best prescription sunglasses

tozi1

Blimey-this kit thing is obsessive-wish list is growing daily! I would love a pair of cool sunglasses-but I'm blind without me bins-they seem to be pretty pricey,any suggestions appreciated

bikeboff

Be careful buying sunglasses online - I found (to my cost) that the curvature of the lenses can be very problematic if you have a strong prescription. I eventually bought some Oakleys from my local high street opticians and asked them to glaze them with some reactolite lenses. Those work for me.

tozi1

thanks bikeoff-must say i wondered about the online stuff-i have a pretty strong prescripition,and i recall the optician warning against any frames with curvature

Mount Pleasant

Hi Tozi1

I'm considering the same thing...so this might not be all that useful a post! One thing I'm still weighing up though is whether to go for a single lens system (i.e. colour plus prescription) or separates which would then offer me the opportunity to change colour depending on light conditions. For example on dull days I might want to switch to a yellow lens.

I think I'll go for the separate option, which might be a bit heavier but on the face of it doesn't seem to cost much more. Any thoughts?

PM

tozi1

Hi mount p -been checking elsewhere-optilabs seem to have good feedback and have some very cool looking frames,I think the only thing to be carefull of is to get some advice as to whether the shape of the lense is suitable for the presription,i have a quite strong prescription in one eye,and until recent years was always frustratingly unable to have a lot of the more trendy frame styles,about £150 odd squids-so not to be undertaken lightly!!

Road Red

I was considering getting soft contact lenses?

Any reason why that shouldnt work?

kingrollo

+1 for optilabs - pretty reasonably priced and about the best there is - I had a pair for a while now - thing is they are still pretty big specs - they look ok when you have your helmet on - but a cafe stops - they don't look cool !

Beer, anyone?

I got some sports-style sunglasses from specsavers as part of their 2 for 1 deal, which work well. They are curved to block the sunlight at the sides (they were originally for snow conditions) and my prescription is quite strong so they are pretty thick at the edges... Not so flash.

To be honest my preferred solution is daily disposible contact lenses with a much cooler pair of oakleys. You can get interchangeable lenses for these too for varying light conditions.

neeb

If there's any possibility you could comfortably wear contact lenses, even just for cycling, it's a much better option. The problem with prescription sunglasses is that you can't take them off, e.g. if it is suddenly darker for any reason. Also, unless you take your normal specs with you as well you are stuck with wearing them in situations you might not want to, e.g. in a dark cafe or whatever. Even if you have your specs with you it is far more of a hassle swapping glasses than it is removing shades. If you do go for prescription get a neutral colour transmission lens that is not too dark, e.g. with Oakley lenses something with about 15-20% light transmission and a neutral base tint, like grey or positive red iridium. I have the positive red iridium on my current shades and it is just about right for blocking strong sunlight while still allowing you to see in dimmer light. Grey would be the same but less flashy! I once had (still have) a pair of prescription oakleys with the bronze lens which was also just about right, but the coloured tint can do your head in after a while if you are wearing them all the time and can't take them off...

schlepcycling

+1 for optilabs, I have a pair of their prescription glasses with photochromic lenses so no mucking about with changing lenses.

tozi1

hadn't thought about needing to see off the bike-good point,will bear in mind your thoughts neeb,thanks

wheezee

I got hold of a pair Tesco's specials for £40. They have a prescription insert behind the dark lenses which work tolerably well. They're not so clever with peripheral vison however.

One day I may try contact lenses, as I doubt even the expensive prescription glasses will be perfect.

bikeboff

Roughly, what's your prescription, tozi1?

Headhuunter

Just get laser surgery and buy normal sunglasses..... Job done.

tozi1

Bikeoff-about +6 as far as as i remember,I also have an astigmatism which I believe affects things

DomPro

Bolle contour from ebay @ £7

Wappygixer

I wear contacts which I originally bought for cycing but now wear them all the time.They become more comfortable the more you wear them.
With this option you get the choice of any glasses you see and its much cheaper.
I wouldn't buy glasses over the internet regardless of reputation.I want to try before I buy to make sure they work for me.

dennisn

tozi1 wrote:

thanks bikeoff-must say i wondered about the online stuff-i have a pretty strong prescripition,and i recall the optician warning against any frames with curvature

Same warning for me. A bit of curve is OK but not the wildly shaped stuff in all the catalogues. Also, IF you use bifocals(like us old farts) it's a damn good idea to get bifocal sunglasses. Helps with reading things and as far as I'm concerned well worth the extra cost. I want to be able to see it all.


Dennis Noward

cookesim

Adidas evil eye range are good and come in 2 sizes which is great if you've got a smaller face. You get a prescription insert which clips in the back, the lens are changable so you can have different lenses for different light conditions. I got mine from gosportspex and have been very pleased with them. I use them as general sunglasses as well as sports glasses for cycling.

bikeboff

I would think, tozi1, that a trip to a high street opticians might be your best bet. My prescription is around -5, and I found that lenses of that thickness don't really work properly with the stylish racing sunglasses. That said, I don't think you'll have any problem finding a happy compromise - it's just something best discussed with a real person face-to-face, I reckon.

tozi1

cheers bikeoff-was heading for that conclusion

jeepie

I have just been pondering the same thing and went in to an optician to ask them about it. I have contact lenses, but I would prefer to just slap on a pair of glasses and go as I commute on my bike. I don't mind wearing lenses at the weekend. They recommended Adidas Evil Eye. They looked great, but I did break them in the shop.

Does anyone know how robust Adidas Evil eye are? These might be the best option but serious number of notes!!!!

pneumatic

Phone Optilabs and discuss your prescription with them; they are incredibly helpful and they know their stuff, too.

When I got mine from them, they told me all about curvature and the issues I might find with it. However, the shades I got from them have been good in every way. Certainly one of the best bits of kit I own. 8)

I lost them a couple of weeks ago in the aftermath of an (ahem!) festive Sunday afternoon (beer was involved). I was devasted; that is how much I like them. Good news is they turned up yesterday in a bag of camera equipment.

tozi1

thanks for that pneumatic-optilabs seem to have a good feedback-well worth a call i think

Zenwavemaster

Optilabs worked very well for me -- photochromic prescription sunglasses helped solve the issue of the sun disappearing or going in a cafe etc