heppm01

Due to a change in insurance plan in 2017 I find myself in the position of having $580 to spend by March 31, limited to dental or vision claims. My dental work is up to date so that leaves me with vision. I have a pair of primary glasses that are fine so I'm thinking about splurging on a pair of custom cycling specs.

Does anyone have any experience ordering prescription cycling glasses? I've been looking primarily at ADS and Sportrx. Spendy, but it is essentially free money so I don't care. Any brands in particular that people prefer or suggest I should avoid? Is is worth upgrading to a digital grind for the lens? My prescription is fairly straightforward but I do have some slight astigmatism.

(Yes, I tried searching but apparently "prescription" is ignored when you use it as a search term)

zymphad

All I know is, best colors for cycling is white and green. I don't know why white and green, but I hear, if you're serious about cycling, it needs to be white or green.

Also now it is all about contrast, so you see certain colors better.

And I thought most glasses just have those prescription attachments, so can get whatever you want.

FYI, Oakley warranty is only 2 years. Current favorites from this brand is Jawbreaker and Radar EV. I have Foakley Jawbreaker, and Oakley Radar EV, personally think Radar fits better.

Go for POC. Most flashy, hey look at me sunglasses.



I'd probably a few pairs. Maybe a Tifosi if you think your sunglasses could be damaged in some event, those are cheap.

zymphad

These are $479. Assos. The name as almost as dumb as they look. Get these.
Couldn't find them in white or green

merlinextraligh

Lenscrafters carries Okley. You can actually try them on, see if they're comfortable before you buy.

TimothyH

None finer than Oakley. Optical quality is second to none.

I worked with my local optician, had custom no-line bifocals made with a narrow close up section at the bottom and a wide far vision section across the whole top of the lenses. Frosted on the edges and transition. The optician called everyone. No other manufacturer or third party lab could do what I wanted except Oakley.

I tried hard to hate Oakley and did for a long time but should have done it a decade ago.


-Tim-

Robert P

Wow - $479 on a single pair that could be trashed in an instant. They seem like they'd have pretty good field of vision with no frame but....

You could get almost three pair of these that look like they'd have equal utility.

https://www.sportrx.com/smith-pivlock-arena.html

heppm01

This thread took a turn in the wrong direction almost right away, so to bring it back on topic:

I am not at all interested in off-the-shelf non-prescription sunglasses, nor am I interested in sunglasses that I can add a lens insert to (or vice versa). I am asking specifically for input about vendors, brands and lens options for prescription sunglasses.

WorldIRC

I'm curious about this too. For now, I've been wearing my Maui Jim's, which have bar none the best optical quality, but if I could find something like them designed for cycling, that'd be great. Oakley's do not fit my face properly.

indyfabz

Maybe you are misunderstanding some of the posts. You can get Oakley glasses as prescription glasses. Not sure if they are made with an insert or not, but it's worth looking into. As noted, LensCrafters can do prescription Oakley glasses for you.

TimothyH

Oakley makes prescription glasses.

The Oakley glasses referenced in post number 5 are not off the shelf sunglasses. They are prescription no-line bifocals, non-polarized with frosted edges and transition lenses. My local optician helped me with the features, design, fit and pricing. The lenses were ground by Oakley's own in-house prescription lab.

Flak 2.0 frame. Glasses were $200 through my insurer, VSP Vison Care. VSP is excellent.




-Tim-

DXchulo

+1 for Lens Crafters. I tried mail order once and I must have ****ed up the measurements or something, because they were super blurry.

Went to Lens Crafters last year and got the cheapest ones I could that would work for cycling (some type of Ray Bans). I didn't expect much, but they've been great.

They had a good selection of Oakleys and some others that are actually made for cycling. I might get some next year since I know they can get my Rx right

heppm01

Yep, I am aware and this is exactly the kind of input I am looking for. Oakley does a digital grind on their lenses which is supposed to result in a wider, more accurate field of view. Sportrx also offers their own digital grind for an upcharge. I'm curious if it is worth it. I'd also like to hear people's opinion on transition lenses and whether other lens options are worth it.

I also appreciate the feedback on Lenscrafters; I was not aware they offered Oakleys.

noodle soup

I have 26 pairs of Oakley sport frame eyewear, and the Flak 2.0XL see the most use. Enough coverage for cycling, but not so big that the look strange for day to day use.

bonz50

FTR - I've been wearing oakley's since way back in the original Blade days, but I recently picked up a set of plain jane radar path in black/black, the lens optics are the worst I've ever experienced in oakley, I have to lift them off my eyes in order to read something on my phone. disclaimer - I use reading glasses now anyway, but with the sunglasses on its awful. I'm probably going to get a spare lens are see if it improves.

