question Glasses

Handruin

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I know no one seems interested in eye surgery, but there is an alternative to LASIK. I wasn't the greatest candidate for laser surgery myself, so I opted for IOLs (Visian ICLs) and I am very happy with them. The healing time is much faster than with LASIK, the visual clarity is better than I ever had with glasses or contacts, and the surgery is completely reversible, so when I start to lose my ability to read close (I'm 33), I could get them exchanged for something better. They actually make a lens that will focus for you, much like your own natural lens. But usually it's cataract patients who get those.

This is something I'd have to consider because I'm not a candidate for LASIK. My eye doc says that someone is working on an ICL-like procedure that will attached the lens to the muscles and it remains flexible so that reading glasses post 45 y/o aren't needed like they are today with cataract surgery. My other option would be Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) but the recovery time for that is a lot longer than flap-based LASIK.
 

Stereodude

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What are you guys doing for prescription sunglasses? I have a few pairs of dark lenses in standard eyeglass frames, but I'm not the biggest fan of them. I mean they're much better than standard clear glasses, but I find myself in situations from time to time (mostly when driving) where the sun is at an angle where they aren't doing much because they don't either block or control light in the extreme peripherals.

I know you can get prescription Oakley and other more traditional sunglasses designs. Of course they're not cheap. Has anyone done that?
 

Handruin

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I have never bought any prescription sunglasses for some of the reasons you mentioned. Given my strength, if I were to get frames to cover my eyes to block the sun they'd be super thick lenses. If I got normal sized frames, they'd be pretty expensive sunglasses. I decided to do daily disposable contacts and just cheap sunglasses as a compromise.
 

ddrueding

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I have a pair of full wrap-around sunglasses with my prescription in them and a pretty dark tint. I think Nike makes them, and they can fit a pretty thick lens without looking weird or feeling heavy. They live in my car, as the self-darkeining lenses work everywhere else. I think they were nearly $600.
 

sechs

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Am I missing something here or did the Snellen system fall out of general use? What do numbers like -10.25 mean?
I can't see the big E at the top of the Snellen chart, so it's pretty useless when trying to check out my distance vision.

My vision is out past 20/400 somewhere
 

sechs

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1) my transitions DO get dark inside the car, depending on how bright it is outside. Since it darkens smoothly, one doesn't notice it, and I am often surprised when I look in the mirror and see that they have darkened.

2) They lighten up in about 2-3 minutes once you come indoors. This is not quick enough sometimes if the place you're entering is not bright, and at these times, I take my glasses off so I can see; better to have blurred vision than not be able to see anything at all. Despite this, and despite going through repeated turbulence in my finances, I've always opted for photochromic lenses since for me it does make a difference and is worthwhile.
If you need dark glasses for bright light, then photochromic lenses are generally a bad choice. As they darken as the the light increases, it makes your eyes more sensitive. You're better off making the jump-change from regular to sunglasses.

In any case, the different options that one can put on sunglasses are really useful. I get polarized polycarbonate lenses, since they're shatter resistant and reduce glare. I'd never get those for regular clear glasses
 

sechs

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What are you guys doing for prescription sunglasses? I have a few pairs of dark lenses in standard eyeglass frames, but I'm not the biggest fan of them. I mean they're much better than standard clear glasses, but I find myself in situations from time to time (mostly when driving) where the sun is at an angle where they aren't doing much because they don't either block or control light in the extreme peripherals.

I know you can get prescription Oakley and other more traditional sunglasses designs. Of course they're not cheap. Has anyone done that?
What works for you kind of has a lot to do with the shape of your face.

My spare sunglasses have Oakley frames, but I can't use them in bright sunlight, as I cannot get them to sit close enough to my face to sufficiently block light.

My regular sunglasses use relatively cheap RayBan frames, which have larger lenses, so little light leaks around the edges.
 

LunarMist

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Mine are, which is a problem if you are trying to use LCD screens.

Aren't the displays in modern cars designed with the polarizers in the right plane for minimal darkening with sunglasses, or do you mean other devices?
 

Howell

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If I wear sunglasses I'm also wearing contacts. I also keep a ball cap in the car if I'm caught unprepared.
 

DrunkenBastard

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I think the value of getting Lasik depends upon what you wear glasses for. I've read Lasik will correct your distance vision but not the range over which your eye can focus. As a result, your near vision will suffer. 99% of what I do involves near vision. That includes working on electronics, reading (both paper and a monitor), even seeing my food. On the flip side, the only thing I wear glasses for is watching TV. My distance vision is plenty good enough to walk or bike safety without glasses. I can't read street signs until I'm fairly close, but I see anything I need to avoid hitting just fine. Given all that, Lasik would be pretty much all downsides for me. I would have nice clear vision walking, riding my bike, or watching TV, but I would probably need to use reading glasses for all that close-up stuff I do. Any type of lenses cause unacceptable distortions at close range. I would end up being a lot less efficient at the things I do on a regular basis. They wouldn't be pleasant, either.

