Multifocal prescription in sunglasses to ride my bike
I have had multi focal prescription in my everyday glasses for a few years now.
When riding my bike, I tried using no prescription : disaster as I couldn't see the wholes ahead of me on the road, nor what was straight under my bike.
I tried with just the prescription for far : disaster as I couldn't read anything when I needed to. Maps, notes, etc.
I tried switching from my sunglasses to my regular multifocal glasses and I was going nuts.
So, in the end, I went with some Oakley that really wrap around and perfectly protect my eyes against wind, cold, dust, etc. They are just dark enough, and I had them made with my multi focal (three different prescriptions). My optician told me Oakley were the only ones that successfully did multifocals in such curved lenses. And Oakley did it themselves, it was not an in house job, but done at Oakley and shipped back to my optician.
Those being different then my regular day glasses (different curvature of the lenses), I used the Oakley at first to drive, as they were making me slightly dizzy.
After two very short drives, my little brain had already figured out how to process/correct the aberations caused by the curved images, and my vision was 100% perfect, looking straight, looking sideways, etc.
I have been riding my bike daily for the entire duration of my 2009 season (spring-summer-fall) with those Oakley. BEST money ever spent on ANY kind of glasses. If I was to loose them or break them, I would RUSH back to my optician to have the exact same pair done again, even if it was not cheap. It was worth every penny of it.
I believe the model is Oakly (4+1). And they are tortoise color. They don't look mean or too overly agressive. And they are nice looking enough to wear on and off the road. I use them to drive and ride.
It was not straight off the shelf of course, the prescription was faxed to Oakley (in CA), and it took a week or so before the actual glasses with rx were shipped back to us in Montreal.
I can't believe that I actually rode my bike whitout my prescriptions. It was really unsafe.
What I also like about those glasses is their fit. Snug without being tight or uncomforable. They stay put, even on a hot sweaty summer day. I also like their shade/tint as they were not too dark, so I can wear them on a day when it is not a bright sun, and I can still see very well.
I hope this helps.
Good luck with finding the perfect glasses for you.
Perfect glasses for a small face
I found a Maui Jim frame ( Sandy Beach ) and worked with Brett at Sportsoptical, and now have the perfect sunglasses for cycling and running. I have a very small face, and needed a bifocal included for map reading. I also elected to go with the transitional lenses which go from 10% to 80%, which are perfect in all light conditions (even dead of night), and they change very quickly. I had to pass on the polarized, because there was a choice between transitional and polarized, and I only wanted to buy one pair, but I have not really noticed a difference. I LOVE these glasses! The lens quality is terrific, and the people at sportsoptical were very helpful and patient.