Photochromic lenses, the ones that change from clear to dark in sunlight, have been around for decades. While the quality of the effects have been refined, the basic operation remains the same: expose the clear lens to sunlight and it will darken, then when exposure ends, the lens gradually reverts to clear. This is great for wearers of prescription glasses who don’t want to juggle regular glasses and prescription sunglasses. But that time to shift between states has always been a downside.

Enter Chamelo.

Their original product offering was sunglasses that could change color and tint intensity instantly at the push of a button. Cool, but honestly little more than a fun gimmick. After all, how often are you wearing sunglasses and wishing you could tweak the darkness? (probably not zero, to be fair, but it’s also not usually a major concern).

Then they listened to user feedback and started offering the same technology with prescription lenses. NOW they’re on to something.

With regular photochromic lenses, the time to darken after UV exposure is a key quality factor. Especially while driving, this delay can be a safety issue. Entering and exiting parking structures or tunnels can result in drastic changes in brightness that can be temporarily blinding.

However, with a tap that’s not much different than the effort to activate a turn signal (side note: for some, this is an insurmountable effort…), you can switch your Chamelo lenses to sunglasses mode or back.

Also, just the option to choose when they’re on or off gives you flexibility for other settings. I can envision an unofficial “hangover mode” for use indoors. And with the color options, if you end up at a trendy party, you can choose to look like John Lennon rather than someone with myopia who ended up at the wrong address.

Check out the tech at https://chamelo.com/

P.S.: Seriously, who goes to trendy parties on purpose? Use those superpowered glasses to find an exit. Get home. Switch on Netflix.