RX sunglasses revisited

[DaveR]

Perhaps there is some new info out there since this was last discussed. I need new prescription sunglasses. I have never owned Costas but people tell me that's what I want. Bottom line is I want to see IN the water. Glare elimination is paramount. Lense choice and outlets pls. Thanks!

[MarkM]

http://www.carsonopticalcompany.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have bought Costas for fishing and WileyX for riding from Carson's. Very knowledgeable folks, and got a good deal both times. They can answer any questions you have as far as lens selection goes.

[gatordave]

In the past the Costas were just frames and the glass was aftermarket. Now Costa is doing the glass also so you get the high quality as their regular glasses.

[Manning]

Oakley has made Rx glasses for quite a few years. I have owned two pair and been very happy. One of the unique factors is that they manage do maintain the prescription perfectly in all parts of the curved lenses with no distortion.

[John]

Get contacts and use regular polarized lenses.

I actually have prescription polarized, got mine from vision works, they have a 12 month warranty on the lenses, any scratches they replace them for $10, so basically you get 2 years out of each pair.

I can see fish, I can see into the water, are Costas any better maybe? But they sure aint cheap, I tried regular Costas and didn't see any great difference in the clarity between them and my pair.

Good luck

[jbdba01]

I have some Wiley X (see photo on left) - they have some interchangable frames that I thought would be cool if you wanted to swap out polarized lenses (yellow inshore, green offshore - I think), but I opted for fixed lenses.

After about 2 years the rubber nose piece fell off - I think the sunblock ate out the glue. They replaced the entire frame for free. So after 6 years I'm on my second pair.

I ended up getting mirrored - but twice now the coating has worn off. I think that the saltwater eats into it - I know a lens cleaner ate the coating once. I have to wash them all the time. These were both RX lenses.

The frame has not given me any issues and I'll wear them all day without issues. Pretty comfortable - which is 60% of the equation. I broke the zipper on the case after about 18 months.

If I recall I walked out the door at $200-250 - I don't think that included the exam. Frames, Rx lens, tint, scratch resistant, polarized, mirrored...

I can say that I see a bunch of fish that people w/o polarized lens don't - dunno if it's me or their cheap glasses. Probably a bit of both.

Whatever you do get the ones that wrap and protect your eye as much as possible. At least that what the Dr. said to do.

[Rik]

Don't leave Ocean Waves off your list. Been wearing them for 20 years. Have always been treated well and fairly by customer service.

To give you an idea of how they work, I had a pair that had to be replaced. Couldn't make up my mind when talking with the guy on the phone. He went ahead and sent me both of the styles I was considering with a prepaid box to return the one I didn't want. That kind of service and trust (he didn't have credit card info) in their customers is unheard of these days.

[pbr]

Ditto Ocean Waves none better, dont scratch

[FrankC]

Cannot speak for far sighted folks, but with multi-focal lenses for near sighted people, I find poloroid lenses from my optical man are very good. Get them mounted in Z87 frames with scratch protection and they will be very satisfactory.

No, you will not make Gentleman's Quarterly with them, but you will be able to see. Those extremely curved lenses cannot be ground as well and to have them properly fitted to your eyes would be extremely expensive. The optical centers of your eyes would take some pretty far fetched measuring to get there even if that is possible.

[Norm]

Actually Johnster's advice is the best....provided you can wear contacts. I have had the prescription type from Costas ( their frame and an aftermarket lenses) Mirror finish is scratched after two years of use...so the glasses are pretty much unuseable. I now have just the regular 580 lenses and take along a pair of readers for whatever close work I might need.
It pays to be careful with you glasses....I only use a microfiber towel and rinse in fresh water right when I get back home.

[DaveR]

Gonna go with O. waves. Thanks for all the input folks!

[DoubleM]

So Dave how are those glasses working out? I'm trying to use contacts but I still can't get them in. I think I need to go back to the office for training before I completely give up. Wondering if I might be able to buy Rx lens for my current Costa del mar Permits or if they make you buy a new frame.

[DaveR]

The glasses are the tits! I never had glass lenses before and the clarity is remarkable. Much lighter than I envisioned. I haven't had a chance to use them on the flats yet but tomorrow I hit the clear water and am looking forward to it. Took about a week to get them and the customer service was great. Single vision and they ran about $379 bucks. Customer for life.