# Polarised sunglasses - prescription lenses



## mustrumr (Feb 27, 2009)

Not sure if this post should be in Tackle Talk or here, but anyway:

I've currently got polarised sunglasses with prescription lenses from my optician, but I've not been terribly happy with them - they don't seem to cut out as much glare and reflection as I'd expected. Since I'm going to have to get a new prescription soon I'm wondering if I'd be better off getting one of the specialist fishing sunglasses from Maui Jim or Spotters or similar. Has to be prescription as I'm blind as a bat :lol:

Anybody got any experience with sunglasses like these? Even if you don't use prescription ones I'd be interested to know what you think - are they worth the extra money, how good are they at letting you see through the glare to the fish etc?

Also any suggestions as to best lens colour for fishing - I'm mainly fishing in the ocean in fairly clear water, but I also do some fishing in estuaries with brownish water. I very rarely fish the fresh, so that's not what I'm looking for.

Cheers,


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## redman (Jun 5, 2008)

Mate I have the same thing and they work fine - however as they are prescription they don't wrap around tightly and block out the light from entering above and below them like normal tight fitting sunglasses do - this results in sore eyes and sun reflecting under the sunglasses so I take another pair for when I am fishing - a real pain in the ass but it suits me fine. I have had some experience with the spotters etc and they are great - higher quality polarised sunnies are worth the money in my experience as they improve the clarity 100%


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## troutfish (Jun 21, 2007)

i had prescription spotters for ages, till i had the laser in the eye treatment ;-) 
call spotters, they will sort you out 8)


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

I was just looking in to a pair of prescription Spotters. For single prescription, glass Penetrator lenses, it was about an extra $370 on top of the frame price where I looked, so I'm just going to get regular Penetrator lenses....


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## troutfish (Jun 21, 2007)

just ring spotters direct, i was happy with the price i paid, and the service i got


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## shappy (May 29, 2008)

another thing to consider is contact lenses, which i do and can wear standard sunnies without perscription. if i ever have enough money i will go the lazer option!

cheers, shappy


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## redman (Jun 5, 2008)

shappy said:


> another thing to consider is contact lenses, which i do and can wear standard sunnies without perscription. if i ever have enough money i will go the lazer option!
> 
> cheers, shappy


Laser option was looking good until I found out I most need glasses later on for seeing close distances - I would rather be able to see how to tie the knots without glasses as I get by fine without them for the moment


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Th wrap around ones in prescription distort to much to be of much use unless you only have a mild script. The problem is current trends are for those ugly small square glasses the spazos used to wear in the 80's. Its almost impossible to get a set of aviator style frames which is the only type worth putting the lenses into. They gave good protection around the edges and a decent field of view.

I've used script polarised glasses for years, doubt I will be getting the next set polarised, the extra cost for polarised lenses has gone from negligible to hundreds! and as I said you just cant buy a suitable frame anymore, they all look like they came out of Bill Collins or Dick Smiths wardrobe!


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## troutfish (Jun 21, 2007)

redman said:


> shappy said:
> 
> 
> > another thing to consider is contact lenses, which i do and can wear standard sunnies without perscription. if i ever have enough money i will go the lazer option!
> ...


depends on your age Geoff, i had laser 10 yrs ago, and my only regret was not gettig it done sooner. if i get long sighted with age, then so be it, but i prob would have anyway, so at least i get a bunch of years with no glasses.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

I looked in to the laser option a few years ago. They can set the script differently for each eye if you want, so one is good for reading, one for distance.

My problem was my eyes are to badly damaged from ears of exposure to cement and lime dust, they could not do the laser stuff no me.


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

I've worn prescription polarized glasses for years.... only way to go if you want really sharp vision (except for salt spray etc)
Very expensive and I must have sent 40 prs to the depths during my sailing years!! The most recent pair sank to the bottom in a Hobie Mirage Adventure surfing experiment  
Disposable contacts are another option but I have found them a pain in the you-know-what.
I gave the laser option a miss because I would still have to wear glasses for reading. For the last 5 yrs I have had to take my glasses off to read... weird how it goes! 8) 8)


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## mustrumr (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks for all the info, everyone.



Feral said:


> Th wrap around ones in prescription distort to much to be of much use unless you only have a mild script. The problem is current trends are for those ugly small square glasses the spazos used to wear in the 80's. Its almost impossible to get a set of aviator style frames which is the only type worth putting the lenses into. They gave good protection around the edges and a decent field of view.


Yeah I'd wondered about this - I've got a very strong prescription, so I guess the wrap around style is out for me. Spotters do an aviator-ish style called Cyclone which might be the go. If you could fit a set of those daggy dark plastic wings (like on safety glasses) it would probably help with side-on glare. They do have a style with with leather side shields called Hurricane but I reckon they'd make me look a prize idiot, and I want peripheral vision in the yak (got to watch out for kamikaze stinkboats and Great Whites :lol: )



shappy said:


> another thing to consider is contact lenses, which i do and can wear standard sunnies without perscription. if i ever have enough money i will go the lazer option!


I tried disposable contacts about 20 years ago, and I just couldn't get used to them - though they may have got better in the mean time. Worth buying some to find out. As far as the laser treatment, I'm in the same boat as redman and Sunhobie - at my age I'd need glasses for close vision. At the moment, I too have to take my glasses off to read (or tie knots). Pain in the bum - just another penalty of getting old. I'm guessing I'd have problems with tying knots wearing disposable contacts as well.



troutfish said:


> just ring spotters direct, i was happy with the price i paid, and the service i got


Yep, I think I'll do that - but I've got a feeling the price may be a stumbling block.

Thanks again for the advice everyone!

