Rx Sunglasses--extreme edition

[Owlie]

I had the same problem when I went to get prescription sunglasses. I had to settle for less sporty pair as Lenscrafters said Oakely won't make them for my vision.

Apparently I don't qualify for contact lenses as well. Is it just a Lenscrafters thing or is it standard practice among every doc office?

One of the LBS had a really cool pair that I loved, but w/o a prescription they are useless.

Mine should be here in another week and I hope they work. Apparently "under an hour" doesn't apply to most of their glasses..LOL!

I have no desire to wear contacts, but if you've got astigmatism, it can be harder to get contacts that match your 'script. My lenses for both eyes end up being really thick, so anything with any degree of curvature to the lens won't work. Sucks, because those look the best and I don't lose peripheral vision.
First time I've seriously considered laser surgery--if my eyes get any worse (and they do every few years), I won't be able to buy sunglasses. (The only things they had that would work with my rx were the Paris Hilton-esque ones. RUN AWAY!)

BTW, most of the time Lenscrafters has gotten me my glasses within the one-hour window. They may have been out of the "blank" lenses suitable for you and your frame. That's happened to me, but only once.

KatzPajamas--That sort of thing was something my mom suggested, but I really don't want the added bulk either on the front of my face or around my ears, especially not with the helmet straps.

[jessmarimba]

Owlie, I hope someone has an answer, b/c I can't find any either.

Mine's -6.5 in each eye, with an extra -1.75 of astigmatism in one and an extra -5.5 of astigmatism in the other. I can't even get contacts with the worst astigmatism correction, so most of the time I just can't see out of my right eye.

But I've also found that even running with my normal glasses can get very uncomfortable with the difference between the field of what is in focus and what isn't (like if I look down or to the sides beyond the lenses). I don't know if I could handle that with prescription sunglasses while doing things that require me to see all of my surroundings

(My fingers are crossed that someday laser surgery catches up to astigmatism folks - I so want to be able to see like normal people.

[Eden]

I also do not meet the requirements for Oakleys - less because my prescription is extreme, because it isn't really that bad, but I have a really small interpupillary distance.... which results in the same thing, lenses that are too thick near the edges...

I really, really wanted wrap around lenses and NOT inserts, as I ride in the rain so much and it seems like it would be quite impossible to wipe them off if they got wet in-between the two lenses. I got a custom pair made by www.sportsoptical.com in Denver. The guy who runs the shop is super. He'll do what ever frames you want and he hand grinds the lenses so that they fit. His customer service was terrific and the glasses have been great. They were not cheap, but fortunately I have pretty good insurance. I've had them for about 4 years now and I'm thinking next year I may go for some new ones as I have managed to acquire some pretty wicked scratches on my current pair. While it would have been super nice to have several sets of lenses, they are too much.... so I went with photo-gray for the best versatility.

[pll]

Eden: Your sunglasses don't have any issue with "color" distortion on the edges? I had a pair of Oakleys done and I have that problem. Not huge, but far from perfect (especially when you consider the price). I use those sunglasses for running. If you don't have that problem, what frame did you get (I see various brands listed in the site you linked).

The one advantage of the Rudy Project flip up mechanism is that it makes it easy to go into a shop -- sometimes I ride with friends and either stop for a coffee or lunch. I've ridden in pouring rain and it never got in between the insert and the dark lenses.

[Catrin]

I LOVE my Oakleys, but the only way I could get them was we had to adjust my astigmatism prescription, and I left out the bifocal part of it to save $$. Next time I am getting the bifocal...

My eye doctor did test me to see if I could deal with the adjusted astigmatism prescription - and while it did odd things with my eyes when I would change over to my cycling glasses that soon passed. The lack of a bifocal is really only an issue if I need to read something - but I just take off my glasses for that. I am quite near-sighted myself though I don't know what my prescription is.

[bikerHen]

I'm a member of the very nearsighted club too. I worked my way through the local optical shops until I finally found a pair that would work. Early spring is the best time to shop because that seems to be when most shops have the best selection. Mine are Columbia Brand and were in a display for motorcycle frames. FWIW: I definitley would go with a bifocal if you need it. The first pair of perscription sunglasses I got, I didn't think I would need the bifocal. But my distance perscription is so strong I can't see close with the glasses on, which means I had to take them off to do anything close. Like read my Garmin, order from a menu, see the gagues in the car! The second pair has the bifocal, which made it harder to find a frame but SO worth the wait.

[azfiddle]

Heavy glare is where I got my glasses from too- also too strong a prescription for other sources

[Eden]

Eden: Your sunglasses don't have any issue with "color" distortion on the edges? I had a pair of Oakleys done and I have that problem. Not huge, but far from perfect (especially when you consider the price). I use those sunglasses for running. If you don't have that problem, what frame did you get (I see various brands listed in the site you linked).

The one advantage of the Rudy Project flip up mechanism is that it makes it easy to go into a shop -- sometimes I ride with friends and either stop for a coffee or lunch. I've ridden in pouring rain and it never got in between the insert and the dark lenses.

Nope - no distortion in my glasses, even near the edges. I don't have a super extreme prescription though... just a small face with pupils that are closer together than most peoples...

[roadie gal]

I have been extremely happy with my Zeal Rx glasses. I don't have the inserts. Mine are in the frame, but they do make those. I'm not gentle on my glasses, yet these have held up for over a year. That's a record for me.

[jessmarimba]

Owlie, just wanted to report back on this. I asked my optometrist today about prescription sunglasses for my awful vision. They suggested Liberty sport sunglasses as pretty much my only option (and only then if I back off on the astigmatism prescription a bit).

I didn't see any frames I particularly liked, but they could be worse.

[badgercat]

Owlie, just wanted to report back on this. I asked my optometrist today about prescription sunglasses for my awful vision. They suggested Liberty sport sunglasses as pretty much my only option (and only then if I back off on the astigmatism prescription a bit).

I didn't see any frames I particularly liked, but they could be worse.

My vision isn't as bad as you or Owlie's (-4ish, with mild astigmatism), but I have had the "your eyes are too bad for these frames" door shut in my face many times. I got a pair of Liberty Sport wrap sunglasses a couple months ago and have been happy with them. I took a bit of adjusting to the base curve--at first it looked like I was constantly standing on top of a hill--but my brain learned to compensate for that after about a week. Now I wonder how I ever biked/drove/etc in Arizona for almost three years without sunglasses! The style isn't exactly trendsetting, but they were affordable and get the job done.

Good luck in your searches!

ETA: I attached a picture of me in my Liberty RX sunglasses at the Grand Canyon, so you can see they turn out ok in "real life."

[SadieKate]

I forget what Bubba's Rx is but he was constantly told it couldn't be done -- until he found these guys.

http://www.heavyglare.com/