EchoOne

So I bought the Rockbros (half frame version) $25ish on ebay and love them. I have yet to get the inserts fitted with lenses but so far I haven't really needed to.
I thought the update would be useful for someone with the same issue.

I can post a pic of me wearing them (during daylight hours) if you would like to see what they look like.




I commute by bicycle, this means day, night, sun, rain, clouds etc.

Spent two hours yesterday online, looking for a pair of semi frameless wrap around sport type of prescription glasses with transition lenses.


Doesn't seem to exist. In fact, it appears I'm supposed to somehow carry 3 different pairs of glasses on my person at all times and switch them out when the weather changes!!!!! I wear full jersey kit to ride....


What do other cyclists/commuters do?


My eyesight isn't bad enough to need glasses all the time. I just need them for;

headlight glare

Seeing road signs before I'm 15 feet away (and assuring myself that no, that's not a donkey in the middle of the road 1/4 of a mile away).

Blinding sun

wind/pollen/debris/rain blocking

Iride01 

Uhh.... that's pretty bad IMHO. You need to always use glasses if that is the case..... again, IMO.

EchoOne

I should probably rephrase that to say "road NAME signs". The regular road signs I see fine.

I

Inusuit

My distance vision problems were solved with cataract surgery. I do need reading glasses for close work, but not on the bike.

I think it will be difficult, as you have discovered, to find wrap around prescription transition lenses. You might have to settle for two out three. Flat lenses with separate non-prescription side pieces would be easier to do. But wouldn't look as aero.

Iride01 

Well if you are willing to spend 500 bucks, Costa and Oakley make some great sunglasses. I have a pair of prescription Costa Howler's that fit great and are among the best clarity and distortion free glasses I've had. I use them for driving and walking.

For cycling, I couldn't bring myself to wear 500 bucks on my face. So I just use 10 dollar safety glasses with bifocal readers at the bottom. Both tinted and non tinted. They worked great for sailing too. You pretty much have to get them online as few local places stock them with bifocals in anything that you'd want to be seen in.

EchoOne

Except the frames of regular glasses blocks my periphery vision... and they don't block wind or debris. Used to have fashion sunglasses once upon a time before I discovered the wrap type!

I didn't know you can get side pieces.

I appear to be the opposite of most 40+. I can see fine close up. I only need for distance.

2014-2016 I had a fantastic pair of $20 sunglasses
polarized, wrap around with the frame and arms on top. Light enough to wear at night, dark enough to block the sun and they had special channels in the nose piece that allowed enough wind in to keep the glasses from fogging on hot days but not enough to dry my eyes.
Sadly, they were stolen. 😥
They stopped making them and haven't been able to find anything close since.

freeranger

You could get regular bifocal glasses that are "clear" on the top portion, with only the rx you need in the bifocal portion. Then use them with clip-ons that you can flip up or down as needed, for sun. Or you might even find "readers" at one of the big box stores that has the bifocal you need, with non-rx top portion. They aren't wrap-around, but would work. And if you're set on wrap-around, could use them until you found a pair.

cyclic_eric

It's a hassle, I sympathize. I wear contacts for rides and have two shades of sunglasses at home, regular and light tint - I estimate which one will be the better to take on the ride and only bring one pair. For longer rides I store most items in a toptube bag and then have the second pair of glasses in my jersey pockets. I try to find sunglasses that have the top edge rimless, since when riding in the drops, I'm generally looking over the top edge of the glasses. The sunglasses help with vision clarity, but also eye protection from dust/dirt/gnats, etc.

Bigbus

I too am nearsighted and have been wearing aviator style photo-grey glasses my entire life. I have 2 pair, one with an adjustable strap to hold them to my head when riding or other active sports and a pair for everyday use. I need to remove them only for reading. They're real glass, not cheap plastic so I can clean them on the road without worry of scratching the lenses. Plus, the real glass turns a lot darker in the sun than that poly crap. I tried the poly a few years back trying to find something lighter because of my miss-shaped nose due to several breakages. They never lasted long before the lenses were scuffed and I was wearing my old sets again. Good luck

indyfabz

Unless I am misunderstanding your wants/needs, Rudy Project makes Rx sports glasses with transition lenses. I have a pair. I went with the Rx insert because my Rx has been changing. That way, I don’t have to buy new lenses, only a new insect.

I could have gotten progressives, but I went with bi-focals for distance and reading my computer and cue sheets.

GlennR

While not cheap they are no super expensive. Rudy Project have a prescription insert so if your prescription changes you just replace he lenses in the insert.

I use the clear photochromatic which go from clear to very dark quickly so you don't need to change them in the dark or bright sun light.

indyfabz

Great minds think alike at the same time.

See above.

Bigbus

They look good when they're in full tint, but butt ugly when they're not. My opinion and I have zero fashion sense.

billridesbikes

I really like the Wiley X brand for cycling. The Saint and Valor models are semi-rimless and the opticians there can do a transitions lens. I find for glare it's better for me to use a dark polarizing lens as transitions don't to a good enough job with glare IMAHO. I just use a clear pair if I head off a few hours before sunrise and stuff the extra pair in my jersey pocket wrapped in a cloth, not a big deal for me. I have about a half dozen different glasses for different activities, three pairs is strictly amateur level.
Also I would say skip the progressive lens, if you use need them, to maximize your distance peripheral view area if that's an issue for you.

