If you have Oakley Meta smart glasses and you are not sold on the stock Oakley Gold Prizm lenses, the good news is that the lenses are removable. I wanted to see how hard the swap actually is and whether a lower-cost aftermarket lens could change the look without making the glasses less useful.
For this test, I tried the Apex Lux Icy Blue lenses on my Oakley Meta glasses. This was my first time doing the swap, so I kept the process practical: remove the stock lenses, compare them side by side, install the Apex lenses, and see how they feel once they are on my face.
Quick Answer
The Oakley Meta lenses came out pretty easily by pushing from the back side of the frame near the top outer corner of each lens. To install the Apex Icy Blue lenses, I started with the flatter inner edge near the nose bridge, seated that side first, and then worked around the frame until the opposite side snapped in.
The Apex Icy Blue lenses gave the glasses a lighter blue look that was not as dark as the stock Gold Prizm lenses. They also felt thinner and a little more flexible in my hand. Indoors under studio lighting, I could still see through them fairly well, and I did not notice the same green color shift I was getting from the orange/gold lenses.
How The Oakley Meta Lenses Come Out
The easiest way to understand the Oakley Meta lens shape is to look at the inner edge near the nose bridge. There is a flatter side there, and that is where the lens clips into the frame.
To remove the lens, I worked from the back side of the glasses and pushed outward near the top outer corner, opposite the flat inner edge. I held the frame rather than grabbing the opposite side of the lens, then pushed until the lens popped free.
The first lens came out with a clean pop. The second one took a little more pressure, but it still snapped out without flying across the room. I would keep a microfiber cloth nearby so the lenses have somewhere safe to land once they come loose.
- Hold the frame, not the far side of the lens.
- Push from the back side near the top outer corner.
- Expect a snap or pop when the lens releases.
- Have a cloth ready so the lens does not land on a hard surface.
Apex Icy Blue Lens First Impressions
The Apex Lux lenses came in a small case with a pouch, and the two lenses were wrapped together in plastic. These are Apex’s Icy Blue lenses, and the look is very different from the Oakley Gold Prizm lenses that came in my glasses.
The Gold Prizm lenses are very clear, which makes sense because they are Oakley Prizm lenses. I had started getting used to them, but I also found that they were not something I would want to drive with at night. That matters for me because I work long hours and often come home after dark.
The Icy Blue lenses are not super dark. That is part of why I was interested in them. They may land in a middle ground where the glasses still have a sunglass look without feeling as limiting in lower light. I am also planning to test Apex transition lenses, because those may be closer to what I need for long days that move from bright conditions into nighttime.
- The Icy Blue lenses are lighter than the dark sunglass look.
- They are visibly different from the Oakley Gold Prizm lenses.
- They may be more usable indoors or in changing light, though this was only a first impression.
- Transition lenses are still the option I am most interested in for day-to-night use.
Side By Side With Oakley Gold Prizm
When I compared the lenses side by side, the Apex Icy Blue lenses looked thinner than the Oakley Prizm lenses. In hand, they felt like they might be around two-thirds the thickness, though I did not measure them.
That thinner feel showed up again when I wiped the lenses down after installing them. The Apex lenses flexed a bit more than the Oakley lenses. That does not automatically mean there is a problem, but it is something I noticed immediately during the swap.
Visually, the Icy Blue lenses are light enough that you can see through them from the front in some lighting. When I put my hand behind the glasses, the camera could pick it up through the lens. Personally, I do not mind that because I already wear blue-tinted lenses in another pair of everyday glasses.
- Oakley Gold Prizm felt thicker and more rigid.
- Apex Icy Blue felt thinner and more flexible.
- The blue tint is visible, but not extremely dark.
- In some lighting, you can see through the lenses from the front.
Installing The Apex Lenses
Putting the Apex lenses in took more patience than removing the Oakley lenses. The main trick was starting with the flatter inner side near the nose bridge. I tried to seat that corner first, then worked around the frame toward the opposite corner.
The first Apex lens took some playing around before it snapped into place. The second one went a little smoother, which makes me think this is one of those jobs that gets easier once you understand how the lens wants to sit in the frame.
I would not rush this part. The lens does not feel like it slides fully into the flat side at first, but that side still needs to be the starting point. Once it begins to seat correctly, you can pinch around the frame and work the rest of the lens into place.
- Start with the flat inner edge near the nose bridge.
- Seat that side first before working around the frame.
- Expect the first install to take a little trial and error.
- Do not force the lens from the wrong side if it is not lining up.
How They Look On The Glasses
Once installed, the Apex Icy Blue lenses changed the Oakley Meta look quite a bit. They give the glasses a cooler blue style instead of the warmer orange/gold look from the stock Prizm lenses.
When I put them on, I did not get the same green color shift that I noticed with the orange lenses. They still felt somewhat dark indoors, but I was under studio lighting, so I need more real-world time with them before making a final call on everyday use.
For a first swap, the result was better than I expected. The look is clean, the installation is doable, and the tint may be a good fit for someone who wants a lighter blue lens instead of a darker sunglass lens.
- The Icy Blue lenses give the Oakley Meta glasses a cooler look.
- I did not notice the same green color shift I saw with the orange/gold lenses.
- They still felt somewhat dark indoors, but not overly dark on first impression.
- More outdoor and day-to-night testing would be needed before calling them a final daily setup.
Key Takeaways
- Oakley Meta lenses can be removed by pushing from the back side near the top outer corner while holding the frame.
- The Apex Icy Blue lenses install by seating the flat inner edge first, then working around the frame until the lens snaps in.
- The Apex lenses felt thinner and more flexible than the Oakley Gold Prizm lenses during handling and cleaning.
- The Icy Blue tint is lighter than a dark sunglass lens and can be somewhat see-through from the front in certain lighting.
- I did not notice the same green color shift with the Icy Blue lenses that I saw with the orange/gold lenses.
- If you need Oakley Meta glasses for long days that turn into night driving, transition lenses may still be the more practical option to test.
Watch the Video
The video above for the full lens removal and installation walkthrough, including the side-by-side look at the Apex Icy Blue lenses next to the Oakley Gold Prizm lenses and the final try-on.
