PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
If you deeply short-sighted like me (-6.75 in one eye) then getting anything really suitable for cycling is a challenge.
To protect the eye from the wind needs a wrap-around style, and that is basically incompatble with a lens that is at it's thickest at the outer edge - and needs to be reasonably "flat" in front of the eye.
I've tried various solutions over the years:
I had some Bollé ski-ing glasses with a prescription insert, and a frame that took different colour tinted outer. The outer was pretty huge, and when they broke fashions had moved on and I couldnt get replacements. New Bollé ones are extremely expensive - and changing the outer lens in the frame, and swopping the insert over is a fiddly, time consuming process.
Next was a pair of regular sunglasses from my optician....fashionable, but nowhere near wrap-around enough to give eye protection at speed.
Then Specsavers had a frame which was a "wrap around" style but the lenses were actually flat across the front. The slightly odd look was disguised by the brown frame matching very closely the brown tint of the lenses. Not bad, but not much good in low light.
Optilabs were mentioned as a good online supplier - but I couldn't justify the extra cost at the time....especially as the Specsavers were free with my regular day-to-day prescription glasses.
Then one of the directors of an outfit called KontrolSports mentioned his company on CC, so I looked at his website. They supply a wide range of sports sunglasses and SOME of the models will take a prescription insert.
Wasnt sure if there was a limit on the prescription (some manufacturers of this style seem to have a limit of -6.00) but they re-assured me that no problem. They had a special offer with three different colour outer lenses - which they were prepared to vary the colour choice on, so in the end I ordered 2 sets, one for me, one for the Mrs - and included a clear outer so I could call them safety glasses for work (!)
An added bonus was they could be used as normal sunglasses without the insert - great for the Mrs when she is wearing contact lenses. The Bollé ones couldnt do this.
KontrolSports don't fill the presccription insert themselves - you can take that to your own optician, or send it to an online service. KontrolSports recommend SpecsDirect UK who were also extremely helpful. They offer polycarbonate lens ... quite a high index, and good for "safety glasses" - but even with my high prescription their charges were very low compared with high street opticians.... and then they gave a discount on the second pair, even though it was different prescription.
Certainly this all takes time, product from one company, sending it off to another....but I am very pleased with the result.
My wife and I now both have presciption sunglasses, in a choice of tints, suitable for cycling and skiing, and also safety glasses for our business - all for the less than half the cost of just the Bollé ones just for one person.
So thumbs-up for two very helpful "online" retailers.
To protect the eye from the wind needs a wrap-around style, and that is basically incompatble with a lens that is at it's thickest at the outer edge - and needs to be reasonably "flat" in front of the eye.
I've tried various solutions over the years:
I had some Bollé ski-ing glasses with a prescription insert, and a frame that took different colour tinted outer. The outer was pretty huge, and when they broke fashions had moved on and I couldnt get replacements. New Bollé ones are extremely expensive - and changing the outer lens in the frame, and swopping the insert over is a fiddly, time consuming process.
Next was a pair of regular sunglasses from my optician....fashionable, but nowhere near wrap-around enough to give eye protection at speed.
Then Specsavers had a frame which was a "wrap around" style but the lenses were actually flat across the front. The slightly odd look was disguised by the brown frame matching very closely the brown tint of the lenses. Not bad, but not much good in low light.
Optilabs were mentioned as a good online supplier - but I couldn't justify the extra cost at the time....especially as the Specsavers were free with my regular day-to-day prescription glasses.
Then one of the directors of an outfit called KontrolSports mentioned his company on CC, so I looked at his website. They supply a wide range of sports sunglasses and SOME of the models will take a prescription insert.
Wasnt sure if there was a limit on the prescription (some manufacturers of this style seem to have a limit of -6.00) but they re-assured me that no problem. They had a special offer with three different colour outer lenses - which they were prepared to vary the colour choice on, so in the end I ordered 2 sets, one for me, one for the Mrs - and included a clear outer so I could call them safety glasses for work (!)
An added bonus was they could be used as normal sunglasses without the insert - great for the Mrs when she is wearing contact lenses. The Bollé ones couldnt do this.
KontrolSports don't fill the presccription insert themselves - you can take that to your own optician, or send it to an online service. KontrolSports recommend SpecsDirect UK who were also extremely helpful. They offer polycarbonate lens ... quite a high index, and good for "safety glasses" - but even with my high prescription their charges were very low compared with high street opticians.... and then they gave a discount on the second pair, even though it was different prescription.
Certainly this all takes time, product from one company, sending it off to another....but I am very pleased with the result.
My wife and I now both have presciption sunglasses, in a choice of tints, suitable for cycling and skiing, and also safety glasses for our business - all for the less than half the cost of just the Bollé ones just for one person.
So thumbs-up for two very helpful "online" retailers.
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