Dixon Sport RX - Prescription Glasses
21st Nov 2013
For years I've run and biked and struggled to see properly. It doesn't really matter on a nice day when you're pootling along, but when the light levels drop, you p;lunge into a copse of trees, or you are just plain sprinting, I've often had to hold back a little as my eyesight simply isn't up to the job of seeing me through safely!
I was after a pair of glasses that would help me see better across a range of sports, an that would protect my eyes from the sun and bits of gravel and mud. I got exactly what I wanted with this pair. Before ordering I had to download a small piece of software from their website to measure the size of my face so that they could supply a frame that fits snugly. This was minimally fussy, and involved holding up a standard sized credit card on my top lip for scale! The details were uploaded along with my current prescription.
The glasses arrived shortly thereafter in a robust hard-case with a zip rather than a sprung hinge closure. The frame is plastic and does indeed fit snugly. There are then two sets of lenses - the first is a small prescription set that allows you to see, and sits closest to the eyes. The second is a larger outer set that provides the protection. The outer set clip into the plastic frame and effectively hang from it, frame-less along their bottom edge. Inside the case are four sets of outer lenses, each wrapped in plastic for protection: a clear set for normal use, a yellow set for semi-bright light, a reflective set for snow, and a dark set for bright sunshine. There's also a cleaning cloth. The case has individual pockets for all the sets of lenses. Swapping lenses takes a minute or so, the main difficulty being to get them in without smearing them with your fingers. It is possible to put them in using the cleaning cloth, but it's fiddly. A lightweight silk glove might not be a bad addition which could also double as a cleaning cloth. Once the outer lenses are in, it's impossible to clean the inner face of the outer lens, or the outer face of the inner lens without unclipping one of them as they are too close together to get the cloth in, so it is important to get them in without smearing these faces with your fingers. Once the lenses are in I have had absolutely no problems with them popping out of their own accord.
How did they fare in actual use?
I've so far used them for running and biking, but sadly not on snow as we haven't had any! For biking they are fantastic. Not only can I now see where I am going, but the views are that much better, and when wearing the yellow outer lenses, the world looks like a nicer place! I do find it slightly frustrating when on long down-hill stints on the road where the inner prescription lenses have proved to be a tad on the small side when my head is tiled right back and my eyes naturally look 'upwards' to compensate, but they are still a far cry from where I was before! They also fit nicely into the air vents on my bike helmet if you turn them upside down - useful if stopping to go into a cafe for example :-)
Whilst running things are not quite so rosy, but I don't think this is down to the glasses. Over the years I have never yet found a pair of prescription sunglasses that I can wear without some degree of alteration to my depth perception. By that I mean that when I am wearing them stuff in the distance appears much more clearly, but the close up stuff - i.e. the rocky path in front of me - looks clear, but