I am having a problem with expensive sunglasses bought in the US

Are they only supposed to stay clear for a year or so before being replaced?

I have a few pairs of Ray Bans and Serengetis on which there is some sort of cloudy build-up on the rear of the lenses. Cleaning gets the glasses clear again but the cloudiness comes back within a few hours.I have tried optical cloths, optical cleaner and in desperation, Windex.

This doesn't seem to happen with less expensive glasses and the cloudiness doesn't appear on a pair of Serengeti tradewinds bought in Europe about a decade ago

Does anyone regognise this symptom and have a cure please?

On Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 10:27:05 AM UTC-5, Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:

I am having a problem with expensive sunglasses bought in the US

Are they only supposed to stay clear for a year or so before being replaced?

I have a few pairs of Ray Bans and Serengetis on which there is some sort of cloudy build-up on the rear of the lenses. Cleaning gets the glasses clear again but the cloudiness comes back within a few hours.I have tried optical cloths, optical cleaner and in desperation, Windex.

This doesn't seem to happen with less expensive glasses and the cloudiness doesn't appear on a pair of Serengeti tradewinds bought in Europe about a decade ago

Does anyone regognise this symptom and have a cure please?


You're probably buying cheap knockoffs advertised as Ray Bans. Have
you thought of contacting the mentioned companies above with your
problem?

Yes, they confirmed authenticity and (Serengeti) said they had no idea what to do if it is out of warranty.

This is a problem which possibly concerns lens coating on expensive lenses which doesnt seem to affect cheap glasses

On Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 2:05:51 PM UTC-5, Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:

This is a problem which possibly concerns lens coating on expensive lenses which doesnt seem to affect cheap glasses


Which now means you own cheap sunglasses. A quality product wouldn't
do this.

On 8/3/2017 4:09 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
On Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 2:05:51 PM UTC-5, Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:

This is a problem which possibly concerns lens coating on expensive lenses which doesnt seem to affect cheap glasses


Which now means you own cheap sunglasses. A quality product wouldn't
do this.

Something strange that it takes hours for cloudiness to come back. I
have regular glasses with anti-reflective coating and they seem to need
cleaning more often but these are sun glasses and would not need such a
coating that transmits more light.

There are other coatings like anti-scratch coatings or UV reflective
coatings. It does appear that some kind of coating is there that tends
to attract dirt or particles in the air causing cloudiness. Glasses
would hold up much better with such coatings but have to be cleaned more
often.

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 3 Aug 2017 08:26:58 -0700 (PDT), Amanda
Ripanykhazova wrote:

I am having a problem with expensive sunglasses bought in the US

Are they only supposed to stay clear for a year or so before being replaced?

I have a few pairs of Ray Bans and Serengetis on which there is some sort of cloudy build-up on the rear of the lenses. Cleaning gets the glasses clear again but the cloudiness comes back within a few hours.I have tried optical cloths, optical cleaner and in desperation, Windex.

How long is your hair? Do you lift the glasses above your forehead when
not using them? In that case, any amount of hair is enough. I do
that, with regular glasses, and they are always getting dirty.

I've heard you're suppposed to wash them with soap and water, but I just
wipe them with any cloth or soft paper that's available, even the top of
my sock or a corner of a paper napkin. I don't think I get the hair oil
off but I either move it to the outside of the lens or I spread it out
evenly so that after I do that the image is clear as can be. It's good
for... what was the time you gave? A few hours, that's it.

BTW, I've only been wearing glasses part time and only since I'm 50, so
no one taught me any better.

This doesn't seem to happen with less expensive glasses and the cloudiness doesn't appear on a pair of Serengeti tradewinds bought in Europe about a decade ago

Does anyone regognise this symptom and have a cure please?

Having read the rest of the thread, I'd go to an optician and ask if he
knows what to do. No matter what, he'll probably sell you whatever he
sells for cleaning lenses**, but maybe you can say you'd buy it if you
knew it would work. Does he have an open bottle so you can clean them
at his place, and if they still look good a day later, you'll come back
and buy a bottle. (This assumes it's not your hair.)

