Prescription (Sun)glasses

[ChrisKH]

It's official, I'm blind. Actually I'm not that blind but my eyesight has generated sufficiently that it's no longer pleasurable to cycle for long periods without glasses as all I can see in the distance is a haze.

So what do you wear and how did you source them? I have looked at Boots and other outlets but the sports glasses on offer didn't fit and were massively geeky. Even for me.

 

[Harrier]

I have a pair of glasses made by Alpina (PSO Triguard 40). These are specific sports sunglasses which have a presription lens insert which fixes on the inside of the frame. You get three interchangeable coloured lenses.

If you go to http://www.lens-wear.co.uk/subcomme...D=41&PID=663&Title=Alpina%AE+PSO+Tri-Guard+40 this should give you an idea.

If you search around a bit you will probably get a better price.

Hope you get sorted.

 

[Willow]

I fully investigated then went ahead with laser treatment hey presto no glasses for reading or distance. fantastic expensive solution though.

 

[Dalestar]

I 've hunted around and looked at the options and plumped for these.

Not recived them yet but hopefully will be good for the price:

http://www.gosportsspex.co.uk/BBBPowerViewSportsGlasses.asp

 

[ChrisKH]

I fully investigated then went ahead with laser treatment hey presto no glasses for reading or distance. fantastic expensive solution though.

I'm a coward.

 

[Willow]

I'm a coward.

Not at all but I've worn glasses for maybe 10 years and hated my varifocals but hated just as much going around with more than one pair of glasses. When I started cycling again and felt more confident with the glasses on than off decided it was time to investigate options. One eye for distance one eye for reading and the brain does the rest amazing.

 

[Cranky]

A couple of years ago I treated myself to a pair of Adidas 'Evil Eye' (silly name, I know). They weren't cheap but are one of the best purchases I ever made for cycling, so comfortable and adjustable, too. Like others, I'm sure, there are different coloured lenses available for varying light conditions. Your prescription lenses click inside and can be replaced when a new prescription is needed. Mine are varifocals so I can see the road ahead and still read my GPS!

 

[Lardyboy]

Have a look at Rudy Projects. They do inserts for most of their range plus a few frames can take prescription lenses directly. Fellow CC'er Fairweather has such a pair, but the model name escapes me at the moment. R.P. Horus, that's what they are.

I prefer contact lenses and ordinary sunglasses myself.

 

[fossyant]

Rudy Project are the best bet TBH - I too am a Prescription glasses wearer...

I had some Bolle Edge's for years (prescription) but about 2 years ago they started to degenerate - the rubber nose piece fell to bits after about 15 years.....

So.... Tesco did an offer £40 for sports specs....having just bought two new pairs of standard glasses for 6oo squid (yep f'ing hell) I went for these.

They were a cheap Oakley copy, the RX inserts were fine, but the cheap glasses were crap - really bad distorsion.

We just so happened to have a pair of Bolle Silicium (safety) specs in the house after I had to visit a site.... hang on...these RX inserts fit..... so bought a couple of pairs of the Bolle's off the bay for about £6 each...jobs a good un....

TBH - it's really Rudy Project, then get your local optician to fit lenses to the RX inserts...... you are looking at about £150 plus a pair all done....

Don't bother with Oakley.....too expensive, no choice of changing lense colour !

 

[Fairweather]

I had a pair of adidas glasses with RX inserts, they were fine when I had the hybrid. But when I got my first road bike I found that I was keeping my head quite upright so I was not looking at the top of the inserts and frames. It was a lot worse when I was down on the drops and especially when going for it downhill, I found myself looking out over the top of the frames so it didn't hurt my neck so much. Problem was I couldn't see a thing cos of my eyesight. Coming down the Bwlch for the second time on the Dragon ride my neck was agony.

I went to look at the Rudy Projects which turned out to be brilliant!. Plenty of adjustment on the nose so that I can get in a serious tuck and I can't even see the top the frames. I bought the Horus model - with blue lenses and a set of clear lenses for the evening rides (both prescription lenses).

One thing that you should take notice of if you go for inserst is how big the inserts are. I found that a lot of the adidas inserst were small, not so many of the Rudy inserts were small, but it really bugged me that I could see the shape of the insert in my perifiral vision. I am so much happier with the prescription lense glasses. And they are sooooo much easier to clean - get a bit of dirt in between inserts and the outer lense and it did my head in!.

 

[wafflycat]

I require specs for distance vision.

Two solutions:-

1. I wear a pair of prescription specs with photochromatic lenses. This is ideal for me in weather other than rain.

If you do any night riding and it rains (memories on DunRun 2007), if you require specs you can end up cycling blind when the water does not clear properly from the lenses combined with the kaleidoscopic effect of refraction of light from raindrops with light from your own lights and/or oncoming traffic. That is NOT FUN. Indeed it's bloody dangerous. I had to bail out of the DunRun 2007 during torrential rain as I simply could not see where I was going and did not want to end up in a ditch in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.

Hence:-

2. Contact lenses. Combined with non-prescription sunglasses during the day and non-prescription clear lenses for night/fog/dull days. Then if it's raining, you still have good vision when looking over the top of the lenses.

Now, unless I know in advance that the weather is going to be ok I tend to be using contact lenses when cycling. I learnt the hard way during the DunRun.


For me, my ideal solution to the eyesight thing is contact lenses + non-prescription sunglasses/clear lenses and I take with me a replacement set of lenses (I use daily disposables), 'comfort' eye drops in case of irritation, and I take an old pair of my prescription specs along as a back-up in case my eyes get tired from the contacts being in for a long period. I'm pretty much covered for all conditions I meet cycling that way.

 

[Aperitif]

gezza - of this parish has a pair from a company based in Croydon I think - the name escapes me but shortly after posting this I'm bound to remember...
He's as blind as a bat - that's why he drives a black cab inbetween Etapes!

 

[Aperitif]

Optilabs?

 

[wafflycat]

My experience of Optilabs: tried every which way to contact them - asking if it was possible to try frames (obviously without lenses) to then make my choice of which ones to buy - said I was willing to pay a suitable deposit to cover me trying frames. Response from Optilabs: Nil, Nada, Zilch. Silence. So they didn't get my business.

Of those I know who have used Optilabs without hassle, they have always been pleased with their purchase.

 

[Cranky]

My experience of Optilabs: tried every which way to contact them - asking if it was possible to try frames (obviously without lenses) to then make my choice of which ones to buy - said I was willing to pay a suitable deposit to cover me trying frames. Response from Optilabs: Nil, Nada, Zilch. Silence. So they didn't get my business.

Of those I know who have used Optilabs without hassle, they have always been pleased with their purchase.

I had the same experience with Optilabs a couple of years ago - no response to emails so I gave up on them.