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Prescription Sunglasses

karlo

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I'm about to order prescription sunglasses and would appreciate advice regarding using progressive lenses. I no longer use them skiing, having injured myself leaping onto what turned out to be a flat shelf and rupturing a gastroc muscle. But, what about using progressives for the uphill? Skinning up. Bootpacking up with help of ice axe? Rappelling down?

The main reason i like the idea of using progressives is, then, I can better see a beacon display, which I can till make out with my long distance lenses, and, perhaps more importantly, see what I'm looking at on near surfaces and debris when I'm probing and digging.
 

Pat AKA mustski

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I use progressive RX sunglasses even for regular skiing. I bought a pair that had a large frame and had them make the close work section much smaller than usual. It works because it doesn't get in the way of me reading the slope which, for me, is very important in bumps. I have to really turn my eyes down for reading, but I only use that for reading a map so it doesn't have to be a large area. I just communicated really clearly with the Optometrist as to my needs for skiing.
 
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karlo

karlo

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I use progressive RX sunglasses even for regular skiing. I bought a pair that had a large frame and had them make the close work section much smaller than usual. It works because it doesn't get in the way of me reading the slope which, for me, is very important in bumps. I have to really turn my eyes down for reading, but I only use that for reading a map so it doesn't have to be a large area. I just communicated really clearly with the Optometrist as to my needs for skiing.

If you were climbing down an ice wall and needed to be sure, when looking straight down, would you be able to confidently sight your next step? Like, hand and feet on a ladder and look down to the next step. No error allowed.

oh, it's outdoor, in the winter. Visibility might be affected by conditions.
 
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Nancy Hummel

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You might have to use two pairs. It may be inconvenient to switch out but overall safety etc, may be worth it.
 
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karlo

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You might have to use two pairs

Hmm. Three pairs?? Regular prescription under my goggles when I ski. Progressive sunglasses for skinning and avy rescues. Long distance only sunglasses for climbing.
 

Nancy Hummel

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Hmm. Three pairs?? Regular prescription under my goggles when I ski. Progressive sunglasses for skinning and avy rescues. Long distance only sunglasses for climbing.

I have prescription inserts in my goggles. I think that works better than glasses under goggles.
 

Jilly

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I have progressives for daily wear. I use contacts for skiing and paddling. But then I can't see anything close up! I have RX sunglasses but they have the line. After paying $700 for the first pair, I decided that $500 was too much for a second pair with the progressive. So got the line, but did get polarized.

I also have Oakley sunglasses that I wear with my contacts and they have a semi-circle stick on "reader". Work's well for driving. Not sure about the accuracy that you want though.
 

EricG

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I have prescription inserts in my goggles. I think that works better than glasses under goggles.


Same here. Progressive inserts from SportRX have worked out awesome.

@karlo - I’ve got progressive sunglasses from Maui Jim, Oakley & Smith. I prefer the Smiths on snow, but I refer the Maui Jim’s on water. I’d suggest looking into the goggle insert, it works really well.
 
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karlo

karlo

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I use progressive RX sunglasses even for regular skiing.

Watch out for that. I was looking down something steep, and doing it through the nearer distance zone of a progressive. Didn't judge what i was seeing correctly and injured myself.

prescription inserts in my goggles

the goggle insert,

Would love to use inserts. Have them I'm my diving goggles. But, for skiing, I need to see my students when i remove my goggles.

Anyway, @Nancy Hummel is right. Err on side of safety. I'll get distance only. I'll just have to carry three pairs of glasses, distance sunglasses for the uphill, distance glasses under google when skiing, progressives for avy rescue. I'll keep the latter with my avy gear.
 

Dave Marshak

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I use single vision inserts in my goggles and all my sunglasses. I always found it hard to ski with progressives or bifocals.

