I am an older student pilot. Before I started flight training, I had an eye exam and bought some (non-polarized) prescription sunglasses. First really sunny day I discovered the tint is too dark. I could see outside alright, but then the instruments were too dark. Honestly, even the outside was darker than I would have liked. 

I did some reading and noticed there are a myriad of sunglass options - different tints, different colors, gradient, to name a few.

What have you discovered that works for you? Or maybe you know of a good resource or article to help me decide?

@Michael Bellino I have a similar problem with my older eyes and presbyopia.  Ask your optometrist to write you a prescription for glasses with a gradient from sunglasses at the top to clear at the bottom.

@Michael Bellino I use prescription polarized progressive lens sunglasses when I fly. I've tried non-polarized lenses but the polarized lenses dramatically cut down on the glare from above. I can feel my eyes relax when I put them on. The only downside that I've found with the polarized lenses is my iPad Mini. I have to rotate it into the portrait orientation or the opposite polarization of the glass faceplate makes the screen too dim to see in daylight even with maximum brightness set. I mentioned this to a pilot friend of mine who complained about the display being dim even at maximum brightness. He was unaware of the polarization issue but when he rotated his iPad it fixed the problem. None of the other avionics in the airplane use polarized glass faceplates. Even the newer avionics like my Garmin GTN 650, G5 and Appareo ESG don't have polarized glass.

My sunglasses are fairly dark since my eyes are blue and light sensitive. Under a broken or overcast cloud layer I sometimes have to switch to my clear glasses. I haven't tried transition lenses that darken in bright light but I know a pilot who uses them and he says that they don't get very dark. That wouldn't work for me.

I started out with aviator style frames but switched to a more rectangular frame. While they look cool, progressive aviator style lenses don't leave a very large focal area at the bottom of the lens for reading the instruments.

Contact • About Us • Site Policies