Prescription Sunglasses in Edmonton: Tints, Polarisation, Cost
Prescription Sunglasses in Edmonton: Tints, Polarisation and What They Cost
Prescription sunglasses in Canada run about CAD $50 to $600 or more, according to Olympia Benefits. Our $99 single-vision package covers clear lenses, so a sun pair is quoted separately against your prescription. Across our own sunglasses catalogue, choosing polarized over a plain tint adds $21 to $102.
That last number is the useful one, because it is the choice most people are actually stuck on. Tint or polarized? Grey or brown? And what does each one do to the bill?
Below you can look through each option before you pay for it, then see the real price difference on frames we currently list.
How much do prescription sunglasses cost?
A prescription sun pair is priced the same way a clear pair is: a frame, plus lenses made to your prescription, plus whatever you add to those lenses. Olympia Benefits, a Canadian health-spending-account provider, puts the national range at CAD $50 to $600 or more, and says the cost "will range depending on the strength of your prescription, the designer of the lenses, and where you purchase."
Two things make a sun pair different from a clear pair. First, the tint or the polarizing filter is part of the lens, so it is priced as a lens option rather than a coating you bolt on afterward. Second, sun frames are often curved, and a curved frame is harder to put a prescription into. More on that below.
Prescription sunglasses, priced honestly
All figures CAD, as of July 2026. Market figures are attributed; Charm figures are our own current packages and listed prices.
- Canadian market, complete Rx sun pairOlympia Benefits, national range $50–$600+
- Polarized instead of a plain tintSame frame, our catalogue, 370 frames listed both ways +$21–$102
- Typical polarized premiumMedian across those 370 frames +$53
- Charm single-vision packageFrame + clear single-vision lenses + scratch coating $99
- Your prescription sun pairDepends on your Rx, frame and lens choice call for a quote
Tint or polarized? Look through both first
A tint is a colour. A polarizing filter is a screen inside the lens that blocks light waves travelling horizontally — which is most of the light bouncing off wet asphalt, snow and car hoods. The American Academy of Ophthalmology describes the filter as "a miniblind hanging in front of a window."
Use the bench below. Everything outside the lens shape is the scene as it is now. Everything inside it is what you would see. Change the tint, then flip the polarizing filter on and watch what disappears.
The glare bench
Low sun, wet road, Edmonton in April
Outside the lens shape is the raw scene. Inside it is your lens. Change the tint, then slide the polarizing filter in.
The tint
No tint
Comfortable indoors and useless at 5pm on the Whitemud. Worth knowing: a clear lens can still block 100% of UV. Tint and UV protection are two different things.
No tint chargeGrey
Neutral. Darkens everything by the same amount, so traffic lights and paint colours stay true. The default for driving and general wear, and the safest pick if you are unsure.
The usual starting pointBrown / amber
Warms the picture and lifts contrast against green and blue. People like it for golf, water and low winter sun. It does shift colour, which some drivers dislike.
Usually same price as greyG-15 green
Ray-Ban's classic grey-green: close to neutral, with a small contrast lift. A middle setting between grey and brown, and the reason so many aviators look the way they do.
Usually same price as greyThe filter
Filter off
You keep every reflection, including the wet sheen that tells you a patch of road is icy. It costs less, and it is the easier choice if you spend the day reading an LCD dashboard or a phone.
No polarizing chargeFilter on
The horizontal glare off wet asphalt, snow and hoods is gone, and detail sharpens. Two real costs: the AAO notes polarized lenses can make LCD screens hard to read, and can make icy patches harder to spot while driving or skiing.
+$21 to $102 on the same frameNeither switch is UV protection. The Canadian Association of Optometrists is blunt about this: "It is not possible to tell how much UV protection a pair of sunglasses will provide by looking at the price tag, colour, or darkness of the lenses." Look for UV400 or 100% UV on the lens, and ask.
What does each tint colour actually do?
Tint colour changes how the world looks. It does not change how much UV reaches your eye, and it is not what you are paying extra for. Here are three real frames we currently list, one in each classic tint.
Listed CAD prices for the ready-made pair, charmoptical.ca, as of July 2026. Prescription lenses in these frames are quoted separately. Browse the full sunglasses collection.
Darkness is a separate question from colour. Health Canada's guidance, quoted in the CAO position statement, is that lenses should be "dark enough to keep their eyes comfortable, but not so dark that they reduce vision." Very dark lenses on a road at dusk are a hazard, not an upgrade.
What does polarization actually cost?
Here is a number nobody publishes, so we worked it out from our own shelves. We list 370 sunglass frames in both a plain-tint version and a polarized version of the same model. Comparing the lowest-priced version of each, the polarized option costs between $21 and $102 more, with a median of $53.
