Glasses

[Mobasser]

I'm wondering, just out of curiosity, how many fisherman on the site wear eyeglasses? Do you wear them when your fishing? Do you need them to tie knots and see other small items? I wear contact lenses every day, but I think I'm going back to regular reading glasses soon. I saw a pair which come with some polarized snap on sunglasses , which should work good for fishing too. I need them to tie knots when I fish. I started needing them at age 40, now I'm 62.Do you wear eyeglasses when you fish?

[MN Fisher]

(Raises his hand) I'm on trifocals and use clip-on sunglasses. My prescription glasses are ANSI certified, polycarbonate lenses in a reinforced frame - I did machine-shop work and all I needed were side-shields.

 

At 60 (well, next month) there's very little I CAN do without my glasses - so yes, I wear them fishing.

[Scott F]

I started with reading glasses almost 20 years ago. While fishing, I’d use flip up readers attached to my sunglasses which worked well for many years. 3 years ago, I had to get bifocals.  I especially needed glasses to tie knots. I tried clip on and flip up sunglasses, but Cocoons that fit over my glasses work the best as they have the side shields. 

[schplurg]

I carry dollar-store reading glasses in my tackle. I can tie without them but I usually wear them to avoid even minimal frustration. And when the light dims I definitely need them for knots.

 

I'll just shove them in my pants pocket sometimes too. Like I said they were only a dollar.

 

My Dad gave me his old glasses. They're polarized with little "reading glass" inserts at the bottom. Pretty funky looking. But they slide off my face too easy so I never use em. Cool idea though.

[tander]

I wear my contacts and my sunglasses, seems the simplest to do.

[Russ E]

I have worn glasses with snapon sunglasses for years.

the one problem I have with them is if you get spray from rough water, it always seems to go between the 2 lenses and you have to clean the glasses and snapons.

here in kansas it is nearly always windy and you get a lot of spray when cutting across a lake.

I decided to buy perscription sunglasses this fall. we will see how they work out.

[geo g]

I wear costa sunglasses, but I always have dollar store readers to help while out in the boat.  They are cheap, I get a bunch, and use them in low light conditions for knot tying.  If their broken or lost it's no big deal.  I always have back up ones available.

[J Francho]

I carry a set of drug store 2x readers when fishing.  For sunglasses, I wear Maui Jim's. 

[Choporoz]

I always keep a pair of readers in my pfd.  But, come to think about it,  I haven't used them once since I got bifocal reader sunglasses early this year.

I lose and break and sit on readers routinely.  So, I'm a fan of drugstore cheapies.  These are some of the best as far as durability, focal range, etc

 

Reading Glasses 3X Stainless Flex 2.50 Readers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1IGXVQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sDESDbHPW1R76

[Brett's_daddy]

I am just getting used to what they call Progressive Lenses in my glasses...it's a fancy name for bi-focals (well, there's probably some differences but the jist is the same). These aren't just for older guys either, I'm 46 years young. I need them to tie knots...it was getting really hard to see...lol. For sunglasses I wear Cocoons Fit-Overs which work extremely well, are polarized, come with a lifetime warranty and only cost about $50.

[Bankbeater]

I’ve been wearing bifocals for 9 years now. Been wearing glasses since I was 18. The transition lenses that get dark in the sunlight are really nice. No clips, or second pair of glasses to keep track of. 

[Brett's_daddy]

39 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

I’ve been wearing bifocals for 9 years now. Been wearing glasses since I was 18. The transition lenses that get dark in the sunlight are really nice. No clips, or second pair of glasses to keep track of. 

The problem with transition lenses when I had them was when it was super sunny out they'd get real dark and then when you went inside it'd take a couple minutes before theycleared up and you could see anything.

[Mobasser]

I've never had transition lenses. I'll probably go with the clip on style, if I can get a good durable pair

[Mobasser]

Contacts are ok, but I always like to wear polarized sunglasses when I'm fishing. On windy days, or bright sun, contacts dry out, make your eyes itch too. I always have to carry a bottle of eye drops with me wherever I go. If my eye itches too much, I've even had a contact fall out. Then I can't see very well, especially to tie knots

[MN Fisher]

42 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I've never had transition lenses. I'll probably go with the clip on style, if I can get a good durable pair

Or a set that's not expensive - this is the set I got.

https://www.amazon.com/Punasi-Polarized-Plastic-Sunglasses-Outdoor/dp/B01C5GF77M/ref=sr_1_65?dchild=1&keywords=flip+up+clip+on+sunglasses&psc=1&qid=1571968969&sr=8-65

[Koz]

I had bifocals a few years ago and they broke and instead of replacing them I purchased two pairs of readers for distance vision and close up. I could tie knots without them but it was a pain. I'd say when fishing I would wear the distance glasses about 50% of the time. The other times they went in a zippered pocket. Putting them back on made it easier to get hooks out of fish, so they were always handy.

