is so much better behind darkened lenses when the sun is beating down.

I lived the majority of the first 35+ years of my life with an expression not unlike the one you see below:

I'd fight all summer against the sun and then fight even more in January, when the sheer white landscape reflected the full force of the sun at me. Pretty bleak, but nothing compared to the traditional cost of prescription sunglasses. I was never offered them as a child - they weren't budgeted for. I don't think any of my friends who wore glasses had sunglasses either.

Now I don't go anywhere without at least one pair of sunglasses at the ready. I keep a pair in my backpack, a pair in each of the cars and one on the boat -- and why not for as little as $20 a pair (a far cry from the astronomical fees you'll pay at LensCrafters).

In writing this, I realized that I don't really get headaches any more either. Coincidence? Maybe, but I used to get headaches all the time.

I've come up with a couple of short lists for both of the scenarios. Add to them in the comments!

With Prescription Sunglasses:

• Better for your eyes
• Better for your skin
• See more clearly
  
• Look (ever so slightly more) like Brad Pitt

Without Prescription Sunglasses:

• May start your lashes on fire
• Crow's feet on your crow's feet
• Crash into stuff
• Look like French Stewart

---

Have kids with glasses? Get a few pairs for all of the places they'll appreciate them.

I spent my entire childhood (adolescence, and early adult) years squinting in the sun. I wore lots of baseball caps, but when you have such beautiful hair as I do, you need the ladies to see it. So I squinted. I wasn't pulling down the allowances today's kids do for all of their video games and scooters and cell phones, so my crows feet advanced. Today, my kids (none of whom have succumbed to my vision genetics yet) wear sunglasses when it really bright out. Winter is one of those times (along with summer, fall, and spring).

I still see the bespectacled kids at their school squinting on their way from and to the buses, however. With what we've learned about eyeglasses prices at GlassyEyes, there is no reason that these children shouldn't be able to see in the sunlight like the rest of the kids -- and they can do so with better quality.

For less than $60 at 39DollarGlasses, you can protect your child's eyes from UV rays (and keep those crowsfeet at bay) while providing a nearly bulletproof polycarbonate lens for physical protection.

Believe me, I'll be looking for these the day one of my sons needs them.

I just spent the weekend in Pipestone, Minnesota. We camped in a pair of tepees with some friends (and about every RV'r West of the Mississippi). Once you've gone to the Pipestone National Monument, and walked through town, there really isn't a whole lot left to do but go to the pool -- especially when it's 98 degrees and there aren't a whole lot of trees (tepees as well designed as they are, weren't apparently fitted with air conditioning).

My point as related to the eyeglasses thing is this:

I didn't worry about breaking my glasses once. I wore one of my pairs of sunglasses in the pool all day, and didn't worry about losing them at all. Now, I wouldn't be thrilled if I lost a couple of twenty dollar bills -- the cost of the glasses I was wearing, but I also, wouldn't be in despair. The same can not be said of losing or breaking a $400 pair of glasses.

I swam with them and played with the kids and they're good as new.

It's nice to have one less thing to worry about.

Also, if you're going to get stuck in an RV park, pick a weekend with a daytime NASCAR race, you'll have the pool to yourself -- you'll thank me.

The folks over at Global Eyeglasses gave their site a makeover and asked me to give them another look. They insisted that the service issues noted in the forums a few months ago were a thing of the past. At first glance, the site does look good. They really need a professional native English-speaking copy-writer to clean up the language, but functionally it works pretty well.

Poking through the site, I avoided the more expensive designer frames, but these are definitely an option for those of you looking for a bargain on a label. Oddly enough, I found a brand-name pair of TAG Heuer frames that seemed to fit the bill at a $20 frame price. There are numerous photos (although they appear to not size all of them properly - kind of squished), and full size info, but not a whole lot of other information on these or any of the other frames I looked at. I would have liked to have seen a decent description. They looked hingeless, but I couldn't really tell. I used the LivePerson link on the page and got the information I needed. This was good, but I'd rather not have to go that route in the future.

The second pair I wanted was a pair of sunglasses. I spotted a pair that looked close to what I needed and ordered them.

