Gear Review: Cocoons OveRx Sunwear

Cocoons with glasses

Wearing prescription glasses in the outdoors is not always great. Prescription glasses let sunlight in forcing me to squint and making my eyes uncomfortable by straining on a sunny day. Purchasing clip-on sunglasses certainly helps but sunlight still comes in from above, below and on the sides of the lenses so this really is not a solution for me. That is where Cocoons OveRx sunglasses from Live Eyewear comes in. Cocoons OverRx eyewear are sunglasses that are designed to fit over prescription glasses. They come with a neoprene storage case that floats, a cleaning rag and a limited lifetime warranty.

Wearing the Cocoons

Since prescription glasses come in different shapes and sizes Cocoons must do the same so they can fit any user. Cocoons come in six different sizes ranging from S to XL. The sizing is based on the height and width of the prescription glasses the Cocoons will fit over. A sizing chart can be found on Cocoons website that can be printed off and is easy to use. The frames of the Cocoons come equipped with a Flex2Fit Adjustable Temples which is a flexible ear piece in the arms of the frame. This is very easy to use and I had no problems adjusting the fit to the contours of my head. The frames come in a variety of colors including black, tortoiseshell, sand, slate and burgundy.


Cocoons also have a variety of customizable lenses. Cocoons sunglasses come with Polaré polarized lenses which are designed to eliminate glare, reduce eyestrain and are scratch resistant. They have a variety of colors to choose from so you can customize the lenses based on your ideal use and lighting conditions. They have gray, copper, amber and yellow lenses available in the polarized line.

The Cocoons on a hiking trip

I received the black frames with gray lenses (which are ideal for everyday use in bright light conditions where enhanced contrast is not required) and a blue mirror finish. Wearing the Cocoons OveRx sunglasses while hiking, backpacking and mountain biking in Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park and other areas of the desert southwest has been a blessing. It’s nice to be able to take in the scenery without the blinding light that typically comes with it. While snowshoeing and hiking in the Wasatch Mountains the OveRx work great at reducing glare and eyestrain on sunny days when traversing over snow.

In addition to completely shielding my eyes from bright light, I also like the way they look. It’s very hard to tell that I have prescription eyeglasses underneath the Cocoons with the blue mirror, reflective finish. To me they look more like regular sunglasses than sunglasses that fit over prescription glasses. I’m not the only ones who like the way they look. On my last snowshoeing trip I passed two other people snowshoeing who had Cocoons on. While they all had different frames and lenses I didn’t even notice they had prescription glasses on underneath until I saw the Cocoons logo on the frames after talking to them for a few minutes.

Using the Cocoons while biking

When I initially tried them on my prescription glasses kept slipping down my nose while I was wearing the Cocoons even though the Cocoons stay put. I adjusted the frames and then had the opposite problem of my prescription glasses staying put and the Cocoons sliding down. I performed a final adjustment and both glasses finally stayed put.

When going outside on a sunny day the Cocoons OveRx sunglasses provide a great and fashionable way to shield my eyes from the sun. Seeing the outdoors while being in the outdoors is important to me so the Cocoons are just what I need. They do a fantastic job of allowing me to see clearly when I’m wearing eyeglasses.

Manufacturer	Cocoons by Live Eyewear
Colors	Frames: Black, tortoiseshell, sand, slate and burgundy Lenses: Gray, copper, amber and yellow
Weight	1.2 oz (34 g)
Price (MSRP)	$49.95 USD

This story was originally posted December 21, 2010.