RX Sunglasses, sports optical

[weaponsgrade]

Based on the reviews I heard about Sports Optical I went ahead and ordered a pair of the Rydons. Two questions for those you wearing them. 1) the prescription strength seems to be slightly less than my regular glasses. 2) there seems to be somewhat of a fishbowl effect. I'm assuming because of the large curvature of the glasses. I've only had a chance to wear them for about 2 hours and just while walking around so maybe I just need to get used to them. But, did any of you have similar experiences?

[Blue Jays]

Weaponsgrade, no worries! That is a very common experience. When I first started wearing my prescription Rudy Project Ekynox SX sunglasses it was almost as if they confused the prescription with someone else.
Before long, the ol' eyes grew accustomed and everything is perfect. :beer:

[1centaur]

I actually wore my new Sports Optical bifocal Rydons today for the first time - he could not do that lens a few years back when I got the Ekynox SX version. Both have been perfect - when I put the Rydons on in the house they seemed a little weird vs. my regular glasses, but out on the bike I had nothing but joy.

[scrooge]

Mine seemed slightly "off" at first too...now my eyes adjust within about 15 seconds. Of course, my prescription is rather weak....

[thinpin]

Even between ordinary specs you notice a change in perspective. I found the greatest change using the Rudys. As my lens are so thick (even with high refractive index plastic) I find occasionally the lens will pop out of the optical insert. Cold mornings are classic. So I need to be mindful.
"Sports Optical" -is this a company that specialise in inserts?

[gasman]

Even between ordinary specs you notice a change in perspective.
"Sports Optical" -is this a company that specialise in inserts?


They make glasses without an insert.

[SoCalSteve]

Weaponsgrade, no worries! That is a very common experience. When I first started wearing my prescription Rudy Project Ekynox SX sunglasses it was almost as if they confused the prescription with someone else.
Before long, the ol' eyes grew accustomed and everything is perfect. :beer:

I will agree 110% to this as I had a prescription insert made for my Rudy Projects..Hated them at first until my eyes adjusted (took a few rides). Now I love them and all seems perfectly perfect and I can see again!

Give it some time.

Good luck,

Steve

[DRZRM]

I hate to be a naysayer, but fresh out of the box, the Oakley Rx was perfect. Especially at the periphery, where you usually get the most distortion, they were perfect. They are the only Rx glasses I've been able to play squash in, and there was no fishbowl feeling or weirdness. I'm glad you all adjusted happily, but I has anyone else who uses Oakley's had to go through this adjustment?

[Charles M]

Oakley are not the same type lens. They will only do full lense RX without much curve or wrap.

In the case of larger wrap lense Oakley only do a small portion of the lense for Rx with a pretty clear line of seperation. Oakley are also more limited it Rx range than Sport Optical.

[weaponsgrade]

ok, that's reassuring. It's nice and sunny out and I'm about to head out on a long ride with them.

[fierte_poser]

I have the pleasure of living in Colorado and, thus, I was able to visit Sports Optical and work with Brett one on one. He was able to put a prescription into the Ekynox SX that Rudy Project would not, and his workmanship is phenomenal. He really takes pride in his work and is simply able to do frames and wraps that others won't touch. On top of all that, he rides a sweet Primus Mootry rig. :)

As far as the fishbowl effect, I would guess it is due to the wrap and not due to any problem per se. Do your normal glasses have a relatively 'flat' lens? If so, it will just take some getting use to your prescription in a 'curved' lens. Its simply a different experience for your eye/brain combo. I expect you will adjust easily. I suppose there are some people out there who are unable to adjust for some reason or another. You could always take your sunglasses to a local optician to have them check the prescription just to make sure nothing is inherently wrong with the lens.

