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eyeglasses and helmet choice

Some interesting feedback in this thread, and only have a personal comment (or two) to add....

FWIW, I'm an old, but not bold, rider, and just completed my 49th season riding motos. Worn glasses for as long as I can remember, and had to go the bifocal route quite a long time ago. Started wearing full face helmets in 1980, and rarely wear anything else. I've tried a few modulars on, but I don't see that much advantage, and do worry a little bit about the integrity of flip face helmet. I suppose a big part for me was that I got accomodated to wearing full face helmets and having to do the eyeglass shuffle quite frequently, so now it's just routine. On the few occasions I've ridden with other folks, noted that I'm on the bike and ready to roll just as quickly as those who wear the modulars. Nothing against modulars, but I do prefer feeling a little bit more protected. (FYI, first full face was an Electro, then Shoei for several years, and Arai since '92. The Shoei's and Arai's I've had seem to have a joint in the padding that provided a place for my specs....)

As to the bifocal thing, tried progressives once, against the advice of my eye doc, and quickly went back to conventional style. My eye doc is a good one, and after he inquired about my hobbies, asked if I would like to have a set of sunglasses with bifocal lengths set up for my riding position and distance to the instrument cluster. So I rode the bike to his shop and we took some measurements. The bifocal divide was set up to specifically fit my head position and distance to the gauges. Don't have to move my head at all to read my revs or speed. Sure is convenient! He just recycled an old set of my frames with new lenses, and since then upgraded the lens prescription only once. I'm glad my eye doc has his own shop...and he's much younger than I am, so I expect him to be in business long after I need him!

Cheers!:drink
 
He had a helmet he wanted to sell you.

Both of those comments are generalizations that may be true of one pair of helmets and not true of another pair of helmets.

+1 on Paul's comment. The generalizations he made simply aren't necessarily true.
 
opticians and progressive lenses

I guess I lucked out with optometrists, I've got a good one and she can dial the progressives right in.

i either have a really tricky optical system with a very esoteric set of faults, or i have just totally bombed with eye doctors. i just can NOT get a good result with progressives.

And to racer's point, I use an old world optical shop that looks straight out of 1955. The old German guy there, who rides, is a huge help at picking out the right hardware. He "gets" it.

three optometrists ago, i went to just such a shop here in media PA. a really old guy who i hoped would prove adequate, but such was not to be the case. it was the 2nd-worst pair i have had. the next guy, in glen mills, was a kind of optometrist-to-rich-folks and so i thought he must be good. but from him i got the worst pair i have had yet.

if any optometrist is reading this, and if you guys have a professional network, can you recommend somebody in the philadelphia PA or wilmington DE areas? alternatively, my real home is richmond VA and i get back there several times a year. will actually be moving back in less than two years, so anybody in central VA would work as well.

sorry to take this helmet discussion off-topic. mods, please let me know if i should cool it.

thanks,

-eric
 
Use a helmet liner

I use a helmet liner, sort of a thin cloth skull cap that I bought years ago (yes, it's washable) because I sweat a lot and because it helps the helmet slide on and off without snagging on my eyeglasses.

My new Shoei Neotec does fit more tightly than previous helmets so I do have to remember to pull sideways on the straps to get it on without dislodging the glasses. It does have a groove for the temple arms and these are appreciated.

Interesting thread.
 
I've worn progressive lens glasses that change tint "lighter/darker" automatically for over 30 years. When buying a helmet I always wear glasses. My HJC modular can be donned while wearing glasses while my full face SHOEI must be put on while not wearing glasses. Flip up the shield and glasses can be put on. In high heat/humidity modular helmets are far more comfortable and I think comfort aids in safe riding. Wind noise can be muted with disposable ear plugs but, I can still hear well enough to be aware of traffic. If I have to ride after dark my yellow tinted shooting glasses are used. RIDE SAFE
 
racer 7, my biggest problem with glasses is getting a pair of progressives that has more than a degree or two of beamwidth for any particular mode. for example, in order to read a book or my laptop screen, the usable area of the lens is so small that i have to move my head instead of my eyes. same with the distance and middle areas. i am always cocking my head at weird angles just to find the tiny area of lens that works. i've been to three different eye doctors in the past six years and they all end up the same. maybe i should go for regular old bifocals.

i thought about lasik but then i'd have to live the rest of my life with a pair of reading glasses tethered around my neck. my dad had cataract surgery and they fixed him up with a long-distance left eye and a "reading" right eye. as weird as it sounds, he said his brain got used to it, so maybe i'll have a look at contacts that use the same idea.

but i've been wearing glasses since 2nd grade, and i'm 55 now, so i'm used to them.

btw, my bike is a '76 R90/6 that's a fixer-upper, but it is one of the (potential) finer things in a way i guess.

-eric

Eric,

Sounds like you were not trained correctly about progressive lenses. They are the closest thing to a "one lens for everything", but they do have some limits. They are not for everyone. "Move your head instead of your eyes" is how they are designed to work. If you were not informed of that, your eye specialist is not doing his or her job. Also, if your optician did not discuss different lens options and their advantages, they did you wrong.

I do recommend progressives to patients if they have never worn bifocals but now need an add power in their Rx. However, if a pt. has been wearing bifocals for a while, I normally will not suggest changing. It just depends upon the patients needs and life style. Personally, I prefer bifocals over progressives because of my Rx, but use "distance only" glasses when I ride so I can have a larger field of view. I know that will change someday and I will need bifocals all the time.

I can tell you that you really get what you pay for when buying glasses. The more costly progressives will give you better optics with less distortion. You may also get a little larger "beamwidth" with the better lens. I wonder what lens material you ended up with. To bad you don't live out here in wine country, we could set down and talk shop and bikes. That would be fun.

BTW, My first bike was the baby brother to yours. A R60/6. I miss that bike.
 
I never ride without some form of glasses. In 45+ years of riding I have never selected a helmet based on glasses use. This is because I have always found it rather easy to make the needed changes to the inside of every helmet so my glasses fit.
 
I found out something a few years back about progressive grinds for the no-line bifocal. Not all 'progressive' grinds are the same. I tried the chain discount version and was ready to return to the standard bifocal but a colleague suggested I look for the real brand 'Progressive', which I got from my local optometrist. I don't have top move my head to find the sweet spot. It's like looking through clear glass. If you've given up on progressive, try again, but make sure it is 'Progressive' and not the chain store version. There is a difference. As for the real subject of this thread, I chose frames with straight temples (like Oakleys) which are easy to slide in the opening. On one helmet, I pulled back the lining and carved out a groove in the foam to facilitate the task. My next helmet had the space already.
 
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