Prescription Cycling Glasses

[jimmea]

Eyesight has got slightly worse over the the last year meaning I'm now needing a stronger prescription. I need glasses for distance not reading, so i normally only wore them for driving etc but now I'm finding eyesight when cycling especially at night is poor.

I don't want anything stupidly expensive like Oakley's etc just something to help pick out the potholes better. Glasses i have just now are unsuitable due to the shape (square) so I'm looking for ideas as to what others are using.

[Shuggie]

Have a look at Optilabs https://www.optilabs.com/. They’ll let you try 4 different frames for free. They’ll do varifocal in most frames too.

Hugh

[giropaul]

Unfortunately, having tried several alternatives, I can’t beat Oakleys, or get anywhere near. I personally would avoid the “ second lense” attachment type. Condensation builds up, and the optics never seem to work for me ( too close to the eye, or inter pupil measure wrong etc).

[IanN]

I think this is very personal, and depends on your prescription.
I tried curved 'sports' lenses, but they made me feel seasick (I have an astigmatism). An expensive mistake

I use 'normal' glasses with reactions lenses.
Large lenses can be a problem when its raining, when it gets to the point you're better off peering over the top than through the glasses  (if your eyesight means that's any use at all).
A cycling cap helps with both rain and sunshine


However! You can't put a pair of normal glasses upside down through the vents in your helmet in a cafe, if that matters to you 

[T42]

I'm short-sighted too.  I'm currently using a 30€ Chinese helmet with a visor held on by magnets, and wearing my normal prescription glasses.  It's almost perfect (see below).  The visor can be pulled off and put on again upside down when you don't need it, and the magnets will also hold through a rain cover. You can get different colours of visor, too.

Only drawback is that photochromic glasses might not darken in sunlight. Haven't needed that yet.

I got mine through Amazon, chum got one directly from the lustrous Orient. Mine has CE/DIN labels, his hasn't - might be a factor if you have an accident.

[DuncanM]

I loved my Oakleys. I had prescription Flak Jackets with transition coating so I could use them in all conditions, but sadly they got nicked out of my car (and they are gong to be sooo useful to the thief!).
Couldn't stomach the £500 or so for new ones so got the Rascal from Optilabs https://www.optilabs.com/product/rascal/ . They are a bit flimsier than the Oakleys, and I think they steam up a little bit more, but they are really good, and they were under £200 including transitions lenses. I was super impressed with their customer service as well - not only will they send you a pair to try on, but they offer good advice based on your requirements (I was considering their most expensive lenses, and they told me to go one level down as they wouldn't be so good in the dark).

[quixoticgeek]

I loved my Oakleys. I had prescription Flak Jackets with transition coating so I could use them in all conditions, but sadly they got nicked out of my car (and they are gong to be sooo useful to the thief!).
Couldn't stomach the £500 or so for new ones so got the Rascal from Optilabs https://www.optilabs.com/product/rascal/ . They are a bit flimsier than the Oakleys, and I think they steam up a little bit more, but they are really good, and they were under £200 including transitions lenses. I was super impressed with their customer service as well - not only will they send you a pair to try on, but they offer good advice based on your requirements (I was considering their most expensive lenses, and they told me to go one level down as they wouldn't be so good in the dark).

I have Optilab Rascal glasses, also with reactive lenses. They are fantastic. Highly recommend.

J

[Phil W]

Another Opilab user here. Make sure you get ones with the air vents in the frames around the lenses, to reduce fogging.

[Kim]

I have a set of these: https://www.safetyspecs.co.uk/view-safety-frames/items-for-sale/rxwrap-bundle-en166f-prescription-safety-glasses

They're a reasonable price, fog up like bastards, and do a better job of keeping grit out of my eyes on the low-racer than my normal glasses (which I tend to wear for everything else).

[quixoticgeek]

I have a set of these: https://www.safetyspecs.co.uk/view-safety-frames/items-for-sale/rxwrap-bundle-en166f-prescription-safety-glasses

They're a reasonable price, fog up like bastards, and do a better job of keeping grit out of my eyes on the low-racer than my normal glasses (which I tend to wear for everything else).

I have a set of these as well, I got them for use while operating a chainsaw (terrified yet?)...

I agree with Kim regarding them fogging at the slightest hint of a pause in air flow. I used them for cycling for a bit, have put them back in the tool box as safety specs rather than cycling specs now I have the optilab glasses.

J

[jimmea]

Thanks all.

The Optilab ones look OK and not too expensive so I'll ask for a trial of some frames to try on. I suppose the next question would be what colour of tint? (or just clear)

[quixoticgeek]

Thanks all.

The Optilab ones look OK and not too expensive so I'll ask for a trial of some frames to try on. I suppose the next question would be what colour of tint? (or just clear)

Mine are grey photochromatic.

