Eyewear Talk

I am currently wearing my first pair of glasses with multi-focal lenses. It’s taken me a while but I’ve come to like them.

Just around the time I bought these, some friends were talking about how they were adjusting to their new progressives and they complained about dizziness and headaches. Fortunately, that was not my experience. The thing that made me want to rip them off my face was that the near vision lens seemed to be positioned too high and was blurring my distance vision. I noticed it especially when I was driving and needed to see distant most of the time.

It made me feel like I wasted my money but I knew going into this that there might be a few false starts.

From the beginning, I was wary of how well multi-focal would work in small sized lenses, but the sales person assured me there was no problem. I originally wanted glasses with larger lenses but they’re hard to find, especially for men.

I am considering taking the glasses back to the store to see if the nose pads can be spread out so they sit lower on my face.

I’ve had these for a couple of months, now, and I’m starting to like them. I am naturally looking through the right part of the lenses for near and far, and I am not feeling like I want to tear them from my head. I’ve even had friends ask me to read small print for them.

Empowered with a print out of my prescription, I am on the look out for discount priced glasses and, if the price is low enough, I’ll buy a pair for general use and a pair specifically for reading and see if I like that arrangement.

Many of the brand name Prescription Sunglasses & Prescription Eyeglasses we sell at OpticsPlanet are available as bifocals and no-line progressives. In my next blog entry, I’ll give more details about how to order multi-focals. Until then, I recommend that you see our Bifocal Guide and our Trial Program.

This season’s Ski Goggles and Snowboard Goggles from Bolle and Spy Optic offer professional-level performance in optics and frame ventilation. An advancement that I appreciate is how well the new Ski Goggles fit and how comfortable they are. However, there are days when goggles are more than necessary and a good pair of Sunglasses will do the job.

A durable plastic frame and shatter-resistant polycarbonate lenses are the best choices for safe Sunglasses for sports. The plastics come in a variety of colors so you should be able to find something to go with your outfit.

Choosing lens color can be tricky.

Pink and yellow lens are recommended for overcast days because the colors provide a brighter view and enhanced contrast to bring out the contours of the slope. However, for bright days you need a darker lens. You should also consider light conditions changing throughout the day and changes as you go in and out of the ski house.

Related to lens color is polarization. Polarized Lens are great for minimizing glare off flat surfaces like snow. However, polarized lens naturally have a darkening effect so they might not be right in overcast or after early evening.

To block wind like a goggle, consider a “wrap-around” frame style which fits closer to your face and has lens that extend back on the sides. Many people appreciate the way wrap-arounds block light from the side.

Bolle excels in Sunglasses for sports. The Bolle Parole and Bolle Vigilante sunglasses offer plastic frames and polycarbonate lenses for safety. The lens are interchangeable and are easily swapped as light changes. Parole Replacement Lens and Vigilante Replacement Lens are available in a range of colors. The two glasses are similar in style but the Vigilante has a slightly larger design. An Rx Adaptor is available for prescription wearers.

Body Specs has a great deal on a flexible package that offers the best of goggles and sunglasses. The Body Specs BSG comes with a pair of clear lens and a pair of yellow, a removable foam gasket around the lenses that seals out wind and snow, and they can be used as goggles with a strap or as sunglasses with temples. The frame is plastic and the lens are polycarbonate. The BSG lens are polarized to control harsh glare and provide a sharp view. The Body Specs BSG-2 is the same package except in a size that fits a small face. The BSG-2 with Photochromic Lens have lens that become darker or lighter according to conditions.

Like Body Specs, Wiley-X offers styles that mix goggle and sunglass features. The Wileys have a foam gasket to keep out wind, and there are models that convert between a goggle strap or temples. Wiley X sunglasses are popular with the military, emergency services and motorcycle riders for durability and safety, so they make excellent sports sunglasses. Models that feature interchangeable lens include the Wiley-X SG-1, the Wiley-X JP-1 and the Wiley-X XL-1.

More powder to ya’!