I finally had cataract surgery on my second eye and am looking forward to cycling without fit overs or clip on sunglasses over my glasses. For those of you who have ridden with cataract replacements are there any considerations in purchasing sunglasses, or specific brands/models?

Thanks, Rich

Hi Rich. I've had cataract surgery on both eyes several years ago. The surgeon recommended sunglasses and I bought the cheapest ones I could find that had full UV protection that fit well and had some wrap-around. I'm using amber color as that provides best contrast in snow for skiing. These are the same one I use on the bike. And what a pleasure it is to do away with glasses for most uses.

Both eyes about 3 years ago.
I ended up far sighted, so I only "need" reading glasses. (20-40 & 20-60)
My eyes are more wind sensitive, so I bought a couple pair of cheap wrap around reading sun/safety glasses. They have a plain lens with bifocal.
The problem I have is if I go out to eat, they're too dark to see my food. If I take them off, my food is too close to see it.

I actually don't need sun glasses it turned out.

I had my second eye done last month. I looked at sunglasses sold in the local bike shop, but thought $200 for a pair was absurd. I went down to one of the local drug store chains and found a pair with wrap-around polarized lenses for $20 that I liked just as much as the $200 ones. I believe they are Foster Grants.

I chose to go with the astigmatism-correcting lens replacements for distance vision. An interesting aspect of post-surgery vision is that in daytime without sunglasses I can pretty clearly see the digital and analog readings on my automobile instrument panel and GPS/radio. With sunglasses on, the pupils will dilate a bit and cause those things to be a bit fuzzy due to reduced depth-of-focus. Distance vision is unaffected. In fact, reading some of the finer print on the GPS is difficult. A similar situation occurs for night driving. This is all a consequence of having fixed focus lens implants. I'm planning on getting a pair of bifocals just for night driving.

After my post I did some googling and was shocked at the prices of the glasses sold by cycling specialty stores. From what I can glean I need wrap around ones which are UV protective and polarized. I had been using the fit-overs but a lot of light comes in through the top and the wide (old fogey) panels block a lot of visibility. (got surprised a couple times at intersections by turning cars!) The clip ons permit peripheral vision but leak even more light around the edges. I'm actually ambivalent about polarization; the panels in our two cars are digital and the glasses turn the panels all sorts of blue-yellow hues.

Thanks for the relpies, Rich

I personally love my expensive fancy Oakleys which I can finally now wear without contacts after my cataract surgery. But you don't need to spend that much. You do need good wrao around coverage and a good UV lens with a dark shade if you ride in bright sunlight. I prefer Oakleys becuase of the quality of the lenses. They are that good.

PS: I had cataract surgery end of August. End of Septemeber I developed a vision issue that took alittle time to diagnose. I have a minor case of cystoid macular edema. Rare occurrence after cataract surgery with placement of a multifocus lens. The symptom is every thing is wavy/blurry... lines and words are hard to distinguish. Treatment is steroid drops but don't hesitate going back to the doctor if the problem developes. The sooner treated the better...

Glasses - Fast Jackets
Oakley Fast Jacket | Official Oakley Store

I have a lens replacement in one eye (yes, I'm strange). Anyway, I'm with jmiked… I wear Foster Grant wrap arounds that I bought at Walgreen's for $15. They're labeled for Driving, but I like them for cycling. There's also a Sports series, but I actually find the Driving ones more comfortable. I do pop out the little rubber plugs in the ear piece… I don't need them THAT secure, and they pull at my hair… that may or may not be an issue for you.

Anyway, anything with full UV protection will do you fine. Also great if they don't fog up on you.

Bear in mind that your cataract lens replacements almost certainly have UV protection built into the formulation: mine do.

Maybe I'm fortunate that the only thing the polarized lenses in the sunglasses seem to negatively affect is my LCD wristwatch. Everything else is unaffected, including my digital dashboard.

Rich,
There have been a few threads about cycling sunglasses lately, do some searching and find a few. They had some links for good prices in them, the on-line bicycle places have sales on these regularly. Glad to read that you had the lens surgery, my brother in law and my mom had cataract surgery and both say its the best thing they did for their eyes/vision. You're probably back to your old Aviator's eyesight, now.