The clearest way to see it is one frame, twice.
| Frame | Plain tint | Polarized | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vogue Eyewear VO4309S | $88 | $113 | +$25 |
| Michael Kors ANAHEIM | $126 | $166 | +$40 |
| Ray-Ban ZURI | $159 | $206 | +$47 |
| Ray-Ban RB4068 | $159 | $225 | +$66 |
| Oakley TOURNIQUET | $140 | $213 | +$73 |
| Ray-Ban ROUND II TITANIUM | $492 | $572 | +$80 |
| All 370 frames listed both ways | — | — | +$53 median |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column
Look down the last column. The premium does not track the frame price: an $88 frame charges $25 for the filter, a $140 Oakley charges $73. You are paying for the lens, not the label.
Read this before you pick polarized
Those are prices for ready-made sunglasses off the shelf. They tell you what the polarizing filter is worth as a lens option — a useful benchmark — but they are not a quote for prescription lenses. A prescription sun lens is surfaced to your eyes, and we price it after we have seen your prescription. Call (780) 490-0090 with your Rx and we will give you the real number.
What else moves the price of a prescription sun pair?
Five things, in roughly the order they matter.
| Option | What it changes | When you need it | Price effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lens index (thinness) | Thickness and weight at the edge of a strong prescription | Stronger prescriptions, and any large or rimless sun frame | Large |
| Wrap / base curve | The lens has to be made on a curve and optically compensated | Sport and wrap-around frames | Large |
| Polarizing filter | Removes horizontal glare from roads, snow and water | Driving, water, snow, long days outdoors | Medium |
| Mirror coating | Bounces more light off the front; cosmetic as well as functional | Very bright glare environments, and looks | Medium |
| Gradient tint | Dark at the top, clear at the bottom, so you can still read a dash | Driving, city wear | Small |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column
The wrap frame trap
Curved sport frames are the most common reason a sun quote comes back higher than expected, and occasionally the reason we have to say no. Rx-Safety, a prescription safety-eyewear maker, puts it plainly: outside a total power range of about −4.00 to +3.00 "you are at special risk of not adapting to wraparound lenses," and prescriptions outside roughly −6.00 to +4.00 "either cannot physically be done or are barely able to be done in a high base curve." High astigmatism is the other limiter.
If you have a strong prescription and you want a wrap, bring it in before you fall in love with a frame. A flatter frame in the same style usually solves it. If thickness is your main worry, our guide to high-index lenses covers the trade-offs.
Or skip the second pair entirely
Photochromic lenses darken outdoors and clear indoors, which means one pair instead of two. They are slower to clear than most people expect, and they barely darken behind a windscreen. That trade-off is worth reading before you decide: see transition lenses and our real-world performance review.
Why isn't a sun pair part of the $99 glasses package?
Our $99 single-vision package is a frame, single-vision prescription lenses and a scratch-resistant coating — in clear lenses. Two complete single-vision pairs are $159. Progressive packages start at $350 for one pair and $500 for two.
A sun lens is a different lens. The tint or polarizing filter is built into it, so it is priced as its own item rather than swapped into the package. That is why we will not quote you a flat sunglasses number on a web page: your prescription, your frame and your lens choice all move it. Call us and we will price the exact pair.
The honest answer to "how much are prescription sunglasses" is a question back: what is your prescription, and what are you doing when the sun is in your eyes?
Does insurance cover prescription sunglasses in Alberta?
Often, yes — but usually out of the same pot as your clear glasses. Most group vision plans set a single eyewear maximum per benefit period, and prescription sunglasses are prescription eyewear. Claim a sun pair and that amount generally comes off the same maximum your everyday pair would have used.
Two conditions come up again and again: the lenses have to carry your prescription, and the receipt has to say so. Non-prescription sunglasses are almost never covered.
AHCIP does not pay for eyewear at any age. Coverage comes from group and private plans — Alberta Blue Cross, Canada Life (formerly Great-West Life), Desjardins and others — and from programs such as AISH, Alberta Works and NIHB. Allowances are set by your employer's plan, not by us, so we look yours up rather than guess.
Check before you choose a frame
Take the 16-question benefits quiz, or call (780) 490-0090 with your card and we will tell you what your plan will pay toward a sun pair before you commit to anything. More context in 5 things most people don't know about their vision insurance in Alberta.
What if you have cataracts, or you have just had surgery?
Glare is often the first cataract symptom people notice: headlights starring, sunlight washing everything out, night driving getting harder. Sunglasses do not treat a cataract, but they make daylight bearable while you wait, and a polarized lens is genuinely useful here because so much of that daytime glare is reflected light.
After surgery, light sensitivity is normal. The American Academy of Ophthalmology's page on cataract-surgery side effects notes that some sensitivity is expected from dryness, and that sometimes "you may need to wear sunglasses for a few months until iritis goes away." Your surgeon's instructions come first, and your prescription usually changes after surgery — so wait until it settles before ordering prescription sun lenses.
