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Snapchat Spectacles could be the hottest piece of wearable technology to launch in quite some time. The buzz surrounding them could have something to do with the fact that Snap Inc hasn’t tried marketed them as a necessary piece of technology, as much as a fun way to share hands-free video with your friends and family. Whatever your personal feelings may be toward Spectacles, it’s not hard to see how they strike a cord with our social media addicted youth.
The real problem — as noted in our review — is the fact that Spectacles are sunglasses, something that limits the accessory to sunny outdoorsy environments where there’s plenty of lighting. Although there’s nothing stopping anyone from wearing them indoors or at night, it’s not exactly socially acceptable (unless you’re a rapper) and could be a safety hazard as it makes it difficult to see what’s in front of you. For more on the dangers of wearing sunglasses at night, take a look at a YouTuber who thought it would be fun to wear Spectacles at night while skateboarding, only to learn the hard way that it wasn’t the smartest decision he ever made.
Spectacles also aren’t well suited for folks who rely on prescription glasses to see properly, not unless you pair them up with some contact lenses. That’s a huge segment of the population so even if/when Spectacles become more widely available, they’re just not feasible for some.
With all the buzz surrounding Snapchat Spectacles, we’re now seeing more and more places offering prescription lenses for the eye wear, including additional options for those that just want to further customize their specs with different colored shades. The best part, is how easy the entire process is. Simply order your lenses online, pop out your stock lenses, then snap in the new ones once they arrive in the mail and you’re all set. It really is that simple.
We decided to buy ours from GlassesUSA as they were one of the more affordable options out there. Their 100% money back guarantee and free shipping/returns (in the US) was also a nice peace of mind. Prices start at just $29 for single vision, near vision, or non-prescription lenses and you’ll have to add +$99 for bifocals, or another +$139 for progressive lenses.
From there, there are a variety of “lens packages” to choose from. The value option is free and includes 1.5 index basic lenses, and a scratch resistant coating. The other packages include options for varying levels of anti-reflective coating and even thinner lenses.
Once you’ve decided on the lens package, you can move onto the lens types: clear (free), clear w/digital block (+$29), photochromic / transition (+$149), or just regular tinted sunglasses (+$29 – $99). If you go with sunglasses, there are even more options available, like color tint (+29), mirrored (+$49), or polarized (+$99).
As you can see, the basic single vision lenses are dirt cheap, but the price can potentially jump way up depending on the options you tack on (it’s pretty much $58 for regular tinted replacements).
Whatever option you choose, you can sleep sound knowing that there are affordable options available to you whether you’ve scratched, cracked, or broken your stock Snapchat lenses. If you’re just looking to customize/upgrade the stock shades with a colored mirror tint or get them polarized, that’s always an option too, just be prepared to pay an additional premium.
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