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kartracer

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45ft Bluewater Coastal
What glasses & color lens do you use when boating. Did a search and no help.
 
With annual 150 inches of rain, Gray days, I find 'Shooter' Yellow glasses work really well I have found the two pair on eBay used. They serve well as driving glasses at night against the on coming headlights.

(After posting this, and looking myself, for yet another pair of shooting glasses, came across this article which is contradictory to what my experience has been. However as it is written by a eye related publication, I offer it as we all enjoy this thread.)

http://www.laramyk.com/resources/education/dispensing/the-dangers-of-night-driving-glasses/


Alk-Ketchikan
 
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Do not wear any tinted lenses at night. Period. It is simply not safe, even if it does make you feel better. It makes the headlights more comfortable, but hurts your ability to see anything else that isn't lit. Just don't do it.

As for sunglasses the rest of the time... Yellow lenses are fine for the gray days as Al mentioned. I did some research on the effect of yellow lenses when I was in grad school and they don't help you see better on the gray days. Whether you test visual acuity or contrast sensitivity, there is no evidence they help. OTOH, pilots invariably prefer them and when I flew I wore an amber photochromic lens simply because I liked it despite the research which said it didn't help. The preference is simply psychological, which is fine by me.

For general wear, your best bet is a neutral gray lens. It won't distort color vision and provides the protection that is helpful. Above all, buy lenses that are 100% UV absorptive in both the A and B UV bands and wear them when in the sun. UV exposure hastens cataract formation and increases the risk of macular degeneration. I always tell my patients to protect their eyes from the sun as they do their skin. So wear sunglasses and a hat.

Sunglasses that provide that UV protection don't have to be expensive. It is cheap to make 100% UV lenses and unless you are buying them at a Podunk gas station somewhere, in the US if they are labeled as 100% UV absorptive they likely are.

It is not cheap to make non-prescription (plano) sunglass lenses that are free of optical distortion. This is where often the inexpensive sunglasses fall down. Take the lenses and look at a grid pattern at reading distance while holding the lenses about 8 inches away from your face. Slowly pass the lenses back and forth over the grid and look for any distortion in the grid lines. Most often you may find it near the edges of the lens. High quality lenses will tend to be uniformly good in this respect. Cheap ones will be hit and miss. So if you can examine a few, you should be able to find a pair that are pretty good.

I don't know much, but this is one area that I actually know what I'm talking about for a change.
 
Dave, what are your thoughts on polarizing lenses?
 
Dark prescription bifocal sunglasses from Walmart. Works well for me; around $120 a pair.

Ted
 
BruceK said:
Dave, what are your thoughts on polarizing lenses?
Click to expand...


Polarizing lenses are great, particularly on the water. You just need to keep in mind what they are actually doing.

Reflected light is plane polarized, think of it as light vibrating in just one direction. A polarizing filter blocks light that is polarized in a given direction. So if you have light reflecting off a horizontal surface it is plane polarized in the horizontal meridian. Polarized sunglasses will block light that is polarized in that direction, letting light through that is vibrating in other directions. This drastically cuts down on reflected light off the water, white decks, and stainless fittings and railings.

There are downsides however. Liquid crystal displays also polarize light. At some angles the sunglasses will blank out the LCD displays of some electronics. This means that will the polarized sunglasses on you may not be able to see the display of your VHF or digital engine instruments. It all depends on the orientation of the display.

Back in the day before cell phones I had to use a pager for my on-call evenings and weekends. If I put the pager on my belt on my left hip I couldn't read the display with my polarized sunglasses on but I could read it if it was on my right hip.

So, by all means get polarized lenses, but check your instruments to see which, if any, will create problems. Think of things such as your handheld VHF etc...
 
Dave,

Thank you for the detailed information.

Jeff
 
dhays said:
Do not wear any tinted lenses at night. Period. It is simply not safe, even if it does make you feel better. It makes the headlights more comfortable, but hurts your ability to see anything else that isn't lit. Just don't do it.

As for sunglasses the rest of the time... Yellow lenses are fine for the gray days as Al mentioned. I did some research on the effect of yellow lenses when I was in grad school and they don't help you see better on the gray days. Whether you test visual acuity or contrast sensitivity, there is no evidence they help. OTOH, pilots invariably prefer them and when I flew I wore an amber photochromic lens simply because I liked it despite the research which said it didn't help. The preference is simply psychological, which is fine by me.

For general wear, your best bet is a neutral gray lens. It won't distort color vision and provides the protection that is helpful. Above all, buy lenses that are 100% UV absorptive in both the A and B UV bands and wear them when in the sun. UV exposure hastens cataract formation and increases the risk of macular degeneration. I always tell my patients to protect their eyes from the sun as they do their skin. So wear sunglasses and a hat.