Within a minute, I had a confirmation email that they had received my order. The next day I got two more emails -- one that my order was being processed and another that it was being shipped. The shipping email included a link back to the site with the useless USPS tracking number. Overall I was impressed with the communication. This was three email more than I'd gotten from Zenni when I placed my first order.

A week later two boxes taped together with half a roll of packing tape (it took nearly five minutes to cut through all of it) arrived in my mail box. The first pair I opened ended up being the sunglasses. I ordered the "sleek metal case" with them and was surprised to find these arrive in exactly the opposite -- a bulbous, if not sturdy cardboard case. Oh well, not a big deal, I guess. The glasses themselves were a bit screwy too -- partly my fault and partly not. I neglected to heed my own advice on bigger lenses and didn't go the high-index route. They're thicker than I like. Additionally, this is the first pair of the dozen or so I've order online that wasn't tack sharp prescription-wise. I checked the prescription in the email confirmation and it was entered correctly. They also had two small scratches - one on each side of the lens (neither affect the view through the lenses).

I opened the second box hoping for a better result. I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality. The TAG Heuer frame was better looking than I thought it would be. I popped them on and the prescription was perfect. I went in and looked in the mirror and immediately noticed a mistake on my part. I neglected to order the anti-glare coating -- a must for someone with beautiful eyes like mine. That said, I've worn these pretty much full-time for the past two days and have gotten a number of compliments from women as varied as my wife, my mother, and my boss.

I batted .500 time. I'm as impressed with the TAGs (especially at more than 90% savings off the store prices) as much as I don't like the sunglasses.

Like many of the people who've contributed to the forums, I really think we need to start seeing more professionalism (which begets consistency) in this market. I think Global Eyeglasses is really trying, but there is room for improvement. I'll order again, but be a bit more deliberate in my choices.

I needed one more pair of sunglasses for the boat (a lovely 1979 runabout, not the yacht you'd expect I assure you), and decided I needed to check out the fastest shipping option. I also wanted to get something to show my love for those wacky Reno 911 deputies.

Here you go.

I went with the aviators (in the silver, to tone down the cheesiness ever so slightly) from 39dollarglasses.com. They were $65 shipped with the top shipping option (I think it was just under $16). I really like them, but I'd seriously consider getting the high index lenses next time. I was experimenting here to see with the ENORMOUS lenses if the high index mattered more. It does. The bigger the lens, the thicker they are at the edges.

They're totally wearable, they're just a bit thick for my taste.

The shipping time? I ordered just before midnight on Thursday and they were delivered on Monday. Yeah, that's lightning fast -- and probably worth the $16 for those of you as antsy as I am when I order something online.

License and registration, ma'am?

Doug, in the forums posted a question:

I could not find comparisons on what the percentages of tint really
look like, nor an indication of what they mean when they say "brown"
etc.

Any chance you (or others) could post some pictures to give some clue
on this?

I like dark sunglasses, mostly because on a bright, sunny day nothing else will do. I love my transitions, but not for driving (I think the UV windshield precludes them from darkening to the fullest extent).

Here are the two most recent pairs (both with 100% grey tint):

I get comments, typically from the highly invested optical folks on ODWire, all the time about quality and getting what you pay for. I have one thing to thank them for – the crow’s feet I’ve gotten from not being able to regularly afford to buy prescription sunglasses. As the prices rose on eyeglasses over the past 20 years, and especially after my children were born, I got to a point where a new pair of standard glasses every two years was a bit of a luxury. Prescription sunglasses? Ha!

It's Spring now and one of the things I was most interested doing early on in this cheap eyeglasses experiment was to get a pair of sunglasses. I decided to go with the photochromic lenses (think “Transitions”) on the second pair I ordered. Yes, it was a bit extra, but it’s been well worth it. One problem though, they aren’t great for driving. They don’t get dark enough behind a windshield.

In the last few days, I’ve gotten two pair of (QUALITY) prescription sunglasses – one for each car. They’re awesome. Let me preemptively stop the first question from Joe Optometrist -- yes, I made sure they were UV coated when I ordered them. The pair of Smith sunglasses I have for the rare occasion when I am wearing my contact lenses cost the same as both pair of prescription sunglasses -- combined.

Two more excellent purchases. Now, maybe I should start saving for some “work” on these crow’s feet.