Anyone using photochromic lenses?

As most questions seem to get a decent answer on here I thought I’d see your opinions in ‘transitions’ lenses.

I’m due an eye test soon and considering photochromic lenses for my glasses. Has anyone got these, any good? I like fairly dark sunglasses so I’m wondering whether they’ll go dark enough for me. Also looking at polarised lenses so would welcome views in these too.

Do you usually get these from vision exoresss/specsavers etc or is there somewhere one that I can give my prescription too that’ll be cheaper?

Don’t forget they don’t work through car windscreens so don’t buy them for driving. I got tinted prescription lenses.

Only got photochromic in my oakley road sunglasses. Not prescription.

Go from clear to almost black … perfect for all conditions.

Ahh bugger hadn’t realised that, no good for me doing around 20k a year then!

Mine tend to go to grey rather than black in a car, you might find them ok. ISTR asking the optician about Polaroids and being told ‘not with my prescription’. I’d thought they would be best for glare off the road when driving towards the sun.

They’re good but they don’t go as dark as ‘grey’ Oakley lenses so I do have an alternative lense for days that I know are going to be really sunny especially if I’ll be roadieing.

That said, I use the transitions for the vast majority of my rides – probably well over 90% and that includes night riding, mtbing, road rides, etc.

I generally like dark lenses and I was a bit concerned that they wouldn’t be dark enough but I have been out with them on unexpectedly bright rides and didn’t suffer.

I’ve been using Oakley Grey Transitions for about 6 years. Pretty much perfect for cycling and other outdoor activities. I also have a cheaper pair of sunnies for driving.

Bash, wife works at an opticians and reckons you can get photocromic lenses that work through a windscreen but they are really expensive.

My prescription doesn’t allow me to use photochromic lenses unfortunately so I have a pair of 85% dark tinted prescription lenses in a frame for when its sunny!
I do use Rudy project Maya with the ImpactX photochromic shield for cycling and think they’re great.
A few years ago I had some regular prescription glasses which also came with a medium tinted polarised clip on lens which made driving easier as it cut down on reflections in bright sunlight.

Don’t forget they don’t work through car windscreens so don’t buy them for driving. I got tinted prescription lenses.

UNless you are using the XtrActive from Cilary blue

(listed as £70)

I’ve got some Prescription transitions from cilary blue in my oakleys. Very good

I seem to be the only person that doesn’t really like transitions lenses – I have Oakley ones for my Racing Jackets which I might sell.

I think this might be because I’m not that fussy when it comes to sunglasses. I mean if it’s not very bright then you don’t need sunglasses, and if it is very bright then you want a dark tint. In between you can use either – IMO you don’t need the gradations for the in between bits. Oh, and they don’t change enough in the car (you just end up with a light tint the whole time), and they don’t change quickly enough for dark-light transitions when riding in woods.

However, I did like driving in my polarised lenses. They make everything look a bit surreal, and super-clear with no glare. Bear in mind that they might stop you from being able to see your sat nav screen, though.

My prescription lenses had a free upgrade to transitions(costco) I like them, they work sort of unknown to you its only when you see a reflection you actually realize they have darkened.
I was told they dont work in the car as the car windscreen filters out the harmful UVA/B which is used to darken the transition leans?

i have some in my glasses, got them from selectspecs.com, less than £100 all in with Oakley frames, they go pretty dark

Just got some Oakley transition prescription lenses. Been using them for the past couple of weeks and very happy with them.

My lenses are Shamir with Transitions DriveWear photoreactive element, and polarising. They do go darker in the car, although not as dark as outside, but they are fairly dark to begin with. They go a coppery brown when at their darkest, which I prefer to grey, although the base colour is not far off the green-grey of Rayban lenses, which is appropriate as the frames are a pair of Lennons I got cheap off eBay.
The lenses also have multipoint varifocal, which is brilliant, and multilayer A/R coating, they cost £260, around five years ago, and they’re still going strong, really impressed with them.
I can’t give a contact as the place who did the lenses no longer exists, sadly, as they were only a couple of minutes walk from work.
http://www.shamirlens.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=635:drivewear&Itemid=253

I like them in cycling glasses, but I really disliked them in my normal glasses, although to be fair, that was years ago. I hated the way they went very dark the moment I stepped outside, even in cloudy weather. I thought it made me look like a reject from the IRA.

Just remembered I took a photo of mine outside a while back, this is possibly about as dark as they go, which I find is OK most of the time, certainly during the winter months, even on bright sunny days they’re fine; during the summer I’m more inclined to wear my contacts, then I can wear whichever of my fairly large collection of sunnies I chose.