Good sunglasses are expensive, but each year over half of Americans will break or lose theirs. Unfortunately, replacement lenses from the brand or optician can be expensive, because warranties frequently will not cover accidents. If you need to replace or to fix scratched sunglass lenses, there are third party providers that make their own aftermarket lenses to replace scratched or broken ones for most major brands’ glasses. Almost $35 billion dollars were spent on glasses last year. Minimize your contribution to that figure.
When you need to fix scratched sunglass lenses, you should replace them with polarized lenses to protect your eyes. How do polarized sunglass lenses work? Polarized sunglass replacement lenses only let light that will not hurt your eyes pass through by filtering out 98-99% of UV rays. UV rays not only cause skin cancer, but can also damage your eyes. Cheap lenses and sunglasses often are not polarized, so be careful when you are shopping for them. Always check whether they are polarized. If you spend or are planning on spending a lot of time in the sun, it can be worth the extra expense to keep your eyes safe and healthy.
Oakley and its competitor brands make solid sunglasses, but Oakley replacement lenses or, worse yet, replacement sunglasses, can be pretty expensive. If you need to fix scratched sunglass lenses on your favorite pair, you may be able to save money by buying replacement lenses from after market lens makers. Sunglass lens replacement should not cost as much as a new pair of sunglasses. Some companies also offer free shipping for their lenses, so that can help you to save money, as well. If you need to fix scratched sunglass lenses, it may be worth using aftermarket lenses to repair your sunglasses, rather than throwing away an old and favorite pair. More research here.