Goggles & Vision Correction

[jeffd]

Mark's thread on lasik reminded me I needed some guidance in the vision area.

I am 46 years old and had to get my first pair of glasses about a year and a half ago. I am noticing the prescription needs to be adjusted now - actually I have a computer pair (focused at about half a meter) and a driving pair. I have stygmatism - used to be just bad at night, now need glasses almost all the time.

I have seen a couple of brands of inserts for goggles to correct vision - I am thinking I will need something soon. Any experiences with these or simply wearing glasses under the goggles? I have no experience in this area at all.

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

p.s. Everything else is working well, although my wife says that irritability is an issue as I age.

 

[MattR]

Hey Jeff,

I haven't tried glasses under goggles but have seen it done several times. I think you would need a slim frame so that the ear pieces didn't press into your head. I also recently rode with another rider who had a prescription lense snap-fit into his googles (looked good)... no pun intended. This would be a more expensive route but there was no frame to interfere with comfort.

I wear contact lenses and have issues with my eyes drying out while riding. When my eyes dry, the contact loosens and my eyesight gets blurry... very irritating. So, I find myself either blinking a lot or close the dry eye occassionally to re-wetten them... not good when riding fast technical sections! Luckily, my eyesight is not too bad, so I sometimes leave my contacts out on rides.

 

[MattR]

Hey Jeff,

I did some searching and this looks like a nice option. This setup looks very similar to what my friend had.
http://www.pro-vue.com/moto.html

 

[fuzzbee]

I was never able to get the glasses under goggles to work well. They were always fogging regardless of the anti-fog that was put on. I now ride with a pair of OSHA approved glasses alone, with some anti-fog.

 

[cdn280]

Another rider I know has a pair of prescription sport goggles for being able to read a gps. (needs reading glasses like me) They are very nice, tinted or self tinting, with foam backing, and are bi-focal as well. I'm trying to find out where he got them. They kind of resemble the goggles used in Nascar.

 

[flybars]

Goggles & Vision

I would like fuzzbee to expound on these OSHA approved glasses if U wouldn't mind. Goggles are hot and if I could find a less cumbersome, cooler, eye protection that will not let the dust in I would jump on 'em.
I remember reading about a year ago, a pro rider stating that Moose makes a pair of riding glasses that will protect as well as goggles. Maybe your on to something here fuzzbee. I've so far tried probly five different styles/brands of safety glasses and none have protected from wind and dust. They're great if your in front all the time. I like to be in the middle of the pack so I can be saved if I go down the cliff.

 

[Hawkeye]

I used to ride with glasses under goggles (fogging and scratching), then contacts, (dried out all the time) and finally LASIK (in late 1999). I've messed around with a lot of vision combinations, and have a couple of recommendations.
If your glasses will fit under the frames, ProGrip makes a fantastic anti-fog goggle. They are amazing, they simply don't fog. http://www.progrip.com/default.asp?ite=gog
Smith and Wesson made a comfy pair of safety glasses that I picked up at a local contractor store. Their earpeices were more comfortable than the Moose sheilds. This is an option when it isn't dusty, but honestly, with the ProGrip's performance, I wear them all the time. They even worked well trailriding on my birthday when the heat index was 105+ deg. and most sane people stayed inside (love that Iowa humidity).

 

[skid jackson]

I ride with glasses. Heres my take. I do not use goggle inserts because when at a stop if you take off your goggles you go blind. If you gotta stop and work onthe bike and it hot as hell your gonnna get stuck doing that with goggles on. Instant fog city. I do not ride with just glasses as the dust would kill my eyes. I use scott turbo flow otg (over the glasses) goggles on a quick strap. When i come to a stop i pop the goggles off and let them hang so i don't fog up when at a stand still. When i take my helmet off i still have my glasses on and can see!! I don't have to walk around a store with my goggles on because the lenses to see with are stuck inside them. No need to carry a pair of glasses so you can see when you have your helmet off. I brought my goggles down to lens crafter and found a cheap frame that fit inside my goggles and use them exclusively for riding. That way you don't trash a good pair in a bad wreck. I would try the scott otg turbo flow on a quick strap first as thats the cheapest route. If that doesn't work you could try the progrip. I have no experience with them as the scotts work fine so i stopped there.

Don't just think about how you are going to see during the ride, but also think about how you are going to see during the ride when you are not riding!!! Goggle inserts would work on a track but if you are on an extended day ride and have stops along the way and it august and 90 degrees and humid as hell ...imo .... not a good idea.

 

[REVERUP]

As skidJackson said ScottTurbo Flow OTG are very good and every guy I know that wears glasses while riding prefers these with the quick strap set up.
Also anther trick we use around here is to have 2 pair of goggles, a no dust pair and a dust pair. The no dust pair we tear the foam out of the flow channels located on the top and bottom of the goggle frame. I know it seems crazy to start ripping into a new pair of goggles but it works! This improves air flow dramatically. So even in the slowest most demanding riding they don't fog. As far as the dust pair leave them as they came and use extra anti fog inside.

 

[motorhead]

I'm thinking of trying the smith turbo option goggle with the two speed fan in it.Pricey but much cheaper than the pro-vue goggle mounted lenses.Ready for a new pair of glasses,this time i'll get a stronger frame and thicker ear stems.Went with real light/small frames/lenses the first time since I had'nt worn glasses before and they are trashed=tree limbs,crashes and helmets are hard on them i've found.Sorry I dont have an answer for you jeff.I'm still looking.

 

[Bultaco206]

I have worn glasses since 1968. (I'm 44) I also have an Astigmatism. I am having real problems driving at night, too. I'm also not a very good candidate for Lasik - based on consultations.

I've tried Randy's (ProVue) goggles and I can't wear them. The problem for me is with the corective lenses sitting a half to 3/4 inches farther out in front of my face - everything seems like I'm standing on top of a pitcher's mound. I've even gone so far as to wear the goggles around the house to get use to them. But all that's gotten me is migranes.

So, for the last few years, I have developed my own system of wearning glasses under my goggles for MX - and for off-road stuff - I have a pair of prescription safety glasses. (much like the old Enduro glasses I wore in the 70s.)

For the relatively short time I'm on an MX track, the glasses/goggles thing works fine. For an hour to two hour off-road race - the safety glasses are OK. I can deal with that much better than the fogging.

 

[gascanuck]

I use the prescription insert from 888RX. Fortunately my eyes aren't too bad yet,(i'm 37). When I take them off I can't really see anything at a distance but up close is okay. I tried glasses when I started riding but that was a wash. The insert from 888RX has been a gift from above. The only real downside is that you are fairly restricted in the brand of goggles you use. They fit great in Scott, Pro-Grip and Smith. They have different inserts to fit pretty much any goggle made. I stick with Scott because they work great for me.

 

[dhally]

Contacts and goggles

For dusty trail riding I use contacts and goggles. I've worked with the optometrist to get contacts that don't dry out so fast. Also use "wetting" drops every couple hours to help from drying out.