UKC

Hi
As a specs wearer I am researching my options for eye protection when ski touring in the Alps and other glaciated regions.
Sunglasses are no good and I don't want to be wearing goggles while working hard e.g skinning up hill.
What solutions have other specs wearing UKC readers come up with?

In reply to climber_Ken:

Contact lenses plus sunglasses or prescription sunglasses, eg Oakleys

In reply to climber_Ken:

There isn't as simple an answer to your question as you might imagine. Also, it depends on your age - over 45s inevitably have more complex needs than under 45s.

Prescription sunglasses are worth considering, they don't need to be particularly expensive - just choose a suitably robust frame (it doesn't have to be Oakley!) and you can have your 'usual' lenses glazed into them with a tint and UV coat added. For more money you could have generic prescription polarised lenses, or proprietary ones (e.g. Maui Jim - absolutely the business, but quite expensive) or photochromics (lenses that change with the light), but maybe with an additional tint for the extra bright light conditions.

In reply to climber_Ken:

If you are not too fussed about looking cool, look up 'Cocoons'. I'Ve got a pair that goes over my glasses and a selection of lenses for different uses.

In reply to climber_Ken:


Have a look at these new Julbo googles and the way they vent:
https://www.julbo.com/en/10/products/masques/first-class/model/aerospace_11...

In reply to climber_Ken:

Best solution seems to be prescription sunglasses, not cheap but works very well - only problem is having to change to your ordinary glasses when the sun goes in/you go into a hut, etc. I've also tried 'clip on' attachments & a variety of google & oversize sunglasses worn over my specs, none really satisfactory.

And don't forget a hat with a decent size brim/peak - often saves you needing sunglasses as well as helping you not to burn. I tend to wear a cap with a large peak much of the time I'm skiing, to keep either sun or snow/rain off my glasses

In reply to climber_Ken:

For protection of the eyes using some sort of eyeglasses / spectacles, normally what's really critical is is not UltraViolet, but rather visible light.

Blocking or otherwise managing UV is critical for _skin_ protection.
But for the eyes ...
UV is much easier to block than visible light, so almost anything that blocks out enough visible light from reaching your cornea and lens will be plenty good for blocking the UltraViolet. But the reverse is not at all true.

For example, ordinary window glass does pretty well at blocking UV, but visible light easily goes right through it.

So evaluate your options mainly based on an percentage of visible Light blocked or allowed (not some measure of UV).

Ken

In reply to climber_Ken:

After a previous unsuccessful go at wearing contact lenses (monthlies and two-weeklies), and various experiments with Coccoons and OTG goggles, I recently tried again when dailies became available in my prescription- fairly high and complex (up to -9.5) with astigmatism. 

I can honestly say that they've been brilliant. I've worn them for alpine summer, lots of Scottish winter, and skiing (resort and nordic) and never had a problem even on very long days. The cost is far too much for me to justify them for everyday use, but for mountain days they're great - and you can get the sunglasses that actually fit rather than just the least worst option!

In reply to kenr:

I thought the uv protection was important because prolonged/intense uv can damage the cornea, or am I wrong?

In reply to Rip van Winkle:

 

The contact lenses I use are UV blocking by themselves, but I still wear sunglasses (or goggles) so the whites of the eye don't fry, and to cut out glare

In reply to climber_Ken:

Try those driving style flip-downs that specsavers sell (have seen them in boots for a lot more). Check to see they fit the shape of your glasses first; last time I looked, there were only two shapes available. You could also put some 'leather side shields' on and they will be a sort of convertible glacier goggle?

In reply to climber_Ken:

I use wrap around prescription sun glasses which work OK but still mist up occasionally.

I also use the new Julbo googles which have a venting facility and are also photochromic and fit over my normal glasses https://www.julbo.com/en/10/products/masques/first-class/model/aerospace_11... and they work really well.

In reply to Rip van Winkle:

Yes that's right. The next key point is that when purchasing eyeglasses, UV protection is easy to include in the product. It would be difficult to manufacture a lense which blocked substantial percentage of visible light which did _not_ also block UV.

Therefore visible-light percentage is a critical _distingushing_ measurement, and UV percentage is usually not.

Ken