Prescription sunglasses - suggestions please
 

I have a pair of prescription sunglasses, polarized, that I really like, but they are one prescription older than my current one. I am finding that when I get home from work (9 mile ride usually in full sun) my eyes are VERY sore, itchy, and tired. I can't figure out if the problem is one of:

1. old prescription leading to eyestrain (I do notice it a bit when I switch glasses)
2. Lens size not big enough to catch all the road grit - they are a regular wire frame, not aviator style or wraparounds
3. Tint not dark enough
4. lenses letting in glare from the side/over top of glasses (I do have a visor on my helmet)

Or maybe a combination. Has anyone else had this experience, and what was your solution? I can't afford to drop $300 on new sunglasses only to find I have the same problem...

I went round to several optical shops yesterday and got very discouraged and confused. Two of them told me I should switch to contacts (I have a phobia of contacts, and they would not be practical on the long distance rides I want to do anyway) and the third only carried sunglasses in the $300 range for frames ALONE (with my prescription the lenses were quoted at $200, :eek:).

Then there is the problem of the level of tint or polarization to get for the widest useful range. None of the opticians could help me with that as they were only familiar with fashion sunglasses, not sport requirements.

I've seen the ads for cycling sunglasses that take a prescription insert - what do you do, buy those separately and then take them in to the optician to have the Rx lenses done?

I like my Rx Oakley Mframe Hybrid's. Not cheap but they keep out the bugs, dust and glare!

Some optomitrists do allow you to bring in frames and then customize Rx lenses to fit those frames. I used to have Rx sunglasses and looked into both options, but opted to go for the in-house frames. (I've since had Lasik done, but I miss those sunglasses!) The problem with Rx sumglasses is that many insurance companies deem them as 'fashion' or some such nonsense. I had to pay a lot more for mine than regular lenses. I had upcharges for almost everything.

Do you have any problems with eye strain withyou current perscription glasses? If not, you should talk to your optician and let them know what's going on and see if it's recmmended that your sunglass lenses be upgraded. You may be able to use your current frames and save some money as well if you want to keep them.

Contacts - $80 for 3 months. Sunglasses - $20 with changeable lens inserts.

Prescription sunglasses FTL. What exactly is the problem with long distance rides and contacts? Phobia, can't help you with that unfortunately.

Rudy Project has a lot of sunglasses that can be direct in frame lenses or an optical insert. They also can handle all of the prescription work if you like.

My wife wears prescription bifocal glasses, and the frames she bought last time had sunglass "subframes (?)" that attach in front of her regular frames with a little magnet at each temple hinge. Sort of a modern adaptation of the old clip-on sunglasses. She likes 'em, so maybe the next time you have your frames and glasses updated you might ask about them.

Personally I wear hard gas permeable contacts - they're the only ones that can be made in a prescription strong enough to correct for my nearsightedness and astygmatism - and have no problems for the most part. I put 'em in when I get up in the morning, and take 'em off when I go to bed. I wear dollar-store reading glasses for close work, and sungalsses from Lowes or Home Depot (no Oakleys for this cheapskate!). A pair of clear safety glasses from the same source works for evening or cloudy-day riding when all I need is something to keep the wind out of my eyes - the contacts are prone to drying out in the wind, and it's good to keep bugs and wind-born grit out of the eyes when wearing contacts.

Here we go again..........

The solution to this concern is both simple and inexpensive.....as long
as you're not a fashion slave who are prone to spend money wastefully.

Any pair on the linked page will do the following for wearer.......

Protect the eyes from dust, wind, flying debris of all kinds.

Allow the wearer wear their regular street glasses to avoid the excessive
cost of special trendy riding glasses thus saving big bucks.

They are easily/cheaply replaceable if lost, stolen, or broken.

Now all these benefits can be yours......if.....you're not a fashion slave.

http://www.eyesave.com/brands/b281-d...ses/index.aspx

I am in the same boat.... In my case I can't wear contacts because of astigmatism. I don't like glasses on top of glasses because keeping 4 surfaces clean is a PITA. I want biking glasses (polycarbonate safety glass, wrap around, uv protection, etc.) made to my prescription.

I want to get into randonneuring. I am not aware of any contact lens that would be comfortable (or safe) to wear non-stop for 40 hours on the road. Besides, I have severe astigmatism in my left eye that limits choices for contact lenses even if I could stand the thought of sticking something in my eye. (I've tried contacts, by the way - gas permeable lenses when I was in high school. I had nothing but trouble with them and after one of them got stuck in my eye, I developed this phobia).

I don't have optical insurance; I have to pay out of pocket for everything. My current sunglass frames are part of the problem, I think, because they are not physically large enough to provide the grit protection and side-glare protection I need.

How well do these stay on? They look rather heavy and I would worry about them slipping down my nose, especially over another pair of glasses.

What "heavy" means varies from person to person. That said the Solar Shields are made
to wear all day as safety glasses by both men and women. While some here will remain
in the fashion slave crowd there are a those who see the value and protection offered by
Solar Sheild's. Ya drop or scratch a pair of custom made cycling glasses and it's $$$$$$$$$
Ya drop or scratch a pair of Solar Shields it's $. You pick..........

And the Solar Shields will do a better job al'round. ;)

Pfft, I'm about the least fashion-slave person you'll ever meet. I just want to be able to see, and not have to shove something back into place every few seconds. I always had problems with my safety glasses in Chem lab though, that's why I asked.

I'll look around for something like that, should be safety stores around here in the heart of oil country.