A few years ago I developed some balance problems. One of the problems was that my eyes were not tracking well, and that was disrupting my balance. I did some google research and found that there is some evidence that progressive lenses are related to increased falling risk in old people (of which I am one). I quit using progressive lenses and went back bifocals because of that. I don't know if that helped but it didn't hurt.

dm
 

EricG

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Watch out for that. I was looking down something steep, and doing it through the nearer distance zone of a progressive. Didn't judge what i was seeing correctly and injured myself.

I use single vision inserts in my goggles and all my sunglasses. I always found it hard to ski with progressives or bifocals.

A few years ago I developed some balance problems. One of the problems was that my eyes were not tracking well, and that was disrupting my balance. I did some google research and found that there is some evidence that progressive lenses are related to increased falling risk in old people (of which I am one). I quit using progressive lenses and went back bifocals because of that. I don't know if that helped but it didn't hurt.

dm

I just ordered a set of single vision inserts & sunglasses to compare to my progressives. The single vision’s were substantially cheaper too which was nice to see.
 

Kneale Brownson

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About 30 years ago I went to the eye doctor and said I thought I needed bifocals. After the refraction, they said no, I needed trifocals. I never had a moment's issue with missteps or misjudging. I had heard there would be issues, but I had none. By ski season, I'll only need correction for extensive reading. I have all these huge OTG goggles that I'm hoping to replace with slick sunglasses that protect my eyes from wind. Trying to find a photochromic lens in a wrap-around type of goggle.
 
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karlo

karlo

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About 30 years ago I went to the eye doctor and said I thought I needed bifocals. After the refraction, they said no, I needed trifocals. I never had a moment's issue with missteps or misjudging. I had heard there would be issues, but I had none. By ski season, I'll only need correction for extensive reading. I have all these huge OTG goggles that I'm hoping to replace with slick sunglasses that protect my eyes from wind. Trying to find a photochromic lens in a wrap-around type of goggle.

Let me know what you find!
 

BoofHead

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I only need glasses for reading and for safety at work but I know that if I didn’t have them on my head at all times I would lose them. So for years now I’ve had progressives with photochromatic lens. I use them for touring but not for general skiing and they are great. I also live in a very sunny part of the world. The only downside is that they won’t work as sunnies in the car. They do take a few seconds to “undarken” when I go from bright sun to indoors.
CEC99FB3-3574-44AF-9CF6-843D0AB07D89.jpeg
 

Pat AKA mustski

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I like photochromatic lenses. I have a couple of pairs and one pair of goggles that have it as well. They are especially useful skiing. Even on a full sun day, there is the low light runs and time of day and I like that the lens compensates for that.
 

Jerez

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I use inserts in my Smith goggles with a fan. They work great. I like that you can change the prescription without having to buy a whole new setup and visa versa. I use progressive lenses otherwise, but am beginning to think of changing that. I find that lately I sometimes feel off-kilter with them, especially hiking downhill. I think it depends on how severe your prescription is (has gotten).

Another option is to get a magnifying monocle and just keep it tucked into (and attached via string to) your beacon case. Not bulky and useful for emergency.
 

Nancy Hummel

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Sorry for the drift here.
@Nancy Hummel - are your inserts for your goggles Smith’s ? Can you or others here comment on those, my wife is needing something similar- thanks

I ordered from SportRx. They have a large selection of goggles. You send in your prescription and they send you the finished product. I have the Smith turbo something or other. I do not have fogging problems and rarely use the fan.
 
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karlo

karlo

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photochromic

photochromatic

photochromatic

I should check these out. Last and only time I had a pair was when they were fairly new. I found them to be too slow in transitioning for driving. Didn’t try for skiing, since I’d use goggles rather than glasses. Sounds good for glasses with which to go uphill. The problem for me will be to find frames that both shield and fit me. The Oakley GasCans shield really well for me, from sides and below. They fit well too. But, no photochromatic option.
 

Kneale Brownson

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Gascans do have a yellow replacement lens. It's a gray day solution but not a transitional solution.
 

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