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Prescription cycling specs

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  • December 5, 2011 at 2:51 pm #14577
    notfastenough

    Hi all,
    I currently wear glasses to correct my vision, and this includes when on my bike. I am a little conscious that wearing my only pair of (rather expensive) glasses while haring down hills at 35mph is probably inviting some undesirable incident. I’m also guessing that they aren’t rated for sports use in some safety-related way for which I’d rather not be a guinea-pig.

    The (at times) nigh-on biblical hailstone yesterday lunchtime was sneaking past the normal-coverage lenses and stinging my eyelids, which was the last straw.

    So:
    I figure laser vision correction is overkill. Only a few more years before my eyes would degenerate naturally anyway.

    One pair of presciption cycling sunglasses would be good, but the likes of ‘transitions’ don’t go up to my requirements (-6.5 prescription, high index lens of 1.7).

    So, it would appear that my best option (unless anyone can suggest anything else) would be cycling sunglasses with prescription inserts and interchangeable coloured lenses for the ‘sunglasses’ layer. However, I can only seem to find online outlets for this. I know from experience that the amount of minor tweaking required when I get a new pair of specs means that I really need to be on the same premises as the optician for at least a short visit.

    I’ve asked a couple of local opticians if they would be interested in selling me something appropriate, but it seems that the cost barrier of entry to the sports market (bulk orders etc when I am only one customer) combined with the often more demanding (read: more time/effort) needs of the sports user mean that I’m hitting a brick wall.

    Anyone know of a bricks and mortar optician in the North-west (I’m in Manchester) with a line in sports specs?

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Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 36 total)
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  • February 27, 2015 at 4:41 pm #658481
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    pjay

    Oakley go to -6 now. I have
    Oakley go to -6 now. I have finally been able to get a pair of racing jackets in my prescription. Very good they are too.

    February 25, 2015 at 9:21 pm #658479
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    chrismday

    notfastenough wrote:
    Oh, and

    notfastenough wrote:

    Oh, and regarding rival products, Oakley only go up to -4 or -5 depending on frame shape, Adidas Evil-eye are about the same, as are all others I checked out, while still being similar cost.

    I have Adidas Evil-Eye with a prescription insert with about -9 in each eye. Very expensive, but works fine.

    February 25, 2015 at 5:30 pm #658477
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    justinberman

    Another recommendation for
    Another recommendation for Optilabs! Have been using mine for about a year, I think the model I have is called Sprint. Compared to the cost of normal single vision glasses or a pair of Oakleys. I think they were pretty good value, around £170 and they were able to fit lenses for my -4.5 & -5.0 prescription.

    February 25, 2015 at 3:42 pm #658475
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    dede78

    Hey!
    Which opticians was it
    Hey!

    Which opticians was it in the North East???

    Deborah

    October 10, 2013 at 9:17 pm #658473
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    Pash

    I used
    I used http://www.extreme-eyewear.co.uk for some Oakley Flak Jackets with photochromatic lenses as Oakley lenses didn’t go to my -4 Prescription. I use these every day and have found the lenses this company use to be good.

    October 10, 2013 at 7:03 pm #658471
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    pedalor

    There are some in Sheffield,
    There are some in Sheffield, I reckon most independent opticians can do them.i bought mine online,from metro eyewear they are ok, they do the job but are not as clear and sharp as my normal specs.i suppose you get what you pay for.

    October 10, 2013 at 8:04 am #658469
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    PJ McNally

    notfastenough wrote: High

    notfastenough wrote:
    High index lenses usually cost me around £200! :O

    Likewise (also -6.5 in my left eye).

    Now that my prescription strength finally seems to be settling down (touch wood), i tyreated myself to some sunglasses – best purchase in ages.

    I didn’t get a sports-type pair, as i look ridiculous in large frames / lenses. So i took my prescription to Glasses Direct – they have a great website, and excellent service. They’ll even send you frames to try before you buy!

    October 9, 2013 at 9:03 pm #658467
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    Cyclic

    Bought my prescription
    Bought my prescription Oakleys from rxsport online. Excellent service and you can trial up to three pairs for £5 refunded if you purchase. Have to say the Oakley lenses are fantastic and I have a pair for daily use as well.

    October 9, 2013 at 3:23 pm #658465
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    Colin Peyresourde

    I think I have seen ones
    I think I have seen ones where you drop in the corrective lens. They worked well for the chap in question. These may or may not be the Rudy Project ones mentioned above. But looked a lot like these:

    http://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/product.php/215/rx-cycling-sunglasses-flip-up

    October 9, 2013 at 1:58 pm #658463
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    a.jumper

    2 and 3 I don’t get, as most
    2 and 3 I don’t get, as most safety glasses are designed not to obstruct your view at all or let either lenses fog, because that wouldn’t be very safe when wielding power tools and so on. The others all seem like excellent motivations to me, though!