Prescription sunglasses for 8 bucks!

zennioptical.com

I use Solar Shields, $13-$25 at Long's Drugs, fit over glasses, wraparound design, never had a problem with slipping. Issue someone on this thread brought up about keeping 4 surfaces clean is overthinking the problem. These are cheap, they work fine, they aren't as heavy as previous fits-over-glasses designs were. And what does it cost you to try this solution before you go to more expensive fixes?

An interesting problem. I gave up on contacts about 10 years ago. Have been riding with fairly compact polarized prescription glasses. Just normal sunglasses. If anything, they were too dark. If I have dark lenses, then I get glare from the sides. Very light tint and my eyes stop down, no glare. Never had much problem with dust etc. A few bugs came in, but no more than when I went the 4 surface insert route for a while. So I would think that standard sunglasses would work. I'd use an online cheapie place myself. Not bifocal. I like to be able to get a scan downwards.

Got tired of distortion from my lenses, dirt, etc. Got a year's worth of contacts for $85, and can probably beat that on line. Last about 2 weeks a set. I've slept in them and gotten up, gone the whole day. Cuts the useful life by a couple of days, but handy for long hard stuff, backpacking etc. What's great is I can use the cheapest cycling type glasses. I can whip the glasses off if they get dirty and ride naked (check the TDF - plenty of cyclists ride naked at times, in the rain especially). These contacts are 200 x more comfortable than the last ones from years ago. And I see the road soooooo much better. My cornering is better etc. Just my experience with the change. I didn't even bother getting my glasses updated. I don't use them at all.

Oddly enough, in the driest nastiest place I worked I found my old contacts were wonderful. Eastern desert of Egypt. Glasses were always getting filthy and seemed to channel dust into my eyes. With contacts and no sunglasses I'd keep my eyes very clean and clear. Dust didn't get swirled in. I notice even my cycling glasses have a vortex dust installer effect in some wind angles. I'd probably not wear them except for the odd stone and huge bug that hits the lenses! And I don't wear anything on my eyes in the rain.

anyone who is reading this thread and is capable of wearing contacts should seriously consider them

I put them for a long time and I am amazed by how much easier anything athletic is with contacts: especially cycling. I'm a big baby about touching my eye, and they don't bother me a bit. The adjustment to using them only takes about two days. The adjustment for me wasn't comfort, but just simply seeing normally. There is a slight difference to the way I see with contacts compared to glasses

The biggest plus for me with contacts is being able to see past my shoulder when looking behind me.

I feel very unsafe when riding while wearing glasses now, after having ridden with contacts (my vision is terrible without some sort of corrective eyewear)

tell me more, I've continplated doing so.. :D

Currently using prescription Rudy Project sunglasses. Avoid a polarized lens if you ride during winter and need to see ice on the roadway or wish to use the sunglasses for skiing. Polarization removes helpful levels of glare (e.g. spotting ice) and "flattens" lighting conditions to the point it is not the best treatment for high-speed sports. A dark rose/vermillion, copper, or brown is typically a good choice.

That's good to know, thanks.

I use "fitover" sunglasses (I don't know if they are Solar Shield brand). They work well, but I do find that after several hours wear, the bridge of my nose becomes sore from the combined weight of my prescription glasses and the sunglasses. I still think they are the most practical/economical solution. "Fashion"? What's fashion?

Solar Shields are a relatively new version of sunglasses that can fit over regular eyeglasses. They never slip, but the older type (such as the ones made by Visual Healthware) do slip down the nose. I'm guessing that's the kind Woodlark has. The only problem I've had with Solar Shields is that if I wear them in conjunction with headphones (the kind with a band behind the head) I may get a little pain over the ear from too many pieces of plastic sitting there. Also, I found that the old type of fitover glasses interfere with my helmet and vice-versa, while the Solar Shields don't.

Another solution nobody's mentioned is eyeglasses with magnetic clip-on sunglasses. I have this as well. It doesn't provide the side glare protection Solar Shields do and the eyeglas/sunglass combo is a little pricey (the sunglasses alone cost $80) but they are good quality, lightweight, and never slip. And--you can update your prescription without having to buy new sunglasses. You just buy new eyeglass lenses & have them put in the frame. The eyeglasses themselves have an all-metal frame with temple pieces that have a springloaded feature, which makes them more resistant to bending.

Sometimes on really bright days I wear both. Now that's dark!

Try Optilabs, UK. I assume they can post a pair/2 pairs to you if you send them your prescription.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...UK%7CcountryGB

I've had good experiences with these folks:

http://www.eyeglasses.com/

I have always ridden with contacts (myopic). I had a concussion a couple of years ago and a tiny muscle in my left eye is paralysed, making me see double. I couldn't tell until an optometrist made me realize it in a clinical test. I just thought I was more myopic than before. I now have prisms in my prescription glasses, stayed with the same contacts and learned that you can't have prisms in contact lenses.

After a year or so with the glasses correcting the image, now I see a big difference when wearing contacts (running, biking). Got back to the optician to find out about bike glasses with prescription. I learned that since most sport glasses wrapped the head with a really "curvy" style, most brands do not support any myopic over -4.0. Above that, I need prisms... So I said goodbye to fashionable Adidas, Bolle, etc.

There is only one major company supporting over -4.0 and it's ROS Demetz. They have a new line that absorbs the curve with a special insert. I chose transition lenses to be able to ride rain or shine. They will be delivered this week.

http://www.tmsoptik.com/en/demetz/ros07.php#

Eric