[DRZRM]

I'm not badmouthing sports optical, I've never used them, but you are wrong about the Oakleys. Just so people interested understand all their options, here is more into on the Oakleys, and I repeat that I had none of the fishbowling you guys are all talking about. They may not be able to take a strong enough Rx for everyone, but the Half Jacket XLJ offer great coverage (sufficient for me, and I replaced an M Frame with them), the Rx is on the entire lens (not like the M Frame inserts, this is a totally different technology), and there is essentially no distortion at the periphery (though the lenses do get pretty thick at the sides).


http://oakley.com/halfjacket

Oakley are not the same type lens. They will only do full lense RX without much curve or wrap.

In the case of larger wrap lense Oakley only do a small portion of the lense for Rx with a pretty clear line of seperation. Oakley are also more limited it Rx range than Sport Optical.

[Charles M]

All due repsect but I'm not "wrong"... though I could have worded that differently.


The half jackets you show have a nice sweeping frame, but it's the frame that has most of the curve but the lenses are fairly flat and are what I described... a full RX on lens but does not have as much wrap / coverage as Oakleys other products where they only do RX for part of the lense.

When Oakley do a genuine full wrap lense they have to do this...

http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~sinpodo/gjpg/m-sweep.jpg


The half jackets are nice but while they are "sufficient" for you, they're not the wrap and coverage of Oakley's other products where they have an RX for part of the lense nor are they as much coverage as the Rudy full wrap products.





Lots of companies can do rx sunglasses without much wrap (relative to full wrap shades).

[victoryfactory]

the posts above are the reason most opticians will not put presciptions in
sports glasses.
It is very hard to achieve good optical performance across the entire lens.
I have had them made by two different makers, sometimes they are
better than other times. There is some art envolved to begin with, and
if you are doing it on line, he has to deal with your measurements of
pupil distance and position as well. I have had success with Sports Optical.
But I think given the variables, it could also go wrong. These guys know this
and will always redo them if there is a problem.

Good luck

VF

[DRZRM]

OK hold it for a minute. I was under the impression that weaponsgrade was discussing the Rudy Project Rydons, a frame that takes two curved lenses, as that's what he said in his original post. I wanted to add that Oakleys don't seem to do the thing that everyone is complaining about. I'm not badmouthing anyone's glasses, I was asking if other folks with Oakley's curved lenses had avoided that feeling.

I was trying to be helpful, not to get weaponsgrade to go out and buy new glasses, but to let folks know there is in fact another option. As far as I know (and I could be wrong, I only know what I read from their website (http://www.sportsoptical.com/direct_lens_tech.htm) ) Sports Optical claims to put lenses into frames "such as the Rudy Project Rydons and Kerosenes as well as many of the Smith Sliders." All of those are frames that take two individual "curved" lenses, much like my Oakleys.

You come up with the comparison to the M frame, which I took to be a "wrong" comparison, as none of these other frames being discussed are a single wrap lens like the M frame takes. If there is such a frame Sports Optical does Rx for, great, they should put that on the web site.

The lenses on the Oakley follow the curve of the frame--I'm traveling in Europe or I'd take a picture of my frames and lenses--but they are not "flat" (I think I'm getting the hang of this quotation thing). Maybe this picture will give you a better sense.

I find when I want glasses without much wrap, I'm happy to go to my local optition, but you are "right," lots of places can make those. The Half Jacket XLJ is a "wrap frame, " They keep out the sun, they protect your eyes from wind, grit and wind. If you prefer Rudy or Smiths, go for it. We should all buy what we like. I was "correcting" your statement that "They will only do full lense [sic] RX without much curve or wrap." Sorry if I offended.



All due repsect but I'm not "wrong"... though I could have worded that differently.


The half jackets you show have a nice sweeping frame, but it's the frame that has most of the curve but the lenses are fairly flat and are what I described... a full RX on lens but does not have as much wrap / coverage as Oakleys other products where they only do RX for part of the lense.

When Oakley do a genuine full wrap lense they have to do this...

http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~sinpodo/gjpg/m-sweep.jpg


The half jackets are nice but while they are "sufficient" for you, they're not the wrap and coverage of Oakley's other products where they have an RX for part of the lense nor are they as much coverage as the Rudy full wrap products.