Sunglasses that provide that UV protection don't have to be expensive. It is cheap to make 100% UV lenses and unless you are buying them at a Podunk gas station somewhere, in the US if they are labeled as 100% UV absorptive they likely are.

It is not cheap to make non-prescription (plano) sunglass lenses that are free of optical distortion. This is where often the inexpensive sunglasses fall down. Take the lenses and look at a grid pattern at reading distance while holding the lenses about 8 inches away from your face. Slowly pass the lenses back and forth over the grid and look for any distortion in the grid lines. Most often you may find it near the edges of the lens. High quality lenses will tend to be uniformly good in this respect. Cheap ones will be hit and miss. So if you can examine a few, you should be able to find a pair that are pretty good.

I don't know much, but this is one area that I actually know what I'm talking about for a change.
Click to expand...


This is a very fine post!:thumb: Thank you for sharing knowledge on the subject.:flowers:
Al-Ketchikan
 
Thanks Dave for all that info.


My eyes seem to be fairly sensitive to bright light so I find the darkest lens glasses that I can. I have worn Oceano glasses for many years and love them. They're not prescription but my eyes are 20/30 and 20/40 so I really don't need the correction except for reading. The Oceano's run about $45 at Big 5 Sports.
 
O C Diver said:
Dark prescription bifocal sunglasses from Walmart. Works well for me; around $120 a pair.

Ted
Click to expand...

For daytime use, I use a prescription bifocal wrap style from Typhoon.
https://www.google.com/search?q=typhoon+sunglasses&ie=&oe=#spf=1
My first pair I found on sale in the store at <$50.00:thumb:

My last pair I bought on line through West Marine.
About $75.00 IIRC and had them shipped to my local WM store at no cost:thumb::dance:

Since I do a lot of nighttime shooting/training, I use a prescription yellow or clear, depending on conditions.
Still use them for nighttime driving and boating if I'm running something with an exposed helm.

Works for me:)
 
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dhays said:
Polarizing lenses are great...There are downsides however. Liquid crystal displays also polarize light. At some angles the sunglasses will blank out the LCD displays of some electronics...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice,good coming from someone not selling me new sunnies.
One day the indicator board at the train station had no display, removed the polaroid sunnies, board was working fine :).
I have a set of Smiths glasses for cycling, frames with 3 interchangeable sets of lenses,clear, dark, yellow.Yellow make a seriously overcast day a nice one.
On boats we tend to wear our sunglasses for extended periods, comfortable frames not trying to cut your ears off is a joy.
 
BruceK said:
Thanks for the advice,good coming from someone not selling me new sunnies.
One day the indicator board at the train station had no display, removed the polaroid sunnies, board was working fine :).
I have a set of Smiths glasses for cycling, frames with 3 interchangeable sets of lenses,clear, dark, yellow.Yellow make a seriously overcast day a nice one.
On boats we tend to wear our sunglasses for extended periods, comfortable frames not trying to cut your ears off is a joy.
Click to expand...



Back when I was running I used something similar. Since I was 20/15 in the distance, the non-prescription worked great. I had clear lenses for running at night, amber for those grey days, and dark grey for sunny. Worked fine until I hit my mid 40's and found that when doing a track workout at 5:30 am, I could no longer read the watch for split times. Age catches up to us all.
 
Oakley make good products. A bit overpriced, but they are good.
 
I wear prescription bifocals all the time so I use the "fit over your glasses" sunglasses off the rack at Walmart , CVS. or similar, they sell for about $20.00. I like the amber polarized best. As others have mentioned the blank out some LCD displays like on my car radio. But, it's no big deal to pull them off for a few minutes if that happens.
 
Have several pair of sunglasses, but rarely use them. To me, they are a nuisance and alter reality, despite having blue eyes.:confused:
 
Steve,
I do basically the same thing.
My photo-grey lens are so good the only time they don't cut it is heading into the sun over water. I have several of those thin wrap around fit behind the regular glasses things that cure the glare problem easily. Just keep them on the boat.

My vision is going south so I need regular glasses soon.
 
kartracer said:
What glasses & color lens do you use when boating. Did a search and no help.
Click to expand...

Costa Del Mar's Fathom sunglasses with blue mirror polarized glass (580) lenses.

https://www.costadelmar.com/us/en/men/sunglasses/view-all/fathom/FA+11+OBMGLP.html?iseasypick=false

Best sunglasses for wearing while on the ocean on a sunny day. With these glasses you can see below the surface of the water past the glare. These type pr polarized sunglasses are what 95% of the fishermen wear here in Mexico. I've personally been wearing them for almost two decades and love them. Not cheap but well worth the price IMHO.

.
 
Nomad Willy said:
Steve,

I do basically the same thing.

My photo-grey lens are so good the only time they don't cut it is heading into the sun over water. I have several of those thin wrap around fit behind the regular glasses things that cure the glare problem easily. Just keep them on the boat.



My vision is going south so I need regular glasses soon.
Click to expand...