I'm actually curious in this day and age where everyone stares at screens, often inches away, why we even consider having good distance vision as a desirable default. It makes more sense to me to have to use glasses for the relatively rare times distance vision is important.

This. A guy I worked with had Lasik, keep in mind he told them during the initial consultation that his job entailed looking at computer monitors close in during his entire shift. Ended up needing glasses anyway for his monitor viewing work. IMO they should never have proceeded with the surgery knowing what his vision needs were.
 

Stereodude

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Aren't the displays in modern cars designed with the polarizers in the right plane for minimal darkening with sunglasses, or do you mean other devices?
The displays in cars and nearly all consumer electronics devices have the polarizers angle set with consideration given to polarized sunglasses.
 

LunarMist

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The displays in cars and nearly all consumer electronics devices have the polarizers angle set with consideration given to polarized sunglasses.

That's what I thought from all the recent rental cars. Portrait is the normal orientation for the cell phones based on the home page.
 

Stereodude

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So ~3 years later, but I'm finally getting around to this. I have an appointment in about 2 weeks to get my eyes checked and get new prescription glasses. The Crizal Sapphire 360° UV AR coating that has subsequently come out since the thread was started looks interesting to me.

I'm also going to see about getting new prescription sunglasses that have more wrap around coverage than standard glasses frames.
 

Stereodude

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I had my appointment today. My prescription was the same as it was 20+ years ago, but the Dr. said I have a very slight astigmatism now. The smallest amount they measure.

My new glasses are on order. The Sapphire 360° UV coating was $85 extra over the otherwise mandatory $10 UV-only coating. They said the regular price is $160 for Sapphire 360° UV, but because of VSP (my "insurance") it's discounted. My understanding is that VSP, like most vision "insurance", is more like a discount plan, but anyhow...
 

LunarMist

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I'm not convinced that correcting ±0.25 cylinder makes much difference most of the time. It's often a case of how you pick "which one is better" and that can even vary day to day. What is your add if I may ask?
 

Stereodude

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Your near vision.
Are you asking if I need glasses or correction to see up very close? I don't. I am near sighted. My prescription is -2.25. I don't need bifocals / trifocals / etc. yet.

I don't have a full copy of my prescription yet, so I can't give all the numbers.
 

Stereodude

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So I got the new glasses about 30 minutes ago.

Holy crap!!! Why did I wait so many years? The lack of reflections from the lenses makes such a huge perceptual difference in the clarity of vision I can hardly believe it.

I give them

:geek: :geek: :geek: :geek: :geek:

out of 4.
 

Handruin

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I've advocated for anti-reflective coatings for years. They make a huge difference. I'm not familiar with the latest Crizal coating as it's been a few years since I've bought glasses. My optical dr prefers to use Zeiss lenses for glasses but I can't say they are better or worse than the others.
 

Stereodude

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Your near vision.
FWIW, my Add is 0. I only have numbers for Sphere, Cylinder, and Axis. Turns out my Sphere is -2.50, not 2.25 like I thought.

I've advocated for anti-reflective coatings for years. They make a huge difference. I'm not familiar with the latest Crizal coating as it's been a few years since I've bought glasses. My optical dr prefers to use Zeiss lenses for glasses but I can't say they are better or worse than the others.
I don't think there's a whole lot of difference in the lenses from the established brands/players. Essilor (the makers of Crizal) is the lenses and coatings section of the Optical Borg. They're half of EssilorLuxottica and have been steadily been acquiring other players in the market. Luxottica owns Oakley, Ray-Ban, and many more brands. Luxottica also own Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Lenscrafter, Sears Optical, Target Optical, and other retail outlets. There are reports of questionably ethical/legal business practices and techniques to make all that happen. Apparently you will be assimilated!

On the sunglasses front, I went back to the local Oakley Store this afternoon and bought/ordered myself prescription Oakley Custom Flak 2.0 XL's. Custom means you can pick any combination of frame color/finish, the O icon color/finish, & the ear sock color instead of just a few pre-selected combinations. Buying at the Oakley store was a fair bit cheaper than any online retailer I found for the same thing. They were $419.75 vs. $485 @ SportRX or $488 @ FramesDirect. The SportRX and FramesDirect price aren't a custom frame, but my customization is rather minor. I got a matte black O icon on the sides of the frame instead of a polished black one on the standard SKU. Apparently Oakley has a 25% discount on prescription sunglasses in store if you're not using insurance. That's what they told me last week when I first stopped in last week and they took the 25% right off today. I never found any mention or chatter of that discount online, but I'm not complaining. :unsure:

They also used some pretty slick measurement & fitting jig that clipped onto a Flak 2.0 XL with clear lenses and had reference points on the jig. The frames + jig go on your face and they take a picture of your face after lining up the reference points in an app on their iPad. From the picture the app locates your pupils relative to the frame and reference points and how the frame sit on your face to derive all the measurement necessary beyond the prescription to make the lenses just right for the wearer. The operator can make adjustments from the photo to make sure everything is just right. You're not going to get that ordering online by just entering your Rx and a Pd.

