(Brian) Hello All, as a bit of catch up Liz and I are in Paris for an optical show and then a subsequent week of visiting european opticiens around the city of lights. The American part of my title is mere poetic license so now on to the hard sell.
I have progressive lenses (no line trifocals) in both my regular and sun glasses. This is even more helpful traveling than being at home. Save for the Champs Elysees no street in Paris runs straight for very long and never maintains the same name. Consequently I have my nose buried our map at almost every intersection to ensure we are not off our intended path. You still get lost but it is quite enjoyable. As the midget said in Time Travelers, "ya see gents stick with me and you wont go far wrong". If I had to wrestle with changing eye wear each time I needed to see up close we would still be at the airport.
Progressives are also helpful when visiting the sites so you can read plaques, see what your taking a photo of and reading a menu.
The second advantage I am enjoying more than I had realized, again on my regular and sun glasses, is in their ability to darken in the sun and lighten out of it (transitions). We are in and out of churches, museums, cafes, and public transit so frequently that transitions save me one more activity when things are moving fast and I'm trying to pay attention (i.e. is this metro #12 going towards Porte de la Chapelle or Mairi d'Issy?). Just like on a boat, in traveling things happen fast.
What most, who are not in our business, may not know is that transition lenses come in sunglasseses too. They start at a nice tinted brown (which in the case of my progressive transitions allows me to read inside) to a dark sun glass when outdoors. But Brian what about your regular transitions working as sunglasses you ask? They really aren't effective in that role. After very long you will find that in bright sun you are squinting a fair amount if you are counting on transitions to double as your sunglasses. Also they don't work in a car as no UV activates their darkening.
However in both cases of clear and sun transitions it allows you to be a little lazy. Much like the progressives they allow you to avoid too many eye wear changes the moment your conditions change. I don't have young eyes anymore and I like all the aids I can get so I'm not having to stop, unzip whatever pocket I last put my other glasses in, balance the camera while I exchange them in my case and on and on.
Tonight a champagne river cruise on the Seine at twilight and then off to a special restaurant Lizzie picked out for my birthday.
Au Revoir,
Wink
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