Protect Your Eyes in Style With Custom Clip-On Sunglasses
January 1, 2025 • 9:00 PM
Tossing on a pair of sunglasses can feel pretty luxurious. It’s also necessary — sunglasses protect your eyes from potentially harmful UV rays.
But if you wear prescription eyewear, wearing sunglasses can be inconvenient. You have to carry two pairs of glasses on you at all times, and unless you’ve invested in prescription sunglasses and regular glasses, donning your shades means blurry vision.
Luckily, there’s an alternative: custom clip-on sunglasses. They protect your eyes and work with your prescription glasses rather than against them.
Do You Really Need Sunglasses?
Maybe you don’t mind constantly squinting and hiding from the sun, but sunglasses provide more than comfort. In the same way that wearing sunscreen protects your skin, sunglasses protect your eyes from UVA and UVB rays.
These rays from the sun can cause damage like photokeratitis, which means your corneas are sunburned. If the very thought of that isn’t enough to send you running to your nearest retailer for some sunnies, keep reading.
Leaving your eyes vulnerable to the sun can also lead to more serious disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration. Sunglasses protect your eyes from all this and reduce ambient glare so you can see clearly even in bright sunlight.
Of course, you could do without them, but you’d be putting your eyes at unnecessary risk. Besides, as any celebrity will tell you, a good pair of sunglasses is far more than functional. Think about it. Would Top Gun be Top Gun if Tom Cruise had never put on a pair of aviator shades?
Why Choose Custom Clip-On Sunglasses?
If you wear prescription glasses, it's important to have shades that work with your existing eyewear. That pair of luxury polarized sunglasses might look cool and protect your eyes, but it’s not really worth it if wearing them means you’re leaving your bifocal prescription behind.
Custom clip-on sunglasses give you the best of both worlds: the protective tint and cool factor of traditional sunglasses, plus the ability to see clearly.
There are other benefits, too:
- Convenience. You’ll only need to carry one pair around rather than two, saving you space in your purse or pocket.
- Affordability. You’ll save money as clip-ons are cheaper than buying a second pair of prescription glasses.
- Versatility. You can order more than frame color or lens color and change them up as you choose.
How Do Clip-On Sunglasses Attach?
The sun protection layer of clip-ons can attach to regular glasses in several different ways. Choosing the right style will depend on compatibility with your existing glasses as well as personal preference.
Clip-On Attachments
Some tinted lenses have a spring bridge that helps you adjust the tension as you put them on or take them off.
You’ll also see small clips toward the outer corners of the lenses that help to keep them in place. These are often used on rimless and semi-rimless glasses.
Flip-Up Attachments
Other tinted lenses come with rubberized prongs that hook on close to the nose bridge of your regular glasses.
These sometimes also allow you to flip up the sun layer, leaving them attached at the top of your frames — a fun and stylish blast from the past.
Magnetic Custom-Made Eyewear
When you wear magnetic clip-on sunglasses, there’s no need for wire bridges, hooks, or hinges. The top layer attaches magnetically to your regular glasses, creating a seamless appearance that doesn’t interfere with your vision.
What Are Your Lens Options?
In addition to choosing the style and attachment ability of your custom clip-ons, you should also consider what kind of lenses you prefer.
Polarized Clip-Ons
Polarizing your sunglass lenses can sometimes cost extra but it’s well worth it. Reflective surfaces like roads, water, or snow tend to concentrate light horizontally, rather than scattering it evenly in all directions.
As it’s difficult to see clearly, this can make activities like driving, skiing, or boating very uncomfortable and sometimes downright dangerous. Polarized lenses block the glare from reflective surfaces, improving both comfort and clarity of vision. Because of this, they’re an excellent addition to regular sunglasses.
Transition Lenses
We’re cheating a little bit here — strictly speaking, transition lenses aren’t clip-on. They’re an alternative to clip-on sunglasses that allow you to retain the functionality of your prescription glasses no matter the time of day.
Transition lenses are light-responsive lenses that look exactly like regular glasses when you’re inside. But when you head out into brighter light, they automatically darken to protect your eyes from the sun.
Where To Get Your Custom Clip-On Sunglasses
The best place to get custom clip-on sunglasses is from wherever you purchased your normal pair. At Pair, our Sun Tops are designed to work perfectly with our Base Frames so you never have to worry about fit. They attach magnetically, so you can go from sun to shade in a snap.
They offer all the UV protection you need. They’re also polarized and have an anti-reflective coating, cutting glare to the minimum.
Start your purchase by choosing a Base Frame from our beautifully designed selection for men and women.
You’ll also get to choose your prescription lens type, whether that’s readers, single-vision prescription eyeglasses, or progressives. Our custom clip-on sunglasses cater to all types of prescriptions.
If you spend a lot of time online, especially at night, you might consider adding blue light filters. And if you need a high prescription, lighten the load by choosing ultra-thin Premium Plus lenses.
Then go ahead and select your Sun Top lens color. This is the fun part — we have a wide range of styles to choose from, so you can match your shades to your mood or outfit and showcase your unique flair.
- Feeling classic? Try our Tortoise Sun Top.
- Edgy and chic? Be cool in a Black Sun Top.
- Want to go glam? It’s got to be our Rose Gold Sparkle Sun Top.
- Bold and bright? Shine with a White Sun Top.
- Planning a whimsical day at the beach? Make a splash with our Rainbow Mermaid Sun Top
Our standard cellulose acetate plastic frames and polycarbonate lenses are scratch-resistant and impact-resistant so they’ll take you far. We offer a variety of lens materials available to suit your lifestyle and budget.
The Bottom Line
Custom clip-on sunglasses transform your daily prescription glasses into an accessibility accessory. They’re an affordable, convenient alternative to traditional sunglasses that protect your eyes and save you the hassle of constantly switching back and forth.
With Pair Eyewear, you get the best of both worlds: stylish prescription glasses and magnetic clip-on sunglasses that complement your look and support your existing prescription. If you’re going to soak up the sun, do it safely — and in style.
Sources:
Photokeratitis | Cleveland Clinic
The Sun, UV Light and Your Eyes | American Academy of Opthalmology