They're supposed to be ready for pickup in 7-10 business days.
 

LunarMist

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FWIW, my Add is 0. I only have numbers for Sphere, Cylinder, and Axis. Turns out my Sphere is -2.50, not 2.25 like I thought.

If those are a prescription for single vision lenses, then there is no add. Somehow I though you were at least 40 since SF has been around so long.
 

Stereodude

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I picked up my prescription Oakley Flak 2.0 XL's today. They were supposed to call me when they were ready, but they never called. I was back in town today from a business trip so I dropped by to see what was going on and they were there ready for pickup.

It's a pretty dim overcast rainy day so I haven't really had a chance to try them out. I mean I put them on and can tell they're the right prescription and see the PRIZM lens is doing some light spectrum shaping, but no idea how they perform in bright sunlight. I have high expectations.
 

Stereodude

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Picture time!

Sapphire PRIZM Everyday (non-polarized) lenses
DSC00267_sm.jpg

Oakley Icon indicating genuine Oakley lenses
DSC00269_sm.jpg

The -2.50 prescription adds some thickness to the lenses. My understanding is these are using a "thin" high index lens material but because of the curved stylistic profile of the lens considerable thickness is still needed to achieve even a fairly modest prescription. They can only do +2.0/-3.0 in the Flak 2.0.
DSC00272_sm.jpg

The custom frame. All matte black with matte Oakley icon.DSC00273_sm.jpg
 
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LunarMist

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Are those for skiing or similar outdoor activity? I had sunglasses without polarization once and I didn't like them.
 

Stereodude

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Are those for skiing or similar outdoor activity? I had sunglasses without polarization once and I didn't like them.
They're for wearing outside or in the car when it's bright out. You know, like sunglasses.

Polarized sunglasses don't play nice with the window tint on my car. There are some undesirable visual artifacts when looking through the windows. Something like this photo I found online. Polarized sunglasses are also not a good idea for biking because the reflections/glare from the road lets you know it's slick and to be cautious and the polarization eliminates that visual clue. Since I do some bike riding in the non-winter months and I plan to use them in the car I didn't want polarization.
 

Stereodude

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So, I'm not very happy with the prescription Oakley sunglasses. I'm certain that at least one, if not both, of the lenses are not made correctly. I went back on Saturday night with my initial complaint after driving with them some and biking with them earlier in the day. Basically my complaint is that they're blurry / not sharp. They checked them and several other pairs of my glasses in their measurement device and assured me that they're all made to the same prescription and suggested I try them out for a few more days.

I did a bit more research & testing and have determined that due to the highly curved nature of the lenses they have a very small optical center and the optical center of the left lens is simply not where my eye is. The right eye is pretty close (perhaps as close as could realistically be expected), but the left eye is off by some amount. If I pull the frames away from my face a little bit so I can move the frame and lens laterally left or right I can find a spot where the left eye becomes much sharper and is very similar in sharpness to my regular prescription glasses. Comparatively my regular glasses have a very large optical center and moving them left or right has little to no appreciable impact on the sharpness until they are moved much further than the Oakley sunglasses.

I will be going back tomorrow to complain some more and push them to remeasure PD for my eyes and compare that to what they ordered.
 

LunarMist

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They're for wearing outside or in the car when it's bright out. You know, like sunglasses.

Polarized sunglasses don't play nice with the window tint on my car. There are some undesirable visual artifacts when looking through the windows. Something like this photo I found online. Polarized sunglasses are also not a good idea for biking because the reflections/glare from the road lets you know it's slick and to be cautious and the polarization eliminates that visual clue. Since I do some bike riding in the non-winter months and I plan to use them in the car I didn't want polarization.

It looks like the laminated glass was cooled too rapidly, resulting in stress spots. :(
 

Stereodude

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It looks like the laminated glass was cooled too rapidly, resulting in stress spots. :(
Except they only show up with window tint on the window. The glass is totally transparent with polarized glasses before that. And AFAIK, only the front windshield is laminated. The side windows are not.
 

Stereodude

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I will be going back tomorrow to complain some more and push them to remeasure PD for my eyes and compare that to what they ordered.
There were slight differences. They're reordering the lenses based on the new numbers. It seems like their process has lots of chances for mistakes to be made. They take numbers from their fancy iPad app, write them down on a piece of paper, and then enter them into their computer in the back from the paper. Who knows how many more times the numbers are manually transcribed from one program/location and entered in another in the process before the lenses are actually made.

If there is a flaw in the measurement method or their modeling of the lenses I would expect it to have a problem with both eyes, not just one eye. Hopefully I will get a workable left eye lens this time. It's also unknown if the lenses will be done in time for my international trip late next week. I tried to get them to expedite them so I would have them in time, but they were non-committal on if I would get them in time and expediting didn't seem possible.
 
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Stereodude

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The reordered Oakley lenses were available for pickup the day before I left on my trip. I picked them up that evening. They seen to be made correctly. The left eye is sharp this time. I've used them outside in the sun for a few fairly long stints on this trip so far. I'm pretty happy with them.
 
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