Gyro

I wear my prescription aviator sunglasses. Or my normal every day type when sunglasses aren't needed.

EchoOne

I saw thos Rudy Project glasses but I only saw them as prescription sunglasses, not with transition lenses.

But, I have a bad feeling they're expensive.
I think I'm willing to pay $125 for what I want.

What do you mean by insert?

I had gotten contacts about 3-4 years ago.
I couldn't put them in because they would suck down on to my finger and wouldn't go onto my eyeball. I had one flip over on me because of that. Very painful because I couldn't get it off my eyeball after and pretty much had to dig it out!
I know my prescription is a 1 but I can't remember if it's -1 or +1.
eye glass prescription numbers seem to be different though. So I still need to go to an optician... besides, it has been a few years. While it doesn't seem like they've gotten worse, it's still possible.

vane171

Reminds me of the scene from a TDF when one of the guys that went down was frantically looking for something around him and the commentator then clarified it, he was looking for his very expensive sunglasses that fell off in the crash. I didn't know that eyewear is not supplied as bicycles are by the team. But maybe some pros choose to wear their own...

You know that you can trim the very large quoted post, say to the one top pic only in this case?

I ride with normal, that is clear prescription glasses, don't need shades. But once I was on a bike in Boulder Co. and the sun was unbearably bright in the dry mountain air. It forced me then wear sunglasses even while walking about as my eyes got red and itchy... In those days I lived and biked around Banff, Alberta Ca, and even if that is a fairly similar setting, I never needed to wear sunglasses.

Also I am in a similar situation as the one who said he can drive, ride without glasses in a pinch. Its OK when I am familiar with the area, which means you don't need to read street names from afar as when you are finding your way in town.

EchoOne

Ohhhhhhhhhh!
Now I understand!!!
I saw those "insert" type but didn't realize the wrap around was a transition lens!!
I liked those but I thought they were regular glasses under sunglasses; too heavy and annoying plus, if they were only for sunlight what do I do for night riding....
so I'm wondering. Can I buy the transition over glasses first and get the inserts later?

indyfabz

You can easily ask Rudy Project about the ability to retrofit them with inserts. Don’t know if standard frames are made with the brackets to attach the Rx inserts.

Make sure you order transition lenses. Not all their lenses are. Take a look at their website and/or SportRx.com for other options.

Bill in VA

From your original postings, and my personal experiences when I found I also had all those symptoms, it sounds like you are developing (or may have) cataracts. I had one eye's cataracts removed 18 months ago as part of a corneal transplant and the difference between the fixed and unfixed eye was startling. The surgeon said most of what I was noticing was from the cataract removal.

At night, the fixed eye no longer has coronas around lights. The light color temperature was greatly changed as cataracts are yellowing and reduce contrast. For instance at night with the good eye, the streetlights look bright white (they are LED) and the unfixed eyes looks like soft white incandescent lights. During the day, the definition between the sky and clouds is much greater. For the first time in years I can read the road name street signs. Additionally, while I wear clip-on sunglasses to ride and drive, it is no longer the massive flare of sun when I remove them like it was with the cataracts.

Having worn glasses since age 13, I have had to adjust to the limitations of sunglasses and used to buy prescription sunglasses, but they were a PITA due to changing, etc., and none were very wraparound. Additionally, severe astigmatism limited the lens design. For me the flatter format of the clip-ons means I have a pair on each bike, and in each vehicle for when the need arises, and if they get lost or break, it is far, far, far cheaper than new script sunglasses.

OldTryGuy

DANG, guess this old phart just isn't up-2-date on what I should be wearing.

Eyes needed glasses in 2nd grade, then to bi-focal, then to tri-focal then to Progressive with Transition and now at approaching 71yo with aero-bar usage as much as ever and mid day Fl. sun or midnight darkness I still have Prog/Trans only now with a larger lens for greater peripheral clarity. Wasn't aware that they shouldn't work as well as they do.

257 roberts

I'm 65 yrs.old wear Progressive lens glasses and commute to work,about 13 miles round trip
I travel the same route everyday so I'm not looking at street signs but I work a rotating shift,6-2,10-6,2-10, at night is my only issue especially in a light rain or Friday night traffic,
the glare of vehicle lights and traffic lights sometimes makes me anxious but that is part of commuting on a bike.

Speedway2

The best "thing" I ever did for myself was getting Lasik done 20+ years ago.
Glasses were a PITA and while contacts were better....they were very uncomfortable during allergy season(s)......

79pmooney

Nearsighted here. Been riding with glasses 55 years. (Contacts aren't an option for me.) I use wire framed conventional glasses. I choose my frames to be sturdy, with good temples that wrap around my ears and have high, squarish outer top corners (so my helmet mounted mirror is entirely within view.

The frames are thin enough that they do not block my view much. I go from in focus to out, but my view outside the frames is basically peripheral vision which isn't so sharp anyway.

I pick frames a size larger for sunglasses but otherwise the same. I have used sunglasses frames for my regular glasses several times. (Some of the sunglasses frames are very good.)

dmanthree

I have a pair of Oakleys with transition/varifocal lenses that are excellent. They're the Oakley brand lenses. Got them from Sportrx.com. Not cheap by any measure, but I've never regretted spending them for a moment. they are frameless (sort of...framed at the top) and are semi-wrapped. Love them.