If glare is getting worse, that is a reason to have your eyes checked rather than to buy darker sunglasses. Read more on cataracts, or the symptoms and when to see your eye doctor. Comprehensive eye exams at Charm are by appointment: book online or call us.
Try the frame, price the lens
We are at 5035 Ellerslie Road SW
Bring your current prescription and try sun frames on. We will tell you which ones your prescription can go into, what the lens options cost, and what your plan covers — before you decide.
FAQ
How much do prescription sunglasses cost in Edmonton?
Prescription sunglasses in Canada generally run CAD $50 to $600 or more, according to Olympia Benefits, and the number moves with the strength of your prescription, the frame you choose and the lens options you add. At Charm Optical in Edmonton, our $99 single-vision package covers clear lenses, so a sun pair is quoted separately against your prescription. Call (780) 490-0090 with your prescription and we will price the exact pair rather than give you an average.
Are polarised or tinted prescription lenses better?
They do different jobs. A tint is a colour that makes everything darker. A polarizing filter blocks the horizontally travelling light that bounces off wet roads, snow and car hoods, so it removes glare rather than just dimming it. Polarized is the better choice for driving, water and snow. A plain tint is the better choice if you spend the day reading LCD screens, because the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes polarized lenses can make LCD displays hard to read, and can make icy patches harder to spot while driving or skiing.
How much extra does polarization cost?
Across the 370 sunglass frames Charm Optical lists in both a plain-tint and a polarized version of the same model, the polarized option costs between CAD $21 and $102 more, with a median of $53, as of July 2026. Those are ready-made sunglasses, so they show what the polarizing filter is worth as a lens option rather than what prescription lenses will cost. Prescription sun lenses are surfaced to your eyes and are quoted after we have seen your prescription.
Do darker sunglasses give more UV protection?
No. The Canadian Association of Optometrists states that it is not possible to tell how much UV protection a pair of sunglasses will provide by looking at the price tag, colour, or darkness of the lenses, and that the degree of UV protection is not necessarily related to price. Look for UV400 or 100% UV on the lens. Health Canada's guidance is that lenses should be dark enough to keep your eyes comfortable, but not so dark that they reduce vision.
Does insurance cover prescription sunglasses in Alberta?
Usually yes, but out of the same pot as your clear glasses. Most group vision plans set one eyewear maximum per benefit period, and prescription sunglasses count as prescription eyewear, so claiming a sun pair generally draws down the same maximum your everyday pair would have used. The lenses must carry your prescription and the receipt must show it, because non-prescription sunglasses are almost never covered. AHCIP does not pay for eyewear at any age. Bring your card to Charm Optical and we will check your coverage before you choose a frame.
Can I get prescription lenses in wrap-around sport sunglasses?
Sometimes, and it depends on your prescription. A wrap frame has a steep curve, so the lens has to be made on that curve and optically compensated, which costs more and limits how strong a prescription can be fitted. Rx-Safety notes that outside a total power range of about minus 4.00 to plus 3.00 you are at special risk of not adapting to wraparound lenses, and outside roughly minus 6.00 to plus 4.00 the lens either cannot physically be made or is barely able to be made in a high base curve. High astigmatism is a further limit. Bring your prescription in before you choose a wrap frame.
Should I get prescription sunglasses or photochromic lenses?
Photochromic lenses darken outdoors and clear indoors, so one pair does both jobs and you spend less than you would on two complete pairs. The trade-offs are that they take time to clear when you come inside, and most of them barely darken behind a car windscreen because the glass blocks the UV that triggers them. If you drive a lot or spend long days in bright sun, a dedicated prescription sun pair works better. If you move in and out all day and want to carry one pair, photochromic is the practical answer.
Do sunglasses help with cataracts?
Sunglasses do not treat a cataract, but they make daylight far more comfortable while you wait for surgery, and a polarized lens helps because much of the daytime glare that bothers people with cataracts is reflected light. After cataract surgery, light sensitivity is common and the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that you may need to wear sunglasses for a few months until inflammation settles. Follow your surgeon's instructions, and wait for your prescription to stabilise after surgery before ordering new prescription sun lenses.
Get a real number for your prescription
Priced against your Rx, not an average
Call us and we will price your exact prescription sunglasses.
Tell us your prescription and the frame you like, and we will quote the lens, the tint, the polarizing filter and what your plan pays — on the phone, before you come in. We are at 5035 Ellerslie Road SW, Edmonton.
Browse sunglasses, read whether prescription sunglasses are worth it or the longer take on polarized vs non-polarized. Wearing progressives? See progressive lenses. On UV, see UV damage and your eyes. All prices CAD and current as of July 2026; confirm the latest on our deals page. Exams are by appointment.