Prescription Sunglasses Alternatives

Question:

I need prescription sunglasses, but can’t afford them. I’ve had to cut snowshoeing trips short before because I couldn’t cross any open meadow due to the sun. Do you have any cheap sunglass solutions that won’t make me look like a geriatric?

Submitted by – Jeff – Fontana, CA

Answer:

I consulted some of my spectacle-wearing cohorts to get some real answers for you. Here are some ideas:

—The outdoors is no place to worry about fashion. And looking slightly geriatric is a small price to pay for continuing an awesome snowshoeing trip. One staffer recommends grabbing (free!) the “slightly geriatric” looking temporary shades that your optometrist hands out after eye-exam dilation.

—Clip-on shades (check this website) do the trick and actually aren’t that bad looking. There’s also some good info on this site about finding the right size of clip-ons, check out this page.

—Another option is “overshades”, which you wear on top of your prescription glasses for maximum coverage. Channel your inner Kanye West. This website has a good selection of affordable overshades.

And in our October 2010 issue we published instructions on making duct tape sunglasses.