Prescription sunglasses - Recommendations?

Curious if anyone has any recommendations on prescription sunglasses for under the helmet? Regular glasses kinda rub my ears and side of my head a bit too much for my liking. Looking for something with a relatively flat profile on the ear pieces and some curved lenses to help with wind and other flying objects...

Anyway just wondering what other folks use... Sadly not getting any younger and the gauges have become easier to read with glasses on... LOL


Thanks!

I have used an Oakley frame successfully for many years.

I ran into problems with polarized sunglass clip-ons that I wanted to wear with my regular prescription sunglasses. Using a tinted visor in my helmet created many problems...the two polarizations were fighting each other. So I just use the tinted visor with nothing else.

20774 said:

I ran into problems with polarized sunglass clip-ons that I wanted to wear with my regular prescription sunglasses. Using a tinted visor in my helmet created many problems...the two polarizations were fighting each other. So I just use the tinted visor with nothing else.

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I have non-polarized clip-ons I use. I have to admit they are hard to find. Am trying to locate a new pair.

Harry

Harry -

Then I'd have to have two pairs of clipons. I am not on the bike way more than I am on the bike!! So one set is just fine!!

My favourite sunglasses are Maui Jims, in my opinion some of the best lenses on the market. The World Cup frames are comfortable for me under my helmet. They are available RX and you can also get them as bifocals with built in readers which is what I wear. Nice to be able to read the route numbers on my maps, for me the sunglasses with built in readers was a game changer. The World Cups have good coverage for wind protection.

20774 said:

I ran into problems with polarized sunglass clip-ons that I wanted to wear with my regular prescription sunglasses. Using a tinted visor in my helmet created many problems...the two polarizations were fighting each other. So I just use the tinted visor with nothing else.

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To get something that's lightweight, I had to special order thru my optometrist. SunglassRage.com has some universal fit non-polarized clip-ons (with a spring mechanism) that may work, but I find them to be too heavy.

Try https://www.randolphusa.com/collections/aviator-best-sellers

They have frames for helmets you can have your rx added at Costco.

I have had to take special care when getting my glasses, from two standpoints. I wear progressive lens glasses. When having my eyes examined I brought the optometrist out to my motorcycle so he could measure between my eyes and the map in the top of my tank bag to establish a reading distance.

Then, in ordering frames I make certain that the top of the frame is not above the midpoint of my eye brows so the helmet doesn't put downward pressure on the glasses (and my nose). Also, many people don't pay attention to the fact that the ear pieces come in several lengths so may get irritation about the ears due to the fit of the ear pieces.

Then, for my sunglasses I get the same frame as my regular glasses.

It isn't exactly rocket science, but it almost is.

I wear progressive lenses off the bike, and they work very well for me almost everywhere. The exceptions are a) on the tennis court, and b) on the bike.

On the court, progressives "move" the ball as my head turns, and my hitting competence (such as it is) goes way down. Thus, I wear single-focus (distance), tinted lenses, with no segment for reading, sourced from Zenni. They work great.

On the bike, I found progressives somehow disorienting, and immediately not OK. In addition, because my torso is fairly upright when I ride, and the instruments pretty far down and farther from my eyes than a book or computer screen, the regular reading prescription in the progressives didn't allow me to focus on the instruments when I glanced down. Thus, I've ended up wearing bifocals: the upper segment is single-focus for distance, and the lower segment is single-focus for the instruments, with a longer "close" distance than is usual for reading. (I described this to my optometrist, who cheerfully issues me a second prescription with a different segment strength for riding). Because of the looking-down viewing anglee, the riding glasses reading segment is less tall (on the lens) than a conventional reading segment. Because I avoid riding at night, the lenses are tinted.

Turns out that the frames I like for regular use (Aristar 6713, size large) are perfect for riding: bayonet tips on the temple, and a size that fits through the helmet's eyeport and isn't pushed down (by the helmet) over my eyebrows and eyes. The frames last for several replacement of lenses, and I have the lenses made by Replace-a-Lens in Colorado.

For me, this is a very satisfactory system.

You probably know and it was said above: No polarized lenses.

dbrick said:

I wear progressive lenses off the bike, and they work very well for me almost everywhere. The exceptions are a) on the tennis court, and b) on the bike.

On the court, progressives "move" the ball as my head turns, and my hitting competence (such as it is) goes way down. Thus, I wear single-focus (distance), tinted lenses, with no segment for reading, sourced from Zenni. They work great.

On the bike, I found progressives somehow disorienting, and immediately not OK. In addition, because my torso is fairly upright when I ride, and the instruments pretty far down and farther from my eyes than a book or computer screen, the regular reading prescription in the progressives didn't allow me to focus on the instruments when I glanced down. Thus, I've ended up wearing bifocals: the upper segment is single-focus for distance, and the lower segment is single-focus for the instruments, a different "close" distance than is usual for reading. (I described this to my optometrist, who cheerfully issues me a second prescription with a different segment strength for riding). Because of the angle down, the riding glasses segment is less tall than a conventional reading segment. Because I avoid riding at night, the lenses are tinted.

Turns out that the frames I like for regular use (Aristar 6713, size large) are perfect for riding: bayonet tips on the temple, and a size that fits through the helmet's eyeport and isn't pushed down (by the helmet) over my eyebrows and eyes. The frames last for several replacement of lenses, and I have the lenses made by Replace-a-Lens in Colorado.

For me, this is a very satisfactory system.

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Winner!
I do the same thing. Riding (and driving) glasses are bifocals. Distance on top and computer distance on bottom. Computer distance is perfect for reading dash instruments/gps. Off the bike I use progressives.

T-foiler said:

You probably know and it was said above: No polarized lenses.

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Polarized lenses will black out SOME LCD displays (eg: Early Kbike gear indicator and clock).

98lee said:

Polarized lenses will black out SOME LCD displays (eg: Early Kbike gear indicator and clock).

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Only if you DON'T turn your head sideways.

T-foiler said:

You probably know and it was said above: No polarized lenses.

Click to expand...

All I wear on motorcycle is polarized lenses. I have been wearing them for years. Yes, sometimes the GPS is tough to see, as it the dash on the RT, but I feel polarized is worth it.

Also, I wear progressive lenses.

WalMart Vision Center?

Never having worn Rx sunglasses I went to Walmart Vision Center with a previously obtained prescription and got a very inexpensive pair of wrap around photochromic with scratch protection, shatter resistance, et al. They are reasonably normal looking and effective. The price was less than using my insurance at the optometrist. Worth a shot if you are looking to "try them out" and decide exactly what works for you? Get two or three styles for less than one expensive pair and dial in your preferences.

I have no issue with polarized lenses either.

PoorUB said:

All I wear on motorcycle is polarized lenses. I have been wearing them for years. Yes, sometimes the GPS is tough to see, as it the dash on the RT, but I feel polarized is worth it.

Also, I wear progressive lenses.

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It's the combination of polarized lenses and the helmet face shield. So, the choice of helmet is a factor.

I find the chromatic aberration (if that’s the right term) of looking through the plastic face shield causes unusual rainbows when having polarized glasses on.

no one has mentioned that light sensitive lenses (lenses get darker in light) don't seem to work with face shields that block UV-

I'd also like to hear more from those who use bifocals for riding- my progressives seem to work fine but as I haven't tried bifocals I don't know what I might be missing! Have an appointment Tuesday- following this thread!!