Polarized Glasses?

[Granny]

Same question as Uncle Grump....

Whats out there for people who can not wear contacts? Do the clip on style glasses mentioned above have side protectors also?

Granny

[This message has been edited by Granny (edited 06-14-2004).]

[Lost]

The color of the lense can make a world of difference depending how light or dark it is at the time. I've got brown lenses and black lenses. The black are great when it's sunny, not so great with a cloud cover. The brown work better with cloud cover.

[traveler]

Granny and Gump, I know Costa Del Mar makes sunglasses to prescription, other high end companies do as well I bet. For my money, it's quality glasses all the way. Points already mentioned here, better quality glass (or high tech plastic) means less eye strain; better scratch resistence, better fit/feel/looks. I have 2 pair of costa's in different styles/colors for differing conditions. Expensive, but if you shop the web you can find deals, didn't pay retail for either pair.

[RuKiddingMe]

You guys who wear glasses should go out to google and do a search for Cocoons Polarized Glasses. My old man wears glasses and will not go to contacts nor will he flip the bill for perscription sunglasses, he picked up a pair of these Cocoons and loves them, he wears them all the time not just for fishing. I tried them on and they were quite comfortable.

Me? I perfer Natvie Eyewear All Sports All Polarized, they aren't as expensive as the Costas or Mauis, and they fit perfect, each model has a sub model for different size heads and faces...

RU

[RK]

Hiya,
Quality sunglasses are a huge deal. With a good pair, you will catch more fish, especially at boatside. You can just plain see the things better.

Besides that though, they're much better for your eyes, for two main reasons: image quality and UV protection. With good quality optics (meaning: glass lenses) the image quality is a lot clearer, with no distortion like you WILL get from plastic or carbonate lenses. The distortion, even if you can't detect it, causes eye strain when your eyes try to correct for the distorted image they are looking at. If you come off the water with 'tired eyes' or headaches, you're suffering from eye strain. Doesn't happen with good glasses.

UV protection is another big issue with cheap glasses, and is a real risk to long term eye health. You'll see cheap glasses with 'Blocks UV' stickers on them, but cheap lenses only block UV-A rays. So will a piece of colored plastic. Higher quality lenses will also block UV-B and UV-C spectrum UV, and B and C are the UV rays that have been shown to produce long term eye damage with prolonged exposure. When you're looking for glasses, look for lenses that meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for UV protection.

The final thing with cheap glasses is they don't last. On cheap glasses the lens coatings are usually just dipped on, vs. laminated into the lens. So they scratch, smudge and wear off, which leads to poor optical quality and more eye strain.

Lots of good glasses out there. I've been wearing Ocean Waves in the Backwater Green lens color for the last couple years, and they're the best I've found for seeing fish in most water conditions. I used to carry three different lens colors, but now I just park the Backwater Greens on my nose and leave 'em there.

Final thought - if your argument for not getting good glasses is that you just lose them, don't worry. When you drop $120 on a pair of shades, you'll get very good at keeping track of them...

Cheers,
RK

[Rockin Rod]

RK is exactly right. I used to buy cheap junk too, and would lose them regularly. Then I ponied up the bucks for a pair of Maui Jim Titanium Kapaluea's, and the comparison is night and day. And when you pay that kind of money for a pair of glasses, you don't lose them. Believe me, you will know where they are at all times. Mine are Rose lenses and I love them. Great all-around glasses and well as fishing glasses.

Rod

[Lost]

That's a great point about the distortion. I used to work in an optical lab and part of my job was to visually inspect for tiny little defects in the lenses before they were cut shape for the frames. Did this mainly with the polycarbonate and plastics. Once in a while with the glass lenses. Once in a while I'll pick up a pair of sunglasses and check for defects and sure enough, they are there 10% of the time with the cheapo's whereas the more expensive one's usually don't have any problems. Quality assurance goes a long way.

[Trany]

I own a pair of Maui Jims, and I use a pair of cheep $12 things from gander. There is a huge differance between the cheepos and the high brow glasses. There is also a distortion factor. When I wear my Maui Jims I dont get the eye fatuigue and strain. However when I toss on the pair of **** glasses I do get some eye strain and some of the associated headaches.

The rose collered glasses work better in low light levels. The darker, smoke and "black" ones allow for better visability during sunny conditions. I personally have perfect vision, yet, I still experiance the eye strain caused by bad eyewear.

If you have or need a nice Rx eyeware ask your insuarance company or pony up the money for a pair of good glasses. However you cant clean good glasses with the inside of your glasses with the inside of your t-shirt.