Cheers,


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

$35 is all it costs to experiment with the wrap-around style "cover glasses".
They sit over your own normal glasses and actually work better than my Polaroid prescription glasses($450), mainly because they are darker and are suited to the glare off the water more.
Swallow a little pride and put on 10 years in doing so though.
Having said that, the ones I have are quite small and a little less dorky.
I'll know when to stop wearing them when I trip over any donated Zimmer frames left on my front door step by concerned friends.


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

Drewboy said:


> $35 is all it costs to experiment with the wrap-around style "cover glasses".
> They sit over your own normal glasses and actually work better than my Polaroid prescription glasses($450), mainly because they are darker and are suited to the glare off the water more.
> Swallow a little pride and put on 10 years in doing so though.


Kev Barr does a version of these. He calls them "Volvos".


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## Guest (May 10, 2009)

I dont have priscription lenses (I think I need them though) but have always used Spotters. I find the lenses far better than some of the others 9The penetrator lense) and have never had any issues with them


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## charleymonkey (Dec 8, 2008)

I have a pair of these with scipt lenses....

http://www.mauijim.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 604_N__1__

They wrap around to stop light entering form the sides and are light as a feather, i forget i have them on half the time, and they never fall off. (I'v even been for a couple of unplanned swimming trips with them on and the still stay on my head!!

the clarity is also brilliant, i have brown lenses in mine and they seem to work well in most light conditions (exept dark :lol: )


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

troutfish said:


> redman said:
> 
> 
> > shappy said:
> ...


you can always get one eye set for close vision and the other for long distance. It wont be 100% for either, but it would be a great improvement either way. I am lucky myself that I dont have a distance problem, just blurry regardless of distance and I can still see well enough to thread the hooks without the perscription glasses thank god, so the $5 pairs of polarised sunnies I get from a local shop here do the trick for me.


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## Orange (Aug 31, 2008)

I got a pair a Cocoons - that fit over my prescription glasses - (http://www.afn.com.au) and they are great. 8) I got them at the Tinny & Tackle show in Brisbane a couple of months ago - about $55.00. I am very happy with them 

Cheers,
Gary


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## feel the sting (Aug 8, 2006)

It's worth talking to your optometrist. There are specialty spectacle lenses that are designed to fit into wrap around sunglass frames. They are also designed to reduce peripheral distortion that you get with high prescription wrap around lenses ( spazio is name of one brand).

I wouldn't go the second pair of sunnies over the top of your current glasses, as you are looking through 2 optical lenses which reduces image quality although this is a cheaper option.

Glass lenses will generally give you a slightly better image and will not scratch as easily as plastic or polycarbonate lenses. Just make sure they are hardened.

Finally as a general rule brown tinted lenses for freshwater fishing, and grey/green lenses for salt. Obviously polarized.

cheers the sting


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## grumpyrider (Dec 5, 2008)

Drewboy

I'm interested in these glasses. What brand are you talking about? Where do you get them?

Steve



Drewboy said:


> $35 is all it costs to experiment with the wrap-around style "cover glasses".
> They sit over your own normal glasses and actually work better than my Polaroid prescription glasses($450), mainly because they are darker and are suited to the glare off the water more.
> Swallow a little pride and put on 10 years in doing so though.
> Having said that, the ones I have are quite small and a little less dorky.
> I'll know when to stop wearing them when I trip over any donated Zimmer frames left on my front door step by concerned friends.


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Took me a while to get back to this post... sorry about he delay.
Here is a url for further information.
http://www.tackletour.com/reviewcocoons.html
I bought mine at Got One for $35.00 in Adelaide.








Although I am satisfied with the lenses... especially on a bright day, the plastic arms will not tollerate being mistreated.
I broke the last 50mm off on arm, and I don't know how it even happened.
I reshaped it and it is still ok.


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## GregW (Jan 26, 2009)

I have a pair of Adidas Gazelle L sunglasses. The frame has proved to be virtually indestructible after sitting on them twice. You can select what type of lense you want in them (obviously I have the polarized lens). As an addition adidas produces a performance insert for these sunglasses which clips into the existing frame. I got the optomitrist to do the insert to my eye strength (weakness) and it works great. If ever I need a new script then the optomitrist just changes the insert. The Gazelle frame is actually a running sport frame and wraps around my head nicely and does not move from my head.


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

As usual we are proving to be a diverse mob with lots of different ideas. I am another who has to use artificial means to see clearly and as I use bifocals to see well for both distance and reading I have found that the overglasses are brilliant. Mine are so old I can't even remember the brand, I just got them at the local chemist. They are polarised and have the sides wrapped so I get good UV protection and they have one other benefit, when I get mobile in the A.I. and spray starts to fly. The sunnys take all the spray and leave my specs clean and dry. I get to see what I'm doing with the kayak and the fishing rods but I can also see the fiddly bits when I'm tying knots etc...

cheers from Moruya

John


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## Gene (Jan 9, 2008)

I wear multifocals and bought some fitover type glasses, which go over your normal glasses. They wrap around as well. They are polarised and cost about $70 at the optometrist. They come with a soft neoprene holder which I clip to my PFD, so are on hand all the time when fishing.
Just wear them while fishing as they look a bit dorky, the wife won't let me wear them in public.

Gene


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Gene said:


> I wear multifocals and bought some fitover type glasses, which go over your normal glasses. They wrap around as well. They are polarised and cost about $70 at the optometrist. They come with a soft neoprene holder which I clip to my PFD, so are on hand all the time when fishing.
> Just wear them while fishing as they look a bit dorky, the wife won't let me wear them in public.
> 
> Gene


Got mine from KMart for about $25. Have similar problems with the wife and kids


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