I know there have been a bunch of threads on prescription sunglasses, and I’ve looked through those. A couple of people mentioned using progressives, but I was hoping for a wider sample. I just got a set of prescription Oakleys made with my distance-only prescription. They were made with the wrong lens, though, so I get a do-over. Although my reading prescription is pretty minimal, I noticed that I can’t read at all with the distance-only prescription (duh!). Does a progressive lens work for cycling? Any dizziness, headaches, etc., which are some of the things I noticed when I first got progressives in my regular glasses? Given the cost, these will be multi-purpose sunglasses so I’ll need them to work for both driving and cycling, and maybe even hanging out on the beach.
I’ve used them in my Rudy Project Rydon insert since 2006. Prior to that I had just the distance since 1995. I decided I had to make the switch after doing a Randoneau ride in a unfamiliar area & could read the map. I’ve had no problems at all. Barb
I have Rudy Project Rydon in lens progressive glasses. They are good for biking, skiing/snowboarding and and ok for running. I don’t like them for anything other then biking, skiing and racing. I don’t even use them for my daily training runs. I don’t have a problem when I’m focused straight ahead. But I really don’t like them for anything else.
I would still get them again. I tried to change a flat one time without glasses…it was not great.
I have Oakley Flak Jackets with progressive lenses (prescription). They are virtually clear in low light and have pretty good coverage at high noon. They are also reflective, which really helps road glare. I use them all of the time for running and cycling. I wear contacts and my eyes get very worn out by the end of the day, so these are to give me a break on the weekend and occasionally during the week. They were pricey ($450 ish for the lenses) but I’d say that they are one of the better investments I’ve made. During the weekend, I use them to ride in the morning, clean them up, and use them all day working outside. I’ll switch to regular glasses around 7 PM, when the minute tint to the ‘clear’ Oakley lens starts to get more noticable.
I am in the same situation, where I don’t really need a reading prescription, but I can no longer read for long periods through my distance prescription. So far I have been able to deal with this by getting small distance-only lenses and looking under them to read. You might think about using this strategy for your shades as well.
If you don’t need the reading prescription to see your bike computer, you might do well with something like an Oakley Half Jacket that you can see underneath. I have been dreading any potential move to multifocal shades because I’m afraid I won’t be able to see the ground when running without tilting all the way through the reading zone.
Reading at the beach might be a bit more of a problem, but you can get throwaway shades at the drugstore for that
You have used them in your Rudy Project Rydon insert since 2006. It is progressive thing.Thank you for the information.Cycling is my hobby.I always do experiment on it.I thing they will best for me. ___________________________________ peter (http://www.addictionrecovery.net/kansas)
Those of you using the Rydon from RP for progressive lenses; is there a good web source for getting your prescription filled.
I’ve been using OTC bi-focals that fishing outfitters sell. (Believe it or not, fishing outfitters have numerous selections of bifocal sunglasses.)
But, like the original poster, I’d like to move to a progressive lense. At the same time, my local Opt. is killing me by jacking up what he charges since he doesn’t stock active or sport glasses frames.
This has been the bane of my existence since presbyopia entered my life. I have a pair of Oakleys with the progressive lenses but I find that riding on any non-smooth surface is tough because of the bounce and therefore constant change in focus. I’ve given up using them on rides as I see well enough to ride the trails. You can actually get little stick on lenses for close-up work or use them only on one side of the glasses which some of my friends have done. What I really miss with bifocals is the peripheral vision I once had as anything you want to see clearly you have to turn to look at directly and thus with the progressives I have become the human bobblehead. Contacts are better and you can always carry little folding magnifiers is you need to read, but they are a pain for swimming. No perfect solution yet.
Yes I went through the same thing. I checked all the local places & had a variety of quote form high to ridicious. Most really didn’t have any experience with it. I ended up using an online retailer who it turned out was in my own city. Portland. Was quite impressed with her knowledge, competitive pricing & fast turn around. http://www.sporteyes.com/ Barb
Thanks everyone, for all of the input. I went out for a short ride after I posted and half expected to come back to, “why do you need to read with your cycling sunglasses?” comments ;-). I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. I’m still thinking about it (I’m worried that the bouncing of mountain biking might be a little too much for progressives, given LittleRingMan’s bumpy road problems), but it’s good to know that most people are okay with their progressives. I did just ride with my distance-only prescription, and even though they gave me a smaller lens than I asked for, I have to say the the optics are pretty spectacular. It’s a whole new world out there!
I can help you out a bit with your sample size since I have done dozens of these for my patients.
I assume from your post that you already wear progressives in another pair of specs. If that is true, and you have adapted to them nicely, there is a really good chance that you will not be bothered at all by the typical distortions inherent in MOST progressive lenses. The fact is that some people are hyper-aware of any lens distortion and cannot handle it; others can wear their progressives for all activities without even noticing that they have them on. Typically for your situation and intended usage, I would set the progressive line a bit lower than usual so that the reading power would not start until you get a bit deeper into the lens. This would help minimize the distortion / magnification concerns while mountain biking. Please note that I didn’t say ‘eliminate’ - it will still be there, you just might not be aware of it.
For your Oakleys, make sure that the frame you have chosen is OK for progressives. Not all of them are. It will depend on the distance between your pupils (your ‘PD’), the frame design, and the base curve of the lens.
I can help you out a bit with your sample size since I have done dozens of these for my patients.
Robert,
As a social scientist, I feel compelled to have a large sample size (a joke from a PowerCranks thread a while ago, in case you didn’t see it). Seriously, thanks for the input. Yes, I do have progressive lenses in my “regular” glasses. I felt like I had motion sickness for a few days when I first got them, but I don’t even notice now. My husband never could adapt to his. I’ll mention your recommendations to the optician, along with others’ experiences, and see if they think it’s doable for the Oakley model I have (Flak Jacket). I’m assuming they will let me keep the incorrect lenses they already made; I suppose that I can always use those if the progressives don’t work out.
Heidi,
I have had progressives in sunglasses for about five years. The only problem I ever had with them was when I tried to play golf the first day I wore them. I had even more trouble than usual hitting the ball.
Since then - perfectly problem free. I had them in Maui Jim’s for the first couple of years. When my prescription changed, I had them in Oakley’s - not sure of the model. I still use those for driving and short bike rides. The stems (or legs or arms or whatever they’re called) are too thick and become very uncomfortable on my ears under the bike helmet on long rides, so I’ve switched back to the Maui Jim’s.
