Having to wear corrctive eyewear I was happy to find the Cocoons Fitover Sunglasses. They are simple, affordable, and do what they say they will do. I actually own three pair because my wife and grandchildren seem to like them as much as I do.

When you think of adding sunglasses over-top of your prescription eyeglasses, you might conjure up old memories about those big “clip-on and flip-up” sunglasses that your grandpa wore back in the 80’s. I tried several alternatives short of dropping big bucks on custom prescription sunglasses – including the old-style clip-ons as well as the newer types that snap over-top of your eyeglasses. The problem with these is they are usually rather flimsy, scratch easy, don’t have good polarized lenses, or they let a ton of light in around the glass.

I have purchased quite a number of different brands to fit over my prescription eyeglasses. I have a severe astigmatism in my right eye – the left eye isn’t much better either - so premium prescription lenses are very costly for my needs. When you couple that expense with a prescription that changes every couple of years, it’s just not affordable for my budget.

I was browsing around my local eyewear store and came across the Polar Optics “Fits Over” Sunglasses. These are designed to fit over your existing eyewear. They offer several different sizes, and lens colors. I found a copper-colored lens in a large-frame size that fit perfectly over my prescription eyeglasses.

Cost of these sunglasses, with a case and lens-cleaning cloth included: $29.95

Initial Impressions:

The first time I used the Polar Optics sunglasses out on the water - it was a bright, sunny day. I was impressed with the polarization on the copper lenses – they really cut through the glare and I noticed details in the water that I would have missed with my old clip-ons. I was impressed with the way they fit my face, allowing very little outside-light to come in above, below, and on the sides. The sides have small lenses in the legs, so they didn’t interfere with my peripheral vision. They wore very comfortably throughout the day – to the point where I forgot they were on.

Durability:

The Polar Optics’ lenses have a scratch coating that has done a great job thus far, and I have tested them with salty-spray from many days inshore fishing. The lenses are not very thick, but they are not flimsy either. The frames have held up pretty good – there is some minor stretching in the plastic at the top of the sunglasses, where they meet my brow. The legs and hinges still feel solid. I don’t know if I could ask for better performance out of a $30 pair of sunglasses.

Sizing/colors:

The “Fits Over” sunglasses come in several different sizes – I wear the Aviator size for my big prescription frames. They also offer modified rectangle, oval, and square-shaped glasses. Frame color is either tortoise or black.

Summary:

If you are like me, and struggle with prescription eyeglasses and want a decent pair of polarized sunglasses for the water – take a look at the Polar Optics brand, and their “Fits Over” sunglasses. You won’t win any beauty contests while wearing these, but they get the job done for a fraction of the price of prescription sunglasses.