Ray-Ban Meta Transitions Lenses: One Pair Indoors and Out — With One Caveat

The colors

What Transitions do

Photochromic molecules in the lens darken when hit by ultraviolet light and clear again when it goes away. Outdoors on a bright day they behave like sunglasses; inside they read as a clear lens with a faint tint. The speed depends on temperature (slower in heat, faster in cold) and on the lens generation; Meta and Ray-Ban do not publish the exact Transitions generation in the sources we used, so we will not claim a darkening time.

The windshield caveat

Car glass blocks most UV. A standard Transitions lens therefore barely darkens while you are driving — which is fine for a clear-lens day and disappointing if you bought them as sunglasses for the commute. If driving is the main use, choose a polarized sun lens instead, or accept that the glasses will be clear-ish in the car and dark on the sidewalk. This is a property of photochromic lenses generally, not a Meta limitation.

Transitions vs polarized vs sun

Polarized cuts glare off water and roads and is always dark; sun tints are always dark without polarization; Transitions are dark only in UV. You cannot combine Transitions with polarization on the Ray-Ban Meta configurator in the sources we used. If you want one pair for everything indoors and out, Transitions; if you want sunglasses, polarized; if you want both jobs done perfectly, two pairs — or Transitions plus a clip-on, which is not something made for these frames.

Prescription

Every Transitions color takes a prescription, single-vision or progressive, through Meta or Ray-Ban directly (Android Central). Extra-thin lenses for stronger prescriptions are a Ray-Ban-direct option. The range caveats on the prescription page apply.