Bill

I had cataract surgery a couple years ago. I currently wear the same Maui Jim wrap-arounds I used before the surgery. I do not wear them for UV protection because the REPLACEMENT lenses IN MY EYES have UV protection. I wear the Maui Jim's primarily for the lenses and secondly for the fit and durability of the frame as well as their ability to protect my eyes from wind, dirt and debris. Having had cataracts should have been enough to let you know how important eye sight is and how amazing our newly established eye sight is regarding quality of life! Really? $15 drug store glasses? Yea, they may get the job done but there's no way, on any level, they are as good as Maui Jim's, Oakley's or other top brands. Life is short ... Enjoy the ride! You only get one set of eyes. That said, I do wear clear safety glasses from Lowes/Home Depot when I ride in the dark.

Matt

I had both eyes done in July and Sept 2012. I just wear regular sunglasses.

Which model are you wearing?

Rich

Thanks for the tip. I found one of the threads and looked at Wiley's. I ordered a pair of Wiley X Valor Ops Sunglasses.

Thanks, Rich

I'm using the Peahi with the bronze lens. I paid $200 at the Sunglass Hut. Here's a link:

Peahi | Maui Jim

I've worn these daily since 7/2011 both on and off the bike. They have held up great and are really as good as new. With Maui Jim you really do get what you paid for.

Matt

Prior to the Maui Jim's I had a pair of Wiley X's. For the most part they were great and they worked for what I wanted them for. I had recently gone through two eye surgeries for a pterygium that went South. By South I mean it would have turned into eye cancer had it not been caught by an Ophthalmologist and removed by a surgeon. Here's a link explaining a normal ptergium:

Pterygium (Surfer's Eye): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

In a nutshell, pterygium's are caused from not protecting the eyes from UV, wind, dust, cold and other irritants. A pterygium on the eye is kind of like a callus on the hand. In my youth I can remember laughing at people who had to wear prescription eyeglasses on cold mornings complaining about fogging and such. Not anymore. So the Wiley X's really are the ticket with that membrane that seals out the elements. My only compliant was that the membrane does wear out and is expensive to replace, and the transitional lenses do not really get dark enough in the sun. That was back in the 2010/2011 time frame. It may be different now.

The bottom line is protect your eyes!!! You are doing the right thing.

Matt

Appreciate the advice, thanks.

Rich

Everyone should buy the sunglasses that make them happy. But the truth is, for a cyclist, sunglasses are like helmets. Beyond the basic models that give you protection (impact for helmets; UV, glare, and air-borne particles for sunglasses), you're pretty much paying for style, comfort, durability, and other "coolness" factors, typically with diminishing returns.

Buy the price point that appeals to you, but don't mock those who choose other solutions. And don't laugh at people with fogged lenses... be a mensch and hand them a tissue.

Peace out.

I'm certainly no expert (otherwise why would I be asking for advice here?) but I'm given to understand some of the more expensive ones have more durable lens material. For example Wiley (and Oakley?) use mil-spec penetration protection. Anyway, The polarized Wiley's cost $107 while the equivalent Oakley's run $280. I'm satisfied with the price I paid. I'll report back tomorrow when they arrive.

UPDATE: They arrived this afternoon. I'm very pleased with them. The fit is snug but not overly tight and closes off the space above my eyes. I'm having my usual post operation reaction to bright light (dysphotopsia) and these sunglasses block out the shadow. The greatest reaction for some reason is to fluorescent light.

Thanks, Rich

Hey Rich,

You can't beat mil spec for durability! I'm the first to admit the cheaper stuff wears out in a year or two -- the thing is, I almost always lose sunglasses in that time (hence my preference to buy cheap).

The enhanced penetration protection is definitely a feature worth extra $$$. Sounds like you got a great deal on a great pair of lenses. Hope you enjoy them (and your newly enhanced vision)! Isn't it great getting your vision back (and, in my case, much improved)?