    October 9, 2013 at 12:32 pm #658461
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    notfastenough

    Good question.
    1. Stiff neck,
    Good question.

    1. Stiff neck, because my prescription lenses don’t extend high enough, with the result that I would have to keep my head higher than otherwise in order to look through the lens and down the road – this came up during a bike-fit session.

    2. Peripheral vision; I wouldn’t have the same level of co-ordination regarding reaction to objects/hazards to the side, overtaking vehicles etc.

    3. Fogging/condensation seems more awkward when using 2 lenses.

    4. Fit/seal – thanks to the awesome rep from the distributor turning up to the Opticians with a trolley full of frames and spending 2 hours with me, I have a pair that genuinely fit my face – just enough space for airflow, but snug enough to keep the cr@p out. They don’t look as cool as some of the other models, but they fit brilliantly.

    5. Redundancy – I have one ‘good’ pair of normal specs. I spend a lot on them because I wear them every waking hour, and the strength of the prescription makes it worthwhile specifying things like high-index lenses, extremely light frames etc. However, at £500-ish, I don’t buy multiple pairs. In the event of a breakage, I would have gone back to the pair that used my last prescription. I’d be able to see, but it wouldn’t be ideal. I could expect headaches etc for the 3+ weeks it would take to order a new pair. This way, I’d just wear the clear pair, which are much cheaper than my regular specs.

    6. Multi-use; aside from cycling, I use the tinted pair as general sunglasses. The clear pair are ideal for other sports, DIY or whatever. If I go back to martial arts, then the clear pair will be ideal; sparring without specs is an art in itself, and I wouldn’t try it in normal specs + builders specs.

    Some may baulk at the costs involved, or suggest that I would be better off having laser surgery. If I was still 22 and meeting girls I suppose I might consider it, but despite not being particularly risk-averse, I can’t justify the small risks involved when successful surgery would not change my quality of life, but unsucessful surgery would impact it massively. Your mileage may vary!

    Oh, and regarding rival products, Oakley only go up to -4 or -5 depending on frame shape, Adidas Evil-eye are about the same, as are all others I checked out, while still being similar cost.

    October 9, 2013 at 9:41 am #658459
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    a.jumper

    OK, obvious question: apart
    OK, obvious question: apart from the risk to your glasses if you fall, is there a non-cosmetic reason not to use EN 166 builders goggles (many of which fit over glasses) as a cheap solution that would block the hailstones?

    October 7, 2013 at 11:45 am #658457
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    notfastenough

    Quite timely that someone
    Quite timely that someone should resurrect this thread, as I’ve just bought my second pair of Bolle prescription specs. They work really well, I now have a tinted pair and a clear pair, in the Bounty frame. They still appear to be the only manufacturer able to produce such a wraparound lens in such a high prescription. Not cheap, but cheaper than my everyday specs, and infintely better suited to flying down the road at 30mph.

    http://www.bolle-europe.co.uk/products/search#57;

    (I can’t wear contacts anymore – too much partying in them years ago results in even the new models feeling painful, otherwise it would have been the easy solution)

    October 7, 2013 at 10:55 am #658455
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    700c

    I think as others have said
    I think as others have said contacts plus sports glasses is the only remotely affordable /reliable solution for you, unless this new manufacturer you mention comes good..

    The fogging/ fit issue with inserts will be a problem, especially in bad weather (though that also applies to any glasses, to a lesser extent)

    optilabs (who I use) also have an issue with the edge of the insert obstructing the field of vision towards outer edges. They are cheap, yes, but I wouldn’t recommend them, TBH.

    Your prescription would also exclude most curved sports designs, as you have found

    So I suggest contacts..

    October 6, 2013 at 10:50 am #658453
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    Leviathan

    Contacts and sunglasses dude!
    Contacts and sunglasses dude! I’ve been wearing contacts for 18 years now, my Mum keeps asking if I will ever go back to glasses [answer; no, the 12 years before that I wore glasses were somewhat mentally scarring, children can be so cruel :”( ] I find they don’t move around (joggling) like glasses. You can use disposables if you don’t want to lose the glasses, though that can be about £1 a shot, they don’t have to be 100% accurate if you only wear them for a couple of hours. I used to use disposables for watersports (the white kind not the yellow kind, missus) so it didn’t matter if they got washed out.

    TBH, you probably already know what you want, just need to find the right sports glasses.

    I’ll see your 6.25 and raise you R 8.00 L 6.50.

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