Lots of companies can do rx sunglasses without much wrap (relative to full wrap shades).

[Charles M]

Nobodies saying you're badmouthing anything... I think you're right, just not to the extent that "wrap" means the same thing for the different sets of glasses.

"Oakley glasses" is a broad term, but I did relate it two the different coverage types...

The Oakley Half Jackets you pictured do have some wrap / curve and sit in a "wrap frame" but they do not have wrap / curve and coverage to the same extent The Rudy or M frame do...

It's close, but it isn't the same and isn't considered a "wrap around" lense like the Rudy (wrap in Opto terms as it relates to getting further around the side of the eye rather than a single lense over the nose)


For Oakley to make an RX with a more curve and coverage it would be a lense inside a Lense like the M frame or in a traditional framed set like the Racing Jacket which also are not a "wrap" lense but exagerate the shape of the frame and the position of the lenses to give more of the effect and it would still be in more limited RX than the sports op Rudy's...

[DRZRM]

OK, I don't think we are really getting anywhere here, but I'll try one more time before giving up. By the way, are you an optometrist? I'm not sure how you are defining "wrap around" frame. If there is some number or depth by which it is determined, let me know and I'll defer to your expertise. They go from forward facing (90 deg.) in front of my eyes, and they wrap past me eyes to the side (maybe a 30 deg curve). The "curved" edges of the lenses are about 3/4" of an inch behind the temple, which suggests wrap-around to me. Do the tips go further than the M frame lens, not further than the M sweep lens, but further than the narrower M frame lens.

Anyway, I just realized I have a camera in my computer (thanks MacBook). Here is what the glasses look like, do they wrap? I'll leave it to the good people here at the Serotta forum.

And on that note, I'm retiring from this discussion. Again sorry if my tone offended.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f302/drzrm/photo22.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f302/drzrm/Photo21.jpg

Nobodies saying you're badmouthing anything... I think you're right, just not to the extent that "wrap" means the same thing for the different sets of glasses.

"Oakley glasses" is a broad term, but I did relate it two the different coverage types...

The Oakley Half Jackets you pictured do have some wrap / curve and sit in a "wrap frame" but they do not have wrap / curve and coverage to the same extent The Rudy or M frame do...

It's close, but it isn't the same and isn't considered a "wrap around" lense like the Rudy (wrap in Opto terms as it relates to getting further around the side of the eye rather than a single lense over the nose)


For Oakley to make an RX with a more curve and coverage it would be a lense inside a Lense like the M frame or in a traditional framed set like the Racing Jacket which also are not a "wrap" lense but exagerate the shape of the frame and the position of the lenses to give more of the effect and it would still be in more limited RX than the sports op Rudy's...

[weaponsgrade]

thanks for all the comments everybody. looks like i caused a little stir. i am hoping that all i need is a little time to get used to the glasses. i had them on for about a 4 hr ride on saturday. the glasses felt good when i was on the open road, but i still felt a little fishbowl when surrounded by things close. for example, i stopped to go into the woods to take a pee next to my favorite tree and the trees were looking a little fishbowl like. i was originally looking at the flak jackets, but bret said that he wouldn't be able to do them given my RX. the half jackets were an option, but i wanted something bigger. he gave me a list of glasses he could work with and i spent a whole day trying on different frames before i settled on the rydons. the glasses do look very nice. apart from the lens being a little thicker you really can't tell any difference b/w a non-rx pair.

so, i'm going to give them some more time and i'll report back what happens.

[Kane]

The cost of Ti Flexon frame is about $350. They are extremely durable and flexible, (kind of like a Ti bike).

Costco has a generic flexon frame for $50 and $75. The more expensive one has more coverage and a double nose bridge between the lenses. The total cost of the frame with a poly carb sunglass lense is between $150 and $200 depending on polarization etc.

Cheers,

Kane

[weaponsgrade]

Update: It took a few rides, but all is good now. No more fishbowl effect.