27 year old sunglasses

I lost my cheap polarized sunglasses during a recent trip. I think I might have left it in a Grab car. I have one pair in each of our vehicles. I usually wear them while driving during the day time. This helps reduce glare and protect my eyes. Unlike 2 pairs that were previously damaged when I took them to the beach on separate occasions, this inexpensive pair proved to be more resistant to damage caused by environment in beaches so I took it on trips especially those that required me to be outdoors. My line of work requires me to go on field work so these glasses help protect my eyes.

So with one pair lost, I had to bring out a 'vintage' pair that I acquired when I was still studying in Japan in the 1990s. The pair offered UV protection but was not polarized so it was not exactly good for driving especially against glare. I didn't drive while I was in Japan so UV shades were enough for when I had to wear them outdoors. Nevertheless, I bring these with me for now while I have not acquired a replacement for the lost glasses.

Branded sunglasses I acquired in Yokohama back in 1997 - I recall buying these at a shop along the Motomachi shopping street in Yokohama, near where I went to church on Sundays.

I keep these glasses as a back-up but rather not use them to preserve them as a souvenir from my life in Japan. I actually had another pair while I was there but lost those while traveling on one of our natsu zemis (summer seminars).

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Oakley lens replacement

I bought my first Oakley sunglasses in 2015 while I was traveling in San Diego, CA. These are quite expensive in the Philippines but you can get good deals abroad especially in the US.

My glasses before I had the lens replaced - note what looks like "bubbles" and film coming of both lenses. The old lenses are polarized and I use the glasses for when I'm driving. I'm not sure how this happened but I suspect its a mix of moisture coming from perspiration and heat that did this to the glasses.

The frame is a perfect fit for me and these are my preferred glasses for when I drive. My back-up is a trusty Polaroid that I keep in my car. That was my usual wear before the Oakley.

The shape of the glasses is most suited to the shape of my face. That's actually something anyone selecting glasses should keep in mind.

This is an Oakley Wiretap model that retails for around 20,000 PHP in the Philippines. I got this for about 12,000 PHP.

A friend recommended a local shop that specialized in lens replacement for various brands especially Oakley. It cost me 2,500 pesos (about 50 USD) for the lens replacements. These were also polarized lenses with the same color as the old ones. I am very happy with the replacements and am driving with my favored glasses again.

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