 

I got tired of switching glasses all the time so the other week I got my annual eye exam and decided to purchase some prescription glasses. Even with insurance they were just under $500 for lenses and frames.

 

But that's because instead of lined bifocals I opted for transition lenses. No lines, and they're more like tri-focals. I received them today and I can tell you it will take some time to get used to them. Instead of using peripheral vision to see you need to turn your head. It's going to take a while to get used to combining eye movement and head tilt to see through the correct portion of the lenses for varying distances. Even walking was weird at first with these on. Driving was a bit of a challenge as well with the peripheral vision issues. I may end up using my distance readers for that task.

 

It will probably take a few days to get used to their limitations. But the good news is that with them on I have 20-15 vision and can read the fine print again!

[Fishes in trees]

It does take a day or two to get used to the transition lenses.  I've had mine for years now and I remember feeling clumsy the first few days I got them.   There are the transition lenses that replace lined bi-focals.  The same term is sometimes used for the lenses that can change color out in the sunlight.   I have that on my indoor glasses, for the times when I have to step outdoors for a moment and I don't want to get a headache, or if I'm fooling around in my fishing shed and then step outside for a moment or so.

For fishing & being outside for an extended period of time I have a pair of regular sunglasses, with the no-line bifocals, as dark as I could get them and I buy the polarizing process.   The dark tinted polarized lenses let me see down into the water pretty good.   I like the dark grey tint, but really I haven't tried any other tint.  I think that my sunglasses cost less than $500 with my insurance, but I don't recall exactly right now.

[NYWayfarer]

18 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

The problem with transition lenses when I had them was when it was super sunny out they'd get real dark and then when you went inside it'd take a couple minutes before theycleared up and you could see anything.

I hated that about them and the fact that they do not darken up while driving.

 

I wear "no line" bifocals all the time. I have a pair of prescription "no line" bifocal Ray Ban Wayfarers for outside activity and driving. It can be a pain switching glasses when entering and exiting a building.

 

I wear the Wayfarers while fishing. They are polarized.

[Tizi]

I wear prescription glasses and sunglasses when fishing.  I need them for distance, so tying knots with or without them is a non-issue.  If am driving a boat, I need glasses to see distance.

[senile1]

On 10/24/2019 at 11:31 AM, Russ E said:

 

I decided to buy perscription sunglasses this fall. we will see how they work out.

@Russ E, you will love the prescription sunglasses.  I need glasses for reading and computer work.  The nature of being far-sighted is one gets more far-sighted as he gets older, thus being able to see a greater distance while everything up close gets worse and worse.  For quite a few years, I have been wearing progressive polarized sunglasses with a small sliver at the bottom of the glass for reading and tying knots.  The rest of the lens is setup for normal distance viewing.

[CrankFate]

I wear contacts. Unfortunately, the ones I have to wear are horrible with sunblock. The fumes coming off my face sticks to them and dries them right out. I would like a pair of Rx sunglasses, but I’m too cheap to buy them only for fishing. It would be nice to not wear contacts with sunblock and I can see perfectly for tying with no lenses. I’d just raise the glasses for tying. But since I’m still too cheap to drop a few hundred dollars on sunglasses only for fishing, I’m stuck peeling ruined contacts off my eyeballs like stickers every time I go fishing.

[keagbassr]

I wear glasses and clipon sunglasses. Tried cacoons but didn't like them.

[r83srock]

I wear contacts and glasses. When I have my contacts in I wear my normal polarized sunglasses. I keep a pair in my truck and a pair in the boat. This year I bought a slim pair of cocoons. They are actually pretty comfortable and don’t look too bad for fitovers, I’m impressed with them. Those stay in my tackle bag. I found I can wear those too without my glasses. I keep a cheap pair of fitovers in my truck as well, just in case. Glasses can be a pain, but I like them over contacts as I often forget to take contacts out at night, and I’m maintenance man at a wood products plant, so I’m always getting dust and metal from machining or welding/grinding whatever, in my face. I also keep spare contacts in my travel bag, tackle bag, first aid kit in truck, toolbox at work. Not being able to see sucks, so I like to be prepared.

[JustJames]

I have been wearing Transitions progressive lenses with UV coated for quite awhile, it works  okay but not as good as dedicated sunglasses. I can tie knot with glasses on but I mostly take it off because I can see close better without (tie knot and unhook treble hook). Next year I plan to get prescription sunglasses with polarize just for fishing.

[The Maestro]

I wear contacts but I try to wear them as little as possible to give my eyes a break and more exposure to air. For fishing I wear prescription polarized sunglasses - Maui Jim's. I bring my regular glasses in  case I need them when it starts to get dark.