Prescription Glasses

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Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
Got mine via Boots opticians. Interchangable eye shields with an optical insert. The problem with most sunglasses type specs is that I also commute during the winter and at night so need clear lens. So I find the optical insert/changeable lens type best.
Pete
 

wafflycat

New Member
The problem I have when wearing prescription specs when cycling is when it rains heavily... I am effectively rendered blind. As I found to my cost in the DunRun 07. The solution I have found is daily disposable contact lenses. At least when it rains I can still see. Useful at night in particular!
 

Plax

Guru
Location
Wales
wafflycat said:
The problem I have when wearing prescription specs when cycling is when it rains heavily... I am effectively rendered blind. As I found to my cost in the DunRun 07. The solution I have found is daily disposable contact lenses. At least when it rains I can still see. Useful at night in particular!

Same here. One helpful colleague suggested I not wear my glasses when it was raining & dark. Obviously wanted to see me under a bus! I just put up with it.
I have daily disposable contacts but I don't wear them much to work (unless I've broken / lost my glasses). I find the office too dry and halfway through the day my eyes get as itchy as hell with contacts in.
 

wafflycat

New Member
sadjack said:
Ahhh..

Wafflycat I have to make an admission.

I'm a whimp when it comes to my eyes.

I cannot wear contacts ;)


Have you tried?

I have an admission: I am a wimp when it comes to my eyes.

It took me a month to get used to contacts (years ago I had softs), and then putting them in & taking them out became second nature (a bit like getting used to clipless pedals).

Then I went years without wearing them and stuck to wearing spectacles.

It was the weather of the DunRun 07 which got me back on to contacts: daily disposibles this time round. It's no fun cycling at night, in torrential rain, effectively rendered blind due to the rain not clearing from your specs, and the water on the lenses turning onecoming headlights into a bright kaleidoscope in your vision... no fun at all and positively dangerous. It's why I ditched out of completing the run.

I don't wear contacts every day, but I do if I'm going to be doing a long'ish cycle ride. Then I can wear 'normal' shades as eye protection and if it rains heavily, I can look over the top of them and actually see where I'm going
 

mootaineer

New Member
Location
London
sadjack said:
Ahhh..

Wafflycat I have to make an admission.

I'm a whimp when it comes to my eyes.

I cannot wear contacts xx(


Have you recently tried daily disposables?
They're really soft and comfortable plus if you're lucky they'll have something that is as good as the prescription for your glasses (in my case they're actually better).

I tried cycling with glasses but had several issues:
1) when it rained I couldn't see well
2) unless I wear LARGE glasses ;) my peripheral vision isn't very good
3) perspective / field of view (call it what you will) isn't quite right on the bike when I wear glasses (even though I tend to wear glasses during the day).

The one negative issue is that they're sometimes fiddly (I'm currently using up my inventory of monthly disposables before I move onto the daily disposables)
 

squeaker

Über Member
Location
Steyning
Optilabs = Good

sadjack said:
Has anyone used prescription sports glasses such as the ones here -

www.optilabs.com

Anyone used optilabs or similar I would be interested in hearing what they were like to deal with.
I found Optilabs good to deal with and have been pleased with the results (Sprint frame with photochromic prescription lenses - correction is for short sight / astigmatism.)
Have used soft disposables for dinghy racing in the rain - worse than cycling 'cos you are always looking up at the sails, but at least no one's shining bright lights in your eyes :biggrin: If I use them for cycling then I can't read maps, unless I also have a pair of reading glasses with me: not very convenient for Audax events where I like to have the route sheet in front of me all the time.....
Personally, despite being of a mature age, I didn't find contacts too hard to handle, once I got over the first time 'bloody hell that hurts': YMMV, of course, but worth a (persevering) try if you haven't used them before.
 

Wobbles

Senior Member
Tried all sorts of different sports specific eyewear before trying Optilabs.
They are by far the best as although the lens is curved, the prescription curves with it so you don't get that weird distortion as per other lenses that make you feel dizzy(bad for your eyes too).
Quick, very durable and very cheap. Recommended.

I used to wear contacts 24/7 but now even with daily disposables they become uncomfortable. Different strokes etc.
 
OP
OP
sadjack

sadjack

Senior Member
I guess another reason I would prefer glasses is that my prescription is for distance, anything close up and I have to take them off. How does contacts allow for this? Do they? Never used them so honestly dont know. If they cant then glasses must remain the way for me to go.

Thanks for the comments on Optilabs. At least now I know that people have found them OK.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
I wear daily disposables. Wear all day no problems, far better then the old style hard lenses you used to get, plus your bathroom doesnt have to look like a chemistry set.

Once though a gust of wind somehow blew one of my lenses out, bit of a pain riding home with good vision in only one eye. So now always wear clear bike specs and carry a couple of spare contact lenses.
 

wafflycat

New Member
sadjack said:
I guess another reason I would prefer glasses is that my prescription is for distance, anything close up and I have to take them off. How does contacts allow for this? Do they? Never used them so honestly dont know. If they cant then glasses must remain the way for me to go.

Thanks for the comments on Optilabs. At least now I know that people have found them OK.

I'm not an optician, so I don't know the technicalities of *how* contacts work. But work they do. My prescription is also for distance. I can still read a map when I'm wearing them. Contacts have moved on a long, long way since they first arrived on the scene. You can even get contacts if you require bifocals these days (dependent upon prescription of course).

I'm quite happy wearing specs: I still do, as I don't use the contacts every day, but daily disposables are just very convenient when on the bike. I always take a couple of spare pairs with me, in case of emergencies, but I've not yet had to use them. No more being rendered blind due to inclement weather.
 
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