Opaque but clear
September 26, 2013 11:59 AM   Subscribe

Is it possible to get mirrored sunglasses that are opaque to other people, but clear, or very low tint, to the wearer? I can't work out if this is possible! Special details inside.

I have a form of autism and find eye contact extremely uncomfortable. For some reason, this is particularly bothersome whilst driving. There's a lot of casual eye contact and I find it really unpleasant.

If my eyes are hidden, I'm fine, so dark glasses have solved the problem until now, but summer is coming to an end (at least in the UK) and I need an alternative that won't render me unable to see in low light. Up to a 25% light reduction is fine, according to UK/EU law, but I'd rather have 10% or less. Zero would be ideal! I am male but not particularly bothered about colour or style.
posted by danteGideon to Shopping (8 answers total)
 
The mirroring is optional when you buy sunglasses, so I guess you'll be able to have mirroring with normal, non-tinted glasses as well. Call an optometrist and they'll know immediately.
posted by oxit at 12:25 PM on September 26, 2013


If the light is bouncing off your glasses such that they appear as mirrors to others, how is any getting through into your eyes so you can see? The more mirrored they are, the more opaque they will be. You say they need to let 75% of the light in; this means the mirroring can be at most 25%. There's not really any way around physics.
posted by kindall at 12:27 PM on September 26, 2013 [3 favorites]


Kindall has it. The mirror film itself will be reducing the light that passes into your eye. I think 25% is pretty close to the lowest light reduction possible. Zero and 10% are frankly not realistic. The mirror finish is made by applying a very thin film of metal to the lens, so things get very opaque very fast.

There really isn't any such thing as a one-way mirror, which is what mirrored sunglasses are. Rather, the effect is caused by the area between the lenses and your eyes being darker than the area outside the lenses. Frankly, this is largely how dark sunglasses look dark to the outside world but not to you.

Since low light is a concern you have, your current dark sunglasses are likely going to help you see better. Mirrored sunglasses are almost sure to let less light into your eyes.
posted by Tanizaki at 12:42 PM on September 26, 2013


Best answer: Your glasses will appear more opaque if they are tighter-fitting wraparound-type glasses, because less ambient light from around the edges of the glasses will illuminate your eyes.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 12:45 PM on September 26, 2013


And upon googling I don't think I mean wraparound. I mean glasses that seal more tightly to your face around the edges, so less light gets in the sides.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 12:47 PM on September 26, 2013


Best answer: These do exist, but I can't remember what they're called. (Someone will be along with proper term in a bit.) But to get a pair fairly cheaply, check a hardware store for tinted safety glasses that can be used in variable lighting conditions (ie. indoors and outdoors), that's where I got mine. They work exactly the way you described. They don't have zero light reduction, but not much when worn indoors. They look opaque and mirrored from the outside.

(Salvor Hardin might be right, safety glasses and safety goggles are tight fitting and wrap around because the idea is to keeping flying stuff like sawdust and bits of metal out of your eyes, tinted ones that can double as sunglasses look mirrored but don't have a metalic finish. I think there's also something going on with the type of coating or tinting used.)
posted by nangar at 1:36 PM on September 26, 2013


Best answer: The 1015743 model Sperian A700 is probably an example of the best you are going to do. They have an indoor/outdoor mirrored finish. It's not a totally opaque mirror coating but it certainly makes it difficult to observe a person's eyes. The brighter the conditions the better they work. I use them for bright sun to warehouse lighting levels without difficulty.

I've got several pair of glasses that approach true mirror to a greater or lesser degree and they all are darker than the linked glasses.
posted by Mitheral at 1:51 PM on September 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Brilliant! And safety glasses are really cheap, so I can get a few pairs. Thanks everyone!
posted by danteGideon at 1:39 AM on September 27, 2013


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