Linda, I have had valuable experience in this area. I invested in a pair of Varilux polarized sunglasses several years ago. They were fine for most things but did not do well for birding. It was a fairly expensive mistake. Something about the loss of light causes a variation on the lens correction. Not only could I not see the birds clearly, but I also couldn't read a bird guide. I consulted with my optometrist and tried a pair of bifocal polarized sunglasses with much better results. There are still times that I use my regular glasses for the best view but the sunglasses do offer help with glare and eye fatigue. I don't know if this holds true for gray sunglasses but I think the loss of light would be a problem no matter the color of the lens. Danny Gaddy Ringgold Ga ----- Original Message ----- From: "Birder1" <birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 9:47 PM Subject: [TN-Bird] Sunglasses for birding? > Does anyone have experience with gray sunglasses for birding? My regular > glasses are premium progressives (Varilux). I have never been able to see > birds with my green clip-ons. I'm considering getting prescription, gray > premium progressive sunglasses. However, my optometrist suggested/wrote the > prescription for polarized lenses. When I looked at them today, they were > so dark I feel like I won't be able to see birds with them. Someone had > told me to get 55% gray lenses, but today, after talking to many places that > make glasses, I learned if I get polarized ones, I have to get 80% gray. On > top of that, today I verified that my regular glasses have UV protection. > So I'm wondering if I have to get any sunglasses for birding. Does anyone > have any thoughts on whether polarized sunglasses are worth the money for > birding? > > > Thanks, > > Linda Vidosh Zempel > > Bartlett, TN > > > > =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== > > The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with > first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. > ----------------------------------------------------- > ---------------------------------------------------- > To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: > tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx > ----------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, send email to: > tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > > TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society > Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) > endorse the views or opinions expressed > by the members of this discussion group. > > Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN > wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society > web site at http://www.tnbirds.org > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > > ======================================================== > > =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================