If you wear prescription eyewear, have you ever experienced this scenario?

For whatever reason, you don’t have contact lenses in. Maybe you don’t wear them, or if you do, maybe it’s allergy season, or you ran out of contacts or perhaps you just forgot. So, you’re wearing prescription glasses, and find yourself in an incredibly bright, sunny situation where the sun’s light is making you squint uncomfortably. You try holding your hand up over your eyes to get relief, but your arm gets tired. You silently wish you had a better solution, but since you don’t, you do the unthinkable: Put your regular sunglasses on “over” your prescription eyewear.

It’s a bad idea, because not only are you risking scratching and stretching both your sunglasses and your prescription eyewear, but also wearing two pair of glasses simultaneously hurts the bridge of your nose and irritates the top of your ears. Not to mention that one pair or the other keeps slipping down your nose and you find yourself constantly pushing them back into position to see clearly. And that’s just from your perspective. With two mismatching pairs of glasses on, to the rest of the world you look like a weird, bug-eyed alien with multiple peepers that don’t align correctly.

You vow never to do that again.

It’s time to consider the benefits of having a pair of prescription sunglasses made just for you. Here are 5 great reasons to do so:

1. Crisp, Clear Vision Under the Sun

If you spend any time outside and value crisp, clear vision in every light, prescription sunglasses are the ideal answer. Created especially to address your specific vision correction needs, you can have the lenses made in any sunglass tint you prefer, from light to dark, and in colors including, gray, rose, yellow and blue, depending on how you prefer to see the world. Whether you are nearsighted, farsighted, have an astigmatism or are in the presbyopia years, prescription sunglasses can correct and enhance your vision every day when the sun is shining upon you.

2. Banish the Glare

Some people are more sensitive to glare than to the brightness of the sun. Polarized prescription lenses neutralize blinding glare, which occurs when the horizontal rays of the sun bounce back into your eyes from surfaces including roadways, sidewalks, beaches, playgrounds, sports fields, bodies of water, hoods of cars–and in the winter, snow. When your prescription lenses are polarized, you’ll be empowered to see more clearly in every outside situation. That means better days on the beach, behind the wheel and enjoying your favorite outdoor sport or activity.

3. 100% UV Protection

Whichever color and style you choose, your prescription sunglasses will block 100% of the sun’s UV rays to protect your eyes from their damaging effects. UV ray damage can lead to conditions including cataracts, macular degeneration, and cancer of the eyelids and surrounding skin.

Because sunglasses extend the benefits of UV protection to the skin around your eyes, sunglasses prevent sunburn and the premature aging of the delicate skin in the eye area—which is why some people choose the largest sunglass frames they can find. The thin, sensitive skin around the eye area is particularly vulnerable to UV damage, so wearing prescription sunglasses that protect against 100 percent of the sun’s damaging UV rays will not only keep you looking cool every day—it can help you stay younger looking longer!

4. Lens Options to Suit Your Lifestyle

When you have a pair of prescription sunglasses made especially for you, you can choose the specific material and treatments for your lenses. Here are some popular choices:

• Polycarbonate: A great option if you lead an active lifestyle and play outdoor sports, polycarbonate lenses are impact-resistant.
• Scratch-resistant: if you’re prone to dropping your sunglasses, this feature is for you.
• Polarized: This treatment neutralizes glare for more comfortable vision in every situation.
• Photochromic lenses: These smart lenses darken or lighten automatically according to the amount of direct sunlight they—and you—encounter.

5. Combine the Best of All Worlds

Prescription sunglasses are a one-stop solution to multiple problems:

1. Every day isn’t necessarily a contact lens day. Sometimes you have allergies, or you don’t get enough sleep, or you cried at a sad movie, and your eyes need a break.
2. The sun’s UV rays are present 365 days a year—even when it’s cloudy! So no matter what, every day is an ideal day to wear your sunglasses.
3. You need prescription lenses to see clearly and function effectively—prescription sunglasses provide that. You’ll be able to read on the beach, see your child score that winning goal and easily find your friends at outdoor events.

Prescription sunglasses will keep you looking good, seeing well and protected from the sun’s harmful UV rays all year long!