Prescription Serengetti Sunglasses Questions

I am a student pilot and I have decided that I could use some decent sunglasses, and since I already wear glasses they need to be prescription sunglasses. My current glasses came with their own clip-on sunglass lenses, but they are entirely too dark. I can see outside alright, but I can't read any of the instruments.

I have seen postings here that recommended the Serengetti sunglasses with the 'Drivers' lenses, and I also understand that SOME places can get the prescription version of these lenses as well. I have started looking at where I can get prescription sunglasses like this and I had a few questions for those of you have gone this route before...

Where is a good place to get prescription Serengetti sunglasses?

Is the Sienna lens what folks are prefering for flying with? I expected them to be an amber color, but found out they are more reddish almost a slight purple tint. What is the best lens color?

What about the gradient lenses? Do you prefer the gradient (what most places seem to be selling) or the non-gradient version?

Is it possible to get these lenses for my older (non Serengetti) frames?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

I've been using progressive lenses (instead of bifocals). My optometrist orders them with a UV (orange tint) and anti-reflective coating. They match my regular glasses exactly (frames and lenses) so that there's no adjustment to make. Some years the first set back from the lab is right on, sometimes they go back a few times to get it right. If you go this route, make sure the optometrist will work with you until they are. The contrast is great and everything from the water bottle leaking on my leg to infinity is in sharp focus.

Raphael Warshaw 1LK

I just went to Lenscrafters. They have to special order them and it takes six weeks. I'm on my second pair. B&L by the way has perhaps the lamest attitude with regard to customer service. They just couldn't tell me how to do this, and their web page lists an incorrect 800 number for contact

independent lab test a variety of branded sunglasses. They published a chart of a few dozen different brands. The magazine did a pretty poor job of explaining the results from the various tests depicted in the chart but the various tests indicate that Oakley make the best lenses by a pretty wide margin.

The only pair of Serengeti's listed were pretty far down the lest for best sunglasses.

I've been meaning to scan in this rating list and post it on the web somewhere.

And I had a pair of Serengeti's that broke right at the nose piece when I dropped them, from a distance of about two feet, on a dirt road. When I called Serengeti to inquire about a replacement, they said they don't cover 'accidents' like this. So they will not ever have my business again.

Sorry I missed that article. I too would like a pair of sunglasses that won't wash out the screen on my Garmin 295. To add insult to injury, I need bifocals so progressives are what I currently use. Anyone have suggestions? I think LAZIK will be the key for '02, but it won't help the reading part. It's a bitch getting old!

Unfortunately, according to the folks at Oakley they cannot provide lenses, or tinting, for progressive-perscription lenses, only for single-perscription lenses. Too bad. I've been wearing progressives for several years and just cannot do without them.

Note I'm in OZ, but principle is the same. I'm in the same 'gettin' old' demographic. I wear progressives, have for a number of years. Mine are frameless and have thin wire sides so they are light and fit under the earseals with minimal disturbance. I have the clip-ons (actually had a set of single vision sunglasses made - could see nicely outside, but couldn't read the panel, checklists, maps etc etc). There's a local company here that actually makes the clip-ons for the glasses. You give them the glasses for a day and pre-select the lens colour/colour density etc and 24hrs later they're in your hands.

They are light, I can easily read the panel with the clip-ons and I know the lens on my glasses hasn't changed. They clip on and off fairly easily so I'm not removing inserting glasses under my headset in flight. They were a bit expensive - about the same as a normal set of quality sunglasses - but a custom fit to my glasses and a lens colour/density of my choice. That's an avenue I'd be exploring.

YMMV Kevin

As Jim states it wasn't so much of an article as simply a chart of test results done by some test lab with a cumulative 'score'. It sure would have been nice to have a description of the different data points (ala Consumer Reports).

Thanks Kevin; I hope to get down under again soon for another holiday. I had the clip ons made at about $80 and they were the worst thing I ever bought. Reflections were common and the optometrist stated the lenses would have to be coated again at another ridiculous cost. They sat in the drawer getting banged around until they finally broke. Never went back to his firm again.

Ask for Corning Glarecutter lenses. I have them, keep them in the airplane. They're terrific. I can see traffic when no one else can.

I was put onto these by a friend who works at Corning, who was previously on the Serengetti team. Corning sold that product line. The Glarecutter was to be the next generation of Serengetti, but Corning got out of the business.

Corning's contract in selling Serengetti prohibited Corning from marketing non-prescription glasses. It did not prevent Corning from marketing prescription products. Hence, Glarecutters are available only for prescription use.

The marketing material for these, which your doctor may have seen, advises their use by people with color definciencies in vision (me!!), but again, that's really just to keep the new Serengetti people happy. Glarecutters are good for anyone.

I've had mine for 3 years. Since then, I haven't flown without them. The lenses were about $80 more than conventional plain glasses.

I've been using prescription Serengeti drivers since 1991. They are usually just right, enhancing contrast, and, something which surprised me, allowed me to see much better through fog! I can be whizzing along in the car wondering why everyone else is driving so slow, then I switch to my 'ordinary' glasses and find out why!

I think I was the first person in the UK to get these and they had to be ordered from the US. My optician was so impressed he then ordered a pair for himself.

Mind you, they can make a 'just before night' landing into a night landing... Land, take sunglasses off, realise that there is actually some daylight left!

No, my prescription hasn't changed since 1991...