Photochromatic is well worth the money IMHO.

J

[Kim]

Photochromatic is well worth the money IMHO.

Seconded.  It's ideal for cycling 95% of the time.

(The remainder is composed of 2% canal tunnels and 3% buildings with steps just inside the door.  But you'd have that problem with any tint.)

[quixoticgeek]

Seconded.  It's ideal for cycling 95% of the time.

(The remainder is composed of 2% canal tunnels and 3% buildings with steps just inside the door.  But you'd have that problem with any tint.)

Railway toilets where they have the funny UV lights to stop people shooting up, and night clubs/bars with UV lights. The later were an issue when I used to deliver beer for a living, I'd walk into a bar, and not be able to see cos the uv lights made my glasses dark.

All my glasses are photochromatic.

J

[Andy64]

I got these from Asda, seem to work OK for me
https://opticians.asda.com/Prescription-Glasses/Nike/505478186743

[Greenbank]

Another vote for Optilabs. I usually go for Rapide. The older pair were tinted and the newer pair have (grey) photochromatic lenses. I use them for cycling, skiing and as general sunglasses in the summer.

I think this is very personal, and depends on your prescription.
I tried curved 'sports' lenses, but they made me feel seasick (I have an astigmatism). An expensive mistake

No problems with that and my right eye has a very odd prescription (+2 sph, -8 cyl, 61 axis) due to keratoconus. The lens tends not to be that exact prescription as it'd be lopsided as the left eye is nowhere near as bad and doesn't need as thick a lens. I don't think I have the details of what Optilabs ended up giving me, but I'm very happy with them, luckily I was able to go to Croydon to speak to them in person and take a few pairs of my existing glasses for them to look at.

[Jakob W]

All my glasses are photochromatic.

Do they still do the thing where there's a slight tint indoors? I guess you don't notice it, but my mum always had them and it seemed to emphasize the lenses, though that might have been because they were rimless.

[quixoticgeek]

All my glasses are photochromatic.

Do they still do the thing where there's a slight tint indoors? I guess you don't notice it, but my mum always had them and it seemed to emphasize the lenses, though that might have been because they were rimless.

Nope. Tho in winter, the reaction is slower, so on a really clear crisp winters day when the sky is perfectly blue, the glasses go really dark, then when you walk into somewhere, they stay dark for a few minutes longer than they do in summer.

J

[Jakob W]

Hmm, ta - might look into a set for everyday use then.

[Kim]

Mine have a very slight attenuation compared to non-photochromic glass.  But it's not something that you'd notice because - even at night^[1] - it's outweighed by the effect of viewing the world beyond arm's reach in HD rather than squint-o-vision.  I've no idea if it makes the lenses more visible, and I don't care because:  a) I mostly wear glasses outdoors, where they're likely to have darkened anyway.  and  b) There's an obvious glasses frame to emphasis the lenses.  c) I don't care if people notice I'm wearing glasses.  It's not primary school^[2], and I'm not as insecure as my SIL^[3].


_{[1] I also have the anti-refelective coating, which works wonders on headlights.
[2] I didn't need glasses in primary school, but that didn't stop people finding plenty of other reasons to bully me.
[3] Who was years into her relationship before she allowed her now-husband to see her wearing glasses.}   

[Phil W]

Of course in winter you get the double whammy of your glasses fogging up as well as still being dark when you go inside somewhere warm.  I rarely order beer with my glasses on, when I first enter a pub in the Winter.

[andrew_s]

Of course in winter you get the double whammy of your glasses fogging up as well as still being dark when you go inside somewhere warm.  I rarely order beer with my glasses on, when I first enter a pub in the Winter.

I have that problem too, just wearing my normal glasses for cycling ( bifocal to permit reading of the GPS without interfering with riding vision too much).
The only problem I've found with normal glasses rather than cycling ones is that the turbulence round the edge makes my eyes water more, at least until the tear ducts rinse out and it turns to a drippy nose.

If it's cold, photochromics change more slowly, but go darker. I found mine perfectly OK out on the ice shelf, under the ozone hole. Glacier glasses not required.

[aidan.f]

For age related loss of close up focus bi-focal saftey glasses work well. RainX reduces fogging. (I do  realise this is not the op's problem)

[Pingu]

I think this is very personal, and depends on your prescription...

I use 'normal' glasses with reactions lenses...

A cycling cap helps with both rain and sunshine...

However! You can't put a pair of normal glasses upside down through the vents in your helmet in a cafe, if that matters to you 

These ^^^ Though I've yet to try the last one  And the cap helps stop sweat running into the eyes.

[Séamas M.]

Another satisfied Optilabs customer here.