Prescription motorcycle sunglasses are becoming more widely available, improving in quality and available in a wider choice of styles. All of this is being made available with the special requirements of motorcyclists.
Motorcycle Sunglasses have to meet some special requirements since they are used in extreme conditions. Some of these requirements are that they lenses be made from shatter resistant materials. When riding down the road a normal speeds, even the smallest flying object could result in the lose or damage of an eye. The sunglasses must provide a way to shield the eyes from wind, rain, dust and other elements that could irritate the eyes and decrease visibility. To help protect the eyes from the elements a large number of motorcycle sunglasses offer several different types of foam that help form a better seal around the eye sockets. The lenses of motorcycle sunglasses, should be scratch resistant. Since the lenses will constantly be bombarded by dirt, dust, bugs, hail, sleet, rain and any of 100’s of other things, they should have a scratch resistant coating that will help maintain a clear view. Motorcycle sunglasses must provide optically correct vision that doesn’t distort the view of the road ahead. Motorcycle sunglasses must be aerodynamic to insure that they stay in place even at high speeds.
Given the requirements above, it’s sometime hard to believe that any manufacturer of sunglasses could ever be successful. But companies like Wiley X, Bobster and Global Vision have been able to succeed in producing a line of sunglasses and goggles that meet and often exceed these requirements. In addition Wiley X and Bobster have been able to develop sunglasses and goggles that not only meet those requirements, but also will accept prescriptions.
One of the biggest problems to overcome is based on the requirement for motorcycle sunglasses to be aerodynamic. To meet this requirement most of the sunglasses that have been developed specifically for motorcycle riding and other extreme activities tend to be very curved. The curve in the lenses reduces the amount of corrective grind (prescription) that can be placed in the frame. This means that not all prescription motorcycle sunglasses will be able to handle all prescriptions. Basically, the more curve the sunglasses have, the less of a correction they can handle. Some lenses are even able to have bifocals ground onto the lenses.
As for lenses, the choices for prescription sunglasses is tremendous and can be somewhat pricey. All lenses should be made from shatter resistant polycarbonate plastic. The lens color should be chosen based on the conditions you’ll be riding in. For example, if you’ll be using your prescription sunglasses mostly at night due to poor night vision, then the lenses should be clear. If you’ll be using them mostly in extreme sunlight conditions, then mirrored lenses would be the best choice.
One solution that has proven to be very useful is the use of photochomic (light adjusting/transitional) lenes. These lenses will adjust to the light and temperature and go from almost clear to a dark sunglass tint. One of the nice features about this is that if you have to wear glasses all of the time, these lenses could be used indoors and out, thereby allowing you to have to carry a single pair of glasses.
Buying prescription motorcycle sunglasses can be a very difficult process. The best choice is to find a retailer that understands the requirements for motorcycle sunglasses and can provide you with the information you will need to get from your doctor to fill the prescription. Make sure that the retailer is able to answer all of your questions, provides with an easy way to order and understands riding.
Examples of Prescription Motorcycle Sunglasses available from Wiley X
Wiley X JP-1 RX
Wiley X JP-2 RX
Wiley X Romer II
Wiley X SG-1
All of these are excellent sunglass, meet all of the requirements for motorcycle sunglasses and have great styling.