**As cynical as this sounds, i still think some opticians will know the
answer to this. Or they will look at your glasses and have something
to say.

How could Ray Ban etc. confirm their authenticity without seeing them?

As to my personal experience, I haven't worn sunglasses for 10 or 20
years. Given that no one wore them until what, 100 or 200 years ago, I
thought I could learn to do without them, and I learned. But now I
regret it since I found out they can "help to" prevent cataracts. I'm 70
and don't have any trace of cataracts yet, so we will see in years to
come if I harmed myself. (Hmmm. Since I thought about this, I still
haven't bought or dug out old sunglasses.)

But whether they are el-cheapo Ray-Bans or el cheapo Serengetis, or whether it is a problem with the coating, what can I use to clean them off? If the specialised fluid used by opticians doesnt work?

Or is this Luxxotica planned obsolescence in an American-sold product? Which wouldnt be tolerated when the glasses are/were sold in Europe?

On 8/7/2017 2:27 PM, Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:
But whether they are el-cheapo Ray-Bans or el cheapo Serengetis, or whether it is a problem with the coating, what can I use to clean them off? If the specialised fluid used by opticians doesnt work?

Or is this Luxxotica planned obsolescence in an American-sold product? Which wouldnt be tolerated when the glasses are/were sold in Europe?


If it comes back in a couple of hours, something like coating might be
attracting dirt.

On Monday, August 7, 2017 at 5:28:00 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:

On 8/7/2017 2:27 PM, Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:

But whether they are el-cheapo Ray-Bans or el cheapo Serengetis, or whether it is a problem with the coating, what can I use to clean them off? If the specialised fluid used by opticians doesnt work?

Or is this Luxxotica planned obsolescence in an American-sold product? Which wouldnt be tolerated when the glasses are/were sold in Europe?


If it comes back in a couple of hours, something like coating might be
attracting dirt.


I think she got ripped off with some cheapie knock-offs whether
she believes it or not. I've NEVER heard A-N-Y-O-N-E but her
complaining of this problem.

On 8/7/2017 6:46 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
On Monday, August 7, 2017 at 5:28:00 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:

On 8/7/2017 2:27 PM, Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:

But whether they are el-cheapo Ray-Bans or el cheapo Serengetis, or whether it is a problem with the coating, what can I use to clean them off? If the specialised fluid used by opticians doesnt work?

Or is this Luxxotica planned obsolescence in an American-sold product? Which wouldnt be tolerated when the glasses are/were sold in Europe?


If it comes back in a couple of hours, something like coating might be
attracting dirt.


I think she got ripped off with some cheapie knock-offs whether
she believes it or not. I've NEVER heard A-N-Y-O-N-E but her
complaining of this problem.


Most glasses are a complete rip off. I buy top of the line glasses from
Zenni Optical for $75. Comparable in US would be over $500 even though
they are using the same frames from China.

On 8/7/2017 8:08 PM, Frank wrote:



Most glasses are a complete rip off. I buy top of the line glasses from
Zenni Optical for $75. Comparable in US would be over $500 even though
they are using the same frames from China.

Mine would be $230 from Zenni but for the $100 more I pay locally I'm
sure to get a good fit. With my lenses, a 1mm difference is huge so I'm
not ready to try them. With single vision I would.

To some extent, I agree. I buy lots of glasses from Zenni but they are hardly top of the line! They are somewhat flimsy, conservative in styling despite having a choice of thousands of similar looking frames, rarely have sprung temples, are a bit iffy on the PD and VERY hit-or-miss on centering the lens to the eye. I did once manage to order a pair of vaguely modern frames from them but they deleted the style pretty quickly!

I agree that Luxxotica makes el-cheapo RayBans to screw customers in the US market. I am a bit surprised that Serengeti does as well