Convert Your Sunglasses to Glasses
So many thoughts ran through my head as I watched the adorable Netflix rom-com ” Always Be Mine, Maybe” : “ I need to go to a Korean spa to check the stats.” “I’m pretty sure six of my high school friends had the same Toyota Corolla.” “Okay, Keanu Reeves with headphones on might be my next Halloween costume.”
And then there was the prevailing question. This is what people ask about on my social media feeds. That is, “Where does Ali Wong find his amazing glasses?”
BuzzFeed did a little investigation and discovered that the comedian was using a trick: she turns sunglasses into prescription glasses.
Eyewear brand Barton Perreira Nash confirmed on Twitter that the frames of Wong’s iconic red-rimmed glasses, which she wore in both the Baby Cobra stand and ABC’s Black Box , are from their past collection of sunglasses.
Like a woman with glasses, this opens up possibilities that I never even knew existed. It turns out that prescription conversion of sunglasses to clear lenses can be a great option for those looking for a wider range of frames or looking to save money by reworking a couple of shades they already have.
But before you take out the lenses of your favorite vintage cat-eye glasses, here are a few things you should know.
What are the best sunglasses?
Not all sunglasses can be converted into prescription glasses. The $ 10 plastic glasses you got from the pharmacy aren’t strong enough to hold prescription lenses, and opticians probably won’t work with them. You should start with high quality frames – those made with cellulose acetate propionate or blended nylon may be good options because they are more flexible types of plastic. If you choose metal, you can choose from titanium, monel or beryllium.
At the very least, there must be a screw in the frame to remove the lens, or the lenses must be easy to insert or slide out. It is best to visit a licensed optician to see if your sunglasses are suitable for prescription glasses. “Some recipes are too thick to fit large frames,” says Catherine Soriano, a California optometrist. “An optometrist can pull out dark lenses on sunglasses to showcase what a clear lens frame would look like.”
How do you convert them?
Your licensed optician should be able to create prescription lenses and fit them into frames, but ask to make sure they do it.
A more convenient and probably cheaper option is to send the sunglasses to a company called Lensabl , which will fit the new lenses in just about any pair of shades (they’ll also provide you with a mailbox to mail them in). Lenses start at $ 77, although bifocals and other more complicated recipes will cost you more.
The question remains: aviators or travelers?