Nice thing about the photochromic lenses is they are 100% UV absorptive. I wear them myself and find they are really well.
 
Diesel Duck said:
Costa Del Mar's Fathom sunglasses with blue mirror polarized glass (580) lenses.

https://www.costadelmar.com/us/en/men/sunglasses/view-all/fathom/FA+11+OBMGLP.html?iseasypick=false

Best sunglasses for wearing while on the ocean on a sunny day. With these glasses you can see below the surface of the water past the glare. These type pr polarized sunglasses are what 95% of the fishermen wear here in Mexico. I've personally been wearing them for almost two decades and love them. Not cheap but well worth the price IMHO.

.
Click to expand...

Amen...I was kinda shocked that Costas did not come up until now!!!! Someone mentioned Oakley and I have no problem with them other than they do not make glass lenses. There are VERY few retail manufacturers that provide glass lenses in sunglasses. Costa del Mar is one of them and I own a pair of glass lenses. Anyway, excellent shades!!!

PS...cannot wear polarized when flying so I do where Oakley non polarized glasses when flying. I am a big Oakley fan....but Costas are better!!!
 
Baker said:
Amen...I was kinda shocked that Costas did not come up until now!!!! Someone mentioned Oakley and I have no problem with them other than they do not make glass lenses. There are VERY few retail manufacturers that provide glass lenses in sunglasses. Costa del Mar is one of them and I own a pair of glass lenses. Anyway, excellent shades!!!

PS...cannot wear polarized when flying so I do where Oakley non polarized glasses when flying. I am a big Oakley fan....but Costas are better!!!
Click to expand...

Wifey B: We wear Costa and Oakley. I just mentioned one of the variations of Oakley. The bad news is I have too many. The good news is not as many as I have shoes. :)
 
Is glass lenses better than plastic?????
 
kartracer said:
Is glass lenses better than plastic?????
Click to expand...

Optically, I think they are. But that is not why I prefer them. Glass rarely scratches. Plastic will scratch like crazy. The upside to plastic is that they are light....and cheap to make. Costa I think offers cheap(or maybe even free) lens replacement on their plastic lenses. They do not offer the same for glass....I think it is a nominal fee for glass replacement lenses.
 
kartracer said:
Is glass lenses better than plastic?????
Click to expand...


Plastic is safer (won't shatter) and is much lighter weight. It has been years since I have chosen to wear glass lenses. Glass only represents about 2% of the prescription lens market in the US at this time iirc.

However, it is much harder to make a distortion free "cheap" plastic lens than it is a "cheap" glass lens. Marketing aside, there is a reason why high quality sunglasses are more expensive, it has to do with the lenses.

Keep in mind that glass polarized lenses are actually a laminate product, two thin layers of glass sandwiching a plastic polarizing filter.

Modern scratch coatings on plastic lenses are actually as hard, or harder, than glass.

Glass is great but at this point the downsides don't outweigh the advantages for myself.
 
dhays said:
Nice thing about the photochromic lenses is they are 100% UV absorptive. I wear them myself and find they are really well.
Click to expand...

I have a pair of Costa's and loved them until I had to send them in for a repair, yikes!
Now they sit in the case as I'm afraid of damaging them again.
Maui Jim used to be the champion of easy, inexpensive repairs but alas, those days are gone now too.
I've recently (in the past 2 years) switched to Native sunglasses. For whatever reason, these things simply have not suffered damage of any kind in spite of my abuse. They have replaceable, snap in lenses should they ever need them and they are actually pretty inexpensive.
I still love looking through my Costa glasses when they venture out but...
Bruce
 
I have found polarized lens work best on the water, grey for off shore and vermillion in shallow water to improve contrast in fining fish. Costas cover my entire eye and socket and don't allow stray light in so my eyes stay relaxed. Unfortunately I wear trifocals so they are not cheap.
 
I'm using prescription bifocal Bolle, wraparound style to minimise stray light etc. The engine LED display in the pilothouse is difficult to read, but the same LED instrument display on the flybridge is fine for some strange reason. The only other device impacted is my iPad, but I just rotate it 90° and its fine.

Where I don't like the bifocal arrangement is riding the bike - anything near the front wheel is very distorted. On the boat and in the car they are great.
 
dhays said:
Modern scratch coatings on plastic lenses are actually as hard, or harder, than glass.
Click to expand...

Plastic lens sunglasses are almost always scratched within the first year. My glass sunglasses usually wear out before they scratch....kinda like a diesel outlasting a chassis. In fact, I have never had glass sunglasses scratch. My plastic ones always scratch...always!!!. So the coating might be harder....but they still scratch a LOT easier.

Oakley/Costa del Mar/ Serengetti/Corning

PS....I realize you are the professional...but this is just my experience. I am a sunglass whore and still don't wear corrective lenses(yet) at 51....and not cheaters...yet.
 
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