Now some sunshine has finally seen off the gloom of winter, you thoughts may be turning to summer wear, and more specifically, summer eye wear. You can have clear specs and sunglasses, but have you considered lenses that change in the sunlight? Photochromic lenses adapt to the light conditions, going dark if sunlight – and therefore UV is present.

Corning first invented this miracle glass over thirty five years ago. Silver Halide crystals within the lens material change colour when exposed to UV. The lenses don’t change indoors under bright light, (some people worry that they’ll look like undercover rock stars wearing their sunglasses inside!) outdoors they go as dark as sunglasses when you need them.

From the original glass photochromics we now have an array of different products and manufacturers, and this type of lens is now as successful in plastic as it is in glass. The ideal lens needs to change instantly when you step from dark to light and back again. There is always a very light tint on the lenses even when indoors, but on nowadays this is very pale.

The most popular colours are grey and brown, which are usually matched to the frame. The only real problem with these lenses is that the colour does alter over time, so if you ever chip one, both need to be re-ordered. They also always look dark on photos – so if you’re at a wedding be prepared for the Mafia boss look! These little glitches aside, photochromics may be the perfect for you this Summer – as long as the sun does shine on us!