Progressive Lenses and Riding

[BeksNY]

I wear progressive lenses normally (work, home, etc.) but I avoid them while driving / riding because of the distortion for peripheral vision. As my eyesight gets worse, I'm considering switching to single vision (distance) or biting the bullet and wearing my progressives when I'm on the road.

What say you, glasses-wearing BARFers?

 

[flying_hun]

Progressives are a brain learning problem. I find it easier to ride with conventional bifocals, but YMMV.

 

[kurth83]

I use bi-focals too.

They let you pick where the line goes.

I sat in my car and measured the line to go where the dashboard begins.

That same prescription seems to work on a moto, if I needed the line somewhere else I would have another pair made.

 

[mean dad]

Huh. I've debated starting a similar thread.

I picked up my first pair of bifocals a month or two ago and I can't stand riding with them. The line between near/far is right where my eye looks most of the time, so I get almost a double vision thing going on when I glance at my mirrors.
Looking straight ahead is good, looking down at the speedometer (HD, so it's on the tank) is good, but the quick glances around to see (over my shoulder, etc) the bifocal line gets me.

I've switched back to regular glasses and just deal with not being able to see the speed clearly...and it's mostly when I'm trying to read my odometer.


I've heard that progressives will fuck with your periph vision. Is there an advantage to them over traditional bifocals, other than appeasing one's vanity by eliminating the line?

 

[rsrider]

I have a pair of glasses specifically for riding that puts the focus out there.......somewhere. They work fine. So tell your eyeguy to give ya some distance specs with straight arms/temples (easier to get on with a helmet).

 

[flying_hun]

Is there an advantage to them over traditional bifocals, other than appeasing one's vanity by eliminating the line?

One benefit that I've seen is that the reading/magnification lens only really works for one range of distance on conventional bifocals, but that progressives seen to have greater range of focus enabled by looking through different parts of the lenses.

Beks, you might shoot a note to a member named Frisco, as he has forgotten more about vision correction than I know.

 

[Cabrito]

I've had luck with progressives, and I've had bad luck with them. My last pair were fine once I got used to them, but my most recent pair suck. The area for the distance is too narrow compared to my last pair, and they are the same frames. I'm constantly trying to get into focus by tilting my head on the distance stuff.

I need both so I can read my GPS or Roll Chart. I'm thinking about going bi-focal next time.

 

[BeksNY]

MeanDad, Hun's right on the money with the benefits of progressives. I love mine at work because I get the upper range for looking across the office at colleagues, mid-range for looking at my computer, and bottom range for reading hardcopy stuff on my desk.

Now, y'all have got me thinking about bifocals vs. distance only! My near-vision is good enough to see the speedo, odo, etc. clearly, but starts getting strained when trying to read small, dense text. It's not like I'm trying to read a novel while riding, so I'm thinking the first step is try single-vision lenses. The second step is to get properly measured for riding bifocals when the odo numbers start getting harder to read.

 

[dravnx]

I have no problems with my Progressives. It's all I wear. I don't get any distortion on my peripheral vision so maybe it your prescription.

 

[Aware]

I use bi-focals too.

They let you pick where the line goes.

I sat in my car and measured the line to go where the dashboard begins.

That same prescription seems to work on a moto, if I needed the line somewhere else I would have another pair made.

This!!! My line is quite a bit lower than 'normal'.

I tried progressive lenses but they were useless for driving.

 

[CocoLoco]

I have progressives and am praying for a day when I can just get some new eyes made and implanted. I hate glasses and contacts worse. The only reason I wear them is because seeing trumps my hate.

 

[Gary856]

No issue with progressive lens for me, driving or riding. First time I drove with progressive sunglasses I was like, damn, I could read the dash – very nice!

• It takes a few days to get used to progressive lens when you first get them, as my eye doctor told me. After that initial learning/adapting period, where to look fades into the subconscious.

• When the prescription is off (I had it once), it was very weird, gave me vertigo; not something you could get used to.

• My eye doctor said not all progressive lens are made equal. If you had them from Costco and not like them, don’t give up yet. Go to your eye doctor and try out “better” (more expensive) progressive lens.

• BTW, vision sensitivity/selectivity-wise, some are bothered by polarized sunglasses and face shield (rainbow effect), and/or pin-lock shield causing double-vision at night and in the rain. I can see them if I focus on them, but since I don’t focus on them they don’t bother me.

 

[BeksNY]

I have progressives and am praying for a day when I can just get some new eyes made and implanted. I hate glasses and contacts worse. The only reason I wear them is because seeing trumps my hate.

::shudder:: This reminded me of the eye guy in Blade Runner.

 

[berth]

I have no problems with my Progressives. It's all I wear. I don't get any distortion on my peripheral vision so maybe it your prescription.

I have a dedicated pair of work glasses (I don't mind staring at blurry co-workers), but away from the screen, I wear progressives. I don't have any issues with them.

Blasting lasers in to my eyeballs can't fix my problems, but I've debated to doing it if only to reduce the prescription. As they get more and more powerful, depth of field just gets worse and worse.

But. Lasers. Eyeballs. Dunno.

 

[ST Guy]

I have no problems with my Progressives. It's all I wear. I don't get any distortion on my peripheral vision so maybe it your prescription.

Perhaps its the prescription, but most likely the lenses. All progressive lenses are NOT alike. Far from it. Most are crap and give you a narrow field of view that's in focus. But there are some (obviously more expensive but worth it) that offer great peripheral vision. I use Autograph III's from Shamir. Amazing lenses and I wouldn't use any other.

https://www.shamirlens.com/products/shamir-lenses-products/item/101-shamir-autograph®-iii

There was a sales rep I knew once who complained that she hated her new progressive lenses, and she'd had them awhile. I recommended the Autograph III's and she was amazed at the difference. Night and day.

If you're getting the el cheap progressive lenses, then that's likely the problem. Mine cost me 5 or 600 dollars with auto darkening and anti scratch coatings. Expensive but well, well worth it.

 

[Hoho]

I've got progressives... and it took a bit to get used to wearing them while riding. My peripheral vision wasn't affected as much. It is probably not as bad as you think it is when you get used to it.

Fun fact, if you're going Karting and wearing progressives, don't wear the neck brace. I did, and it pushed my helmet up so that the near distance were the only part of the lens that I could use...

 

[mean dad]

Yeah I'm not spending more than a hundo for glasses that I ride with. I'm way too hard on stuff; plus the chance of dropping them, losing them, etc...

 

[rodr]

I greatly prefer contacts for riding. Peripheral vision is much better, and glasses tend to bounce around with associated visual issues.

 

[ST Guy]

I wore contacts for years until I found my eyes aging and not able to focus as close up as before. Also, many people find that they dry out when riding, though I didn't really have that problem.

 

[Aware]

One benefit that I've seen is that the reading/magnification lens only really works for one range of distance on conventional bifocals, but that progressives seen to have greater range of focus enabled by looking through different parts of the lenses. .

As ever, this seems to be a YMMV moment. My experience was that progressives only had 2 points of focus, with the bonus of a huge smudge that never had anything in focus.