Transition sunglasses, also called photochromic sunglasses, are an innovation in the eyewear industry. These sunglasses change their lens tint depending on the light conditions. Based on data from Mordor Intelligence, the global photochromic lenses market is expected to grow from $6.88 billion in 2023 to $9.13 billion by 2028. Some factors associated with the rapid market growth include advancements in technology, growing retail outlets, and gains in comfort and style.
Additionally, brands and retailers have also introduced corrective photochromic lenses, also known as prescription photochromic lenses, that combine prescription glasses’ benefits with photochromic ones’ light-adaptive properties. By wearing these, you can correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism while still enjoying essential sun protection.
If you’ve got beach plans anytime shortly, you may want to consider investing in a pair of transition sunglasses as part of your packing list. Fortunately, there are lots of good quality options nowadays. Below, we’ll look at some of the best transition sunglasses you can bring for a day at the beach:
Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses
One of the latest entries in the market is Nuance Audio’s smart glasses. Over the past few years, smart glasses have become increasingly popular and common. Nuance Audio’s take on smart glasses is to transform them into hearing glasses, helping wearers hear conversations and sounds more clearly. Nuance Audio designed the glasses to modernize hearing aid technology. At the same time, the glasses can be equipped with Transitions® lenses that darken in seconds to block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Once you’re in less sunny locations, the lenses will fade back to clear in less than two minutes.
While Nuance Audio’s glasses are best for people who are hard of hearing, they can also come in handy for particularly noisy locations, like the beach bars in Grand Cayman that we highlighted in our previous post. Whether it’s Bar Jack at the Ritz Carlton or the many other beach bars on Seven Mile Beach, wearing these glasses will ensure sun protection while ensuring you get to converse with your friends in peace.
Transitions® XTRActive®
Another good pair of transition sunglasses you can consider for your beach trip is the Transitions® XTRActive® sunglasses, which are designed for outdoor activity under the brightest sun, as well as harsh artificial light indoors as well as in the car if you’re interested in a beach road trip. The glasses are also a great solution for those with light sensitivity and anyone frequently exposed to bright lights.
Like the Transitions® lenses mentioned above, these provide 100% UVA and UVB protection and also filter out harmful blue light both indoors and outdoors. They are also up to 35% faster to fade back into clear lenses when coming indoors compared to previous generations of the Transitions® lenses. There’s also a variant with polarized lenses, which is great if you’ve got water sports or activities planned on the beach, as it helps eliminate reflective glare from water surfaces. By wearing these, you won’t have to squint or strain against the sunlight for your beach trip.
Zenni Optical EyeQLenz
Finally, you can also check out ZenniOptical’sEyeQLenz transition sunglasses. Aside from providing 3-in-1 protection, the sunglasses also perfectly balances between style and function. The eyewear retailer recently announced its partnership with actor Chase Stokes to help promote eye safety. The sunglasses are equipped with features like UV protection as well as blue light filtering. At the same time, the sunglasses also protects wearers from infrared exposure.
Just like the other sunglasses in this list, the EyeQLenz can quickly adjust their tint when moving between indoor and outdoor environments and comes in a stylish half-rimmed frame style, making it great for your beachside photos. The quick transition time between lens tints makes it great if you’re stepping in and out of shade often at the beach. The anti-infrared lens coating is also great for protecting the skin around your eyes from heat damage, which is known to lead to premature aging.
About Peter C.
Peter is a digital nomad who largely writes from Asia, Europe, and South America. Always following the "vibe," he sets up shop in hostels and AirBNB's and continues to entertain us with wild stories from life abroad. Ask him anything in our community forum.
