Do Transitions lenses wear out?

[drbecky]

Do Transitions lenses lose their ability to turn dark, or turn less dark, as they get older? Thank you.

[Jim Stone]

They should last until your next exam.

[drbecky]

Thank you so much for your reply.

Does that mean about a year--and then after a year they may start losing their ability to get as dark? And by "last", do you mean that they should stay exactly the same as they were, or is it normal/common for them to gradually lose their ability to get as dark?

If they do not get as dark, is there anything that can be done to fix them or try to improve them short of buying new lenses?

[Jim Stone]

I'd be pretty sure they'd last a couple years if you want to push your exam that much. A year easy.

[drbecky]

Thank you. If they do not get as dark, is there anything that can be done to them (ever hear of something called "shocking" them?) to try and correct the problem, or do I have to buy new lenses. It has been less than a year.

[Jim Stone]

They do change better in cooler weather. We've put them in the fridge for a while. This helps but I don't know how long this last. Probly until they warm back up. This time of year the labs are driven crazy by photochromic lenses not changing. I wonder how many pair have been thrown away. And when the customer gets the new pair that aint no better, they may say. Shoot. That guy was right. The new ones arnt any better. If you need good sunglasses or sunglasses for driving, get you a pair of polorized.

[Cindy K]

Transitions lenses are heat sensitive as well as sensitive to UV . You will find that in the summer they do not darken to the same degree as they do in the winter when its cool or cold out. Chances are there is absolutely nothing wrong with your lenses; if you've had them less than a year they are most definitely not wearing out yet.

There is no such thing as 'shocking' them. In the olden days when we used the ol' Photogrey Xtra glass extensively, and a couple of years after the original purchase the client needed one lens only replaced, we would re-chem harden the existing old lens along with the new one to 'equalize' the color difference that would be present between the old and new lens.

When Transitions lenses do begin to wear out, you'll find that they devellop a rather yellowish tinge when they're not exposed to UV, and will not darken, even in cold temperatures, to the same density they did when they were new. I just replaced a pair of three year old transitions last year, and they were just beginning to devellop that tinge to them. I see plenty of two and three year old transitions NG product and really, there isn't an appreciable deterrioration until the lenses get to three years old.