Prescription Safety Glasses?

[Osarion]

Does anyone have experience using Rx safety glasses? Specifically I'm looking for a one-unit piece, not something that has optional Rx inserts. Does anyone have any suggestions from personal experience?

I'm not really concerned about style as much as utility.

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[L84Cabo]

It's really key to try and find an eye doc that has experience fitting shooters. They're around but you may have to drive a bit to get to one.

But as far as brands go, Oakley and Rudy Project are two goods ones and they both make impact rated lenses. Keep in mind, however, that that just because you buy Oakley frames, doesn't mean that you will get Oakley lenses. If an eye doctor is using his own lab, then the lab may be putting some other lens into the frames. So make sure you discuss this if this is important to you. And keep in mind, once you have the prescription, anyone can fill it (unless you're getting something special like an inverted bifocal (link below). So you can send it into Oakley or Rudy directly and can be sure you're getting their lenses.

As for what type of prescription, it will all depend on your situation and this is where a good eye doc is key. He can advise you one whether progressives would work for you vs bifocals, etc.

<broken link removed>

 

[Osarion]

Awesome, thanks for the link. I don't need bifocals or anything really, just single vision lenses.

... Just so happens I'm a fan of Oakley too

 

[L84Cabo]

Awesome, thanks for the link. I don't need bifocals or anything really, just single vision lenses.

... Just so happens I'm a fan of Oakley too

Keep in mind that in shooting you need both short vision (to see your front sight post) and long vision (to see downrange) and the glasses have to be able to support both. Let's say your short vision is fine but you have trouble seeing distances. So you get a pair of glasses to see distance. However, if the prescription happens to be strong enough, it may now blur your short vision at the distance from your eye to your front post. So you just solved your distance problem but you created a short vision problem. In this situation what you really might need is a bifocal where the bifocal portion is simply clear glass...so you have a clear spot to view your front sight when aiming and then the distance prescription for viewing the target down range.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I just had Oakley, bifocal, sunglasses made! They are the highest impact rating and I love them!
However, Kaiser has a contract with Oakley that only Okley can grind the lenses for their frames. I don't know if that's industry wide, but that's how I had to go!
These are a light grey and polarized, they're great for shooting!
Good luck with your glasses!

 

[Osarion]

Keep in mind that in shooting you need both short vision (to see your front sight post) and long vision (to see downrange) and the glasses have to be able to support both. Let's say your short vision is fine but you have trouble seeing distances. So you get a pair of glasses to see distance. However, if the prescription happens to be strong enough, it may now blur your short vision at the distance from your eye to your front post. So you just solved your distance problem but you created a short vision problem. In this situation what you really might need is a bifocal where the bifocal portion is simply clear glass...so you have a clear spot to view your front sight when aiming and then the distance prescription for viewing the target down range.

My prescription is very light, and for long distances. .5/.75 and I'm lucky enough to have better-than-normal near sight vision.

 

[Member 5605]

I'm 20/400-

I've rocked Wiley-X since 2010 or so.

I just got a compliment from a LEO buddy of mine on Sunday at church about them. He thought they were just sunglasses. They hide the Rx very well. We have service outside in an outdoor amphitheater so these are not only prescription but tinted and polarized as well.

See here also:
Prescription Shooting Glasses (https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/prescription-shooting-glasses.216783)

 

[etrain16]

I have a pair of prescription glasses for shooting. They are nice to have. I got a good deal because my company (construction) covers part of the cost for prescription safety glasses. I ended up with bifocals, by my request, but most of the lens is for distance vision, I had them put just a small area at the bottom so if I had to look at something on the gun closely, I could see it more easily. With the distance lens, it covers me from the front site out to the target. For the most part I like them, but wish I had more style choices - it was limited due to the cost being partially covered by work.

As a side note, I also have 2 pair of over the top type safety glasses (non prescription) that I use if I want to just wear my regular lenses - they fit over the entire glasses, frame and all. One is for bright sun, one is high contrast. I just keep them in the bag in case I need them.

 

[mcfoto]

I went another direction. Due to a screw up at the lab, my optometrist offered me a second pair of glasses for free. Fortunately, he carried a small line of safety glasses due to the prevalence of light manufacturing in our area. I found a frame that wasn't too dorkus and a good shape to accommodate cross-dominant sighting. The doc agreed to make them in high-impact safety material and tint them shooter's yellow. I'm not the most styling guy at the range, but free for a pair of shooting glasses in my difficult (and usually expensive) prescription was a very good price.

 

[P7M13]

I found my prescriptions caused parallax shifts just based on how they were riding on my nose, so for years I would just use non Rx safety glasses. I bought a pair of progressive safety Rx lenses, because I'm old and presbyopia really affects my near vision, and those suckers _force_ you to look squarely through the lens. They're Liberty Sport Slam F8 goggles.
They also change tint based on incident sunlight, pretty quickly I might add.
I don't know how they look - I rarely look at myself in the mirror. Though, I might add, I wouldn't know 'cool' if it was staring me in the face.

 

[clearconscience]

You'll be fine if your eyes aren't too bad.

I have pretty bad vision. Worn glasses since the third grade.
For a long time I couldn't get Oakley sunglasses in my prescription because they couldnmt get my prescription in a curved lense. After a couple years they were able to do it and I have some sweet Oakley sunglasses now, but the curve does effect the vision. There's always a little blur to them.