ZippyThePinhead

I'll second this, and a couple of comments:

IME it is wise to go to a brick & mortar retailer to try on various frames before you buy. Not everyone has the same facial geometry, so what's good for me may not be good for thee, and vice-versa. As an example, I have a pair of Split Jackets and a pair of Radar Paths I bought for cycling. Even with vented lenses, the Split Jackets fog up too much in cooler weather, and they don't mesh well with my face for cycling. The lenses get too much sweat and skin oil on them, and it's a hassle to keep them clean. The Radar Paths, on the other hand, mesh really well with the geometry of my face. With vented lenses, they're pretty fogging-resistant, even in colder weather, and I can wear them for a few rides without having to obsessively clean them.

That said, I don't wear prescription glasses, but high-mileage riders I know who do wear Oakley prescription lenses suggest dealing directly with Oakley whenever possible.

The Oakley prescription lenses I've seen are inset as you can see below:

\

noodle soup

those are part of the main lens, not a removable insert.

snidely

Oakley prescription is the only way to go, IMO. Well worth the $. They have the wrap-style prescription nailed to perfection. The optics and prescription-specific lenses are the best quality.


Good luck, OP.

TimothyH

That's only eight or nine days. You are going to have to act very soon, like today, figure out what you want and pay up front. Maybe take a personal day tomorrow and get the exam?

Depending on whether the exam is included, that budget might get you the glasses plus a spare pair of lenses.

Please let us know what you decide and how things work out.


-Tim-

Panza

I have a pair of white Oakley Jawbones and a pair of black Oakley Racing Jackets. I can change the lenses between the frames easily. My lenses are glare resistant, scratch resistant, and tint in daylight. This lets me ride comfortably in day and night. If I wear my contacts, I can change to standard polarized lenses.



Don't mind the ugly guy behind the glasses. These worked well for my face shape. (Asians tend to have a different face shape/profile).

The new Jacket 2.0 don't have that portion under the lenses unfortunately. I really liked that Team Sky look.

gsindela

FWIW, just ordered a pair of Oakley Flak 2.0 XL with prescription lenses from Pearle Vision. They accepted my vision insurance, so a roughly $550 pair came down to $195 out of pocket.

garciawork

Oakley for me, with the darkest lenses they make (forget the name, but I think black iridium). But, I have very sensitive eyes, so YMMV. Love mine though.

Ogsarg

Sorry. Couldn't resist....and I do wear prescription glasses.

Camilo

This.

My advice is don't use mail order (i.e. oline) unless you know exactly what you want. For that amount of money, you should really spend time at bricks and mortar stores trying on as many brands and styles - both frames and lens shapes - as you can and then buy from the place that you try them on in. Once you know what frames and lens shape you want, you can order future pairs online.

I have a pair of Oakley Flak prescription with all the bells and whistles from a locally owned optician. Polarized, progressive lens, all the coatings. The quality is absolutely perfect - clear, sharp, obviously high quality. They're not "pure" cycling glasses, but are great for cycling and general use. When I wear them, I'm totally in love with the visual field. And they're versatile enough to wear cycling, skiing, hiking, driving, etc. Not "too specialized" if you know what I mean.

I tried on a bunch before buying and really thought these were best. Now, wearing them for a while, I am not in love with the fit. My problem is that I don't really have a lot of experience buying or wearing glasses so I really didn't have a good skill set for figuring out if they were the best fit for me or not. The problem mostly is that the nose pads - even the thinnest ones - are too thick and I don't like the way they fit my face because of that. They fit better without the nose pads, but aren't as comfortable.

No criticism of the Oakley brand. They are really strong, well made glasses. And the lenses I have in them are really perfect.

If anything I don't like the guidance or advice I got from the local optician. I'll definitely try a different optician and styles and brands next time.

dorkypants

Does anyone these days NOT know that Luxottica owns most of the major eyewear brand names, including Oakley, as well as chain stores like Lenscrafters? They're a near-monoply in retail eyewear.

There are many reputable online-only vendors of prescription eyewear that will do prescription sunglasses at substantially lower prices. You will need to provide your pupillary distance (which your eye care doctor can provide you) for proper fit.

Sy Reene

So, just curious, is there any reason or is it possible to just find any cycling frame, eg. the below $40 pair from TIfosi, bring them to an optician, and have them measure and make prescription lenses to fit? IOW, why can't a lens be ground to fit whatever frame we want to bring into an optician?