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I've had glasses/worn contacts since I was about 11. Im not blind without them, but do have difficulty seeing without corrective lenses of some type - enough that I would be royally f*cked in a SHTF type scenario without glasses or contacts.
I wear contacts day in and day out, and it is extremely rare I wear glasses. Why? Well my contacts are of a newer prescription, unlike my glasses which are from when I was a kid. I'm always worried I'll break the glasses to by leaving them laying around and stepping on them at some point. It's probably a miracle that I havent in the past ~10 years.
The problem that's been in the back of my mind for some time now though is - what would I do in a SHTF situation about my eye sight? The glasses are fragile, not up to par with what my eyes need in terms of correction, and contacts are a PITA. I have a good stockpile of them, and a a decent stockpile of multi purpose solution for them - but neither of those solutions last for years.
At best, I could make my current stock of contacts last ~2 years, and that assuming I could make the solution last that long by diluting it with sterile salt water.
Not to mention, contacts are a PITA that pose problems themselves. What if dirt got under one in a fire fight, or a some other type of confrontation? What if I had to leave them in for an extended period of time and they became 'glued' to my eyes? Taking them out on a nightly basis is also a PITA out in the woods due to your hands constantly having dirt on them.
One solution to all of this is laser surgery, but that has enough risks and costs for me to toss to the wayside. For one you are essentially creating a 'cut' inside your eye that NEVER heals (in most or all procedures as I understand it). What if you have a problem 10 years from now and eye doctors are hard to come by our outrageously expensive? Not to mention the surgery itself is well out of my price league.
This left me wondering what military and LEO do about corrective lenses. I assumed they used some type of bad a$$ 'sports' type glasses that I had seen as a kid in junior football, but didn't really know for sure.
So, I did some homework went to my university, and picked these up for 70 bucks.
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http://shop.wileyx.eu/xl-1polarizedsmokeclear.aspx
They are a shatterproof polycarbonate frame that is used by military and law enforcement world wide. They are not 'indestructible', but about as close as one will get, and come with a lifetime warranty (although I'm not counting on it in the case where I am counting on these glasses in the first place).
I then got a 40 dollar exam for glasses, which I havent had done since I was a kid. They measured everything out and I then had these lenses fabricated for the frame I bought.
http://corporateportal.ppg.com/NA/chemicals/Optical/Trivex/1_Performance/EN
They are called 'trivex' lenses. They provide 100% UVA/B protection, are the lightest material available (they nearly float), are stronger and perform better in durability tests than polycarbonate, resist chemicals that otherwise damage or destroy polycarbonate, are twice as scratch resistant as polycarbonate (even moreso than polycarbonate with a scratch resistant coating that wears down over time), and provide the best optical sight available (something to do with how light passes through it).
They cost $199 with tax, but that was only $40 more than polycarbonate clear lenses with a scratch resistant coating that I would have added.
All in all about $300 for everything when it was said and done. They arent especially fashionable, but I couldn't give a $hit less, as I feel like a hawk wearing these, and I am confident they will hold up for years to come if I take good care of them.
I should also mention, the WileyX frames are wind resistant with an impact absorbing removable rubber padding in between your eye sockets and the frame. In addition, they have side slots for the band pictured above to go around your head, and keep em on no matter what sort of rolling around you are doing.
Two thumbs up :thumb::thumb:
Edit- I should add, I considered getting 'transition' lenses but did some research and decided against it. Apparently in temperatures above 85 degrees F. they don't work as well, significantly - and guess what, I live in Florida. In addition, they 'work' when UV light hits them, EVEN if it's not 'sunny' out. Case in point, on a dark/cloudy day, it's like wearing regular dark sunglasses, definitely NOT cool =/.
Hence I decided to just get clear lenses. Polarization would have been nice, but requires a tint to be applied currently, rendering these pretty ineffective at night when one would be looking for clear lenses.
I wear contacts day in and day out, and it is extremely rare I wear glasses. Why? Well my contacts are of a newer prescription, unlike my glasses which are from when I was a kid. I'm always worried I'll break the glasses to by leaving them laying around and stepping on them at some point. It's probably a miracle that I havent in the past ~10 years.
The problem that's been in the back of my mind for some time now though is - what would I do in a SHTF situation about my eye sight? The glasses are fragile, not up to par with what my eyes need in terms of correction, and contacts are a PITA. I have a good stockpile of them, and a a decent stockpile of multi purpose solution for them - but neither of those solutions last for years.
At best, I could make my current stock of contacts last ~2 years, and that assuming I could make the solution last that long by diluting it with sterile salt water.
Not to mention, contacts are a PITA that pose problems themselves. What if dirt got under one in a fire fight, or a some other type of confrontation? What if I had to leave them in for an extended period of time and they became 'glued' to my eyes? Taking them out on a nightly basis is also a PITA out in the woods due to your hands constantly having dirt on them.
One solution to all of this is laser surgery, but that has enough risks and costs for me to toss to the wayside. For one you are essentially creating a 'cut' inside your eye that NEVER heals (in most or all procedures as I understand it). What if you have a problem 10 years from now and eye doctors are hard to come by our outrageously expensive? Not to mention the surgery itself is well out of my price league.
This left me wondering what military and LEO do about corrective lenses. I assumed they used some type of bad a$$ 'sports' type glasses that I had seen as a kid in junior football, but didn't really know for sure.
So, I did some homework went to my university, and picked these up for 70 bucks.
http://shop.wileyx.eu/xl-1polarizedsmokeclear.aspx
They are a shatterproof polycarbonate frame that is used by military and law enforcement world wide. They are not 'indestructible', but about as close as one will get, and come with a lifetime warranty (although I'm not counting on it in the case where I am counting on these glasses in the first place).
I then got a 40 dollar exam for glasses, which I havent had done since I was a kid. They measured everything out and I then had these lenses fabricated for the frame I bought.
http://corporateportal.ppg.com/NA/chemicals/Optical/Trivex/1_Performance/EN
They are called 'trivex' lenses. They provide 100% UVA/B protection, are the lightest material available (they nearly float), are stronger and perform better in durability tests than polycarbonate, resist chemicals that otherwise damage or destroy polycarbonate, are twice as scratch resistant as polycarbonate (even moreso than polycarbonate with a scratch resistant coating that wears down over time), and provide the best optical sight available (something to do with how light passes through it).
They cost $199 with tax, but that was only $40 more than polycarbonate clear lenses with a scratch resistant coating that I would have added.
All in all about $300 for everything when it was said and done. They arent especially fashionable, but I couldn't give a $hit less, as I feel like a hawk wearing these, and I am confident they will hold up for years to come if I take good care of them.
I should also mention, the WileyX frames are wind resistant with an impact absorbing removable rubber padding in between your eye sockets and the frame. In addition, they have side slots for the band pictured above to go around your head, and keep em on no matter what sort of rolling around you are doing.
Two thumbs up :thumb::thumb:
Edit- I should add, I considered getting 'transition' lenses but did some research and decided against it. Apparently in temperatures above 85 degrees F. they don't work as well, significantly - and guess what, I live in Florida. In addition, they 'work' when UV light hits them, EVEN if it's not 'sunny' out. Case in point, on a dark/cloudy day, it's like wearing regular dark sunglasses, definitely NOT cool =/.
Hence I decided to just get clear lenses. Polarization would have been nice, but requires a tint to be applied currently, rendering these pretty ineffective at night when one would be looking for clear lenses.
