New Vantage lenses offer best of both worlds
Outdoorsmen expose their eyes to a variety of glare and UV conditions, and protecting our vision is of the utmost importance. Those fortunate enough to have good vision can begin with a long-billed cap or wide-brimmed hat, but those only provide shade, and damaging UV rays can reflect into the eyes. Outdoorsmen need protection from UV rays and a way to cut through the glare. This comes easily for outdoorsmen with naturally good vision, as a huge variety of sunglasses are available to choose a style, color, polarization and mirror/no mirror combination that works for them.
Those of us who aren’t blessed with perfect vision have to correct it while adding protection. Over the years, improvements in prescription sunglasses have taken place, and some are really good. Transitions Optical of Pinellas Park, Fla., has been a leader in polarized and Transitions protective eyewear, and it has recently incorporated the best features of both into the Vantage lens technology.
Transition Vantage lenses are the latest technology; they go beyond the light indoors/dark outdoors ability of regular Transition lenses. Vantage lenses also have variable polarization that aligns as the lenses darken for increasing protection from UV rays. I won’t try to be technical with how the process works, but will verify that it does.
Dr. Michael Goins of Wilmington is a dedicated kayak fisherman who brought the Vantage lenses to my attention. Having worn Transition lenses for years, while carrying a second pair of polarized glasses, Vantage lenses got my attention. After talking with Dr. Goins and reading everything I could find, I wanted to try a pair. I believed they could work well as my everyday glasses, and when I take a quick fishing break or early morning/late afternoon fishing or hunting trip.
The ability to darken and polarize as the sun rises in the morning and then clear as the sun falls below the horizon in the afternoon meant I wouldn’t have to find a secure place to carry a pair of polarized glasses.
Dr. Goins and I discussed this at length, and he contacted his suppliers at Transitions Optical and Essilor Laboratories. Their suggestion was for me to get a new eye exam for an exact prescription, and they would make three pairs of glasses: Transitions lenses in one, Vantage lenses in one and full-blown, blue-mirrored, polarized fishing lenses in the other.
It was like Christmas in the spring when I left Dr. Goins’ office the day they arrived. Anyone watching me in his parking lot as I set the three pairs of glasses on my truck bed cover and continually switched them while turning in every direction would have thought I was crazy. However, the only way to compare them is to look at the same objects and surfaces and through the same glare and sun angle.
Since then, I have put myself in low-angle light and glare situations and have continued changing glasses frequently to see the same things through different lenses. With this experience, I believe I have a much better understanding of how the different lenses work. I’m certain I have a few observations those who wear prescription glasses and are considering an update will appreciate.
I’d like to compare the Transition, Vantage and mirrored, polarized lenses to fishing lures. In a nutshell, different ones work better in different conditions and for catching different fish.
Transition lenses are pretty good for everyday wear. They are clear inside and quickly darken when outside. The darkness varies a little in shade and while driving, but it is really dark in direct sunlight. Unfortunately, there is no polarization, and they don’t cut glare well. Transition lenses also don’t help with the diffusion when looking into water, and it is difficult to see clearly unless the conditions are perfect.
Vantage lenses have all the features of Transition lenses, plus variable polarization. Like Transition lenses, they are light inside but darken in sunlight. When the Vantage lenses darken, the polarization aligns, and they protect your eyes and cut through most glare. I don’t understand it and can’t explain it, but it works. Vantage lenses are only polarized when exposed to sunlight, and the tint is dark.
Unfortunately, Vantage lenses will not darken and polarize while driving in a vehicle. I have seen a slight bit of tint at certain sun angles and light conditions, but they just don’t activate with UV rays that have passed through a windshield. I don’t know why, they just don’t. Because they don’t polarize with light passing through a windshield, Vantage lenses don’t enhance your vision in rain as standard polarized sunglasses do. This was my only real disappointment. They also didn’t see quite as well as the blue-mirror polarized lenses when looking down into water, but I had anticipated that.
The blue-mirror, polarized lenses have the stuff for fishing. Even in low-angle light situations, they allow seeing across the water looking for bait and cut through the glare to allow easily seeing things under water. They are also excellent for cutting through glare while driving and seeing clearly through a rainy windshield. However, they are dark enough that I prefer to wear something else unless fishing or driving on a bright day.
Even with my one disappointment, the Vantage lenses have become my everyday glasses. They don’t quite fit all my wants, but they are the best that current polarization and lens-tinting technology allows and are only slightly more expensive than Transition lenses. If they could find a way to make the polarization align with light through the windshield for driving, they would be almost perfect.
It may seem simple, but the best feature of the Vantage lenses is their versatility. I can leave home to go fishing or hunting before daylight, and they are clear for the drive and hiking or boating to the hunting or fishing area in the pre-dawn light and then darken and polarize as the sun comes up during the morning. They do this in reverse in the afternoons and are back to clear after sunset for the trip home. The big deal with Vantage lenses is the variable polarization that allows doing almost everything with a single pair of glasses.
As Vantage lenses aren’t mirrored, they don’t pierce the depths quite as well as mirrored, polarized fishing glasses and they won’t polarize inside my truck. However, I really like that I can put them on in the morning and they give good eye protection for almost everything I do. The best thing is they adjust tint and polarization on the go in ever-changing light conditions and lighten indoors for business settings so I don’t have to keep track of two pairs of glasses. As well as they work on boats and kayaks, I’m looking forward to using them in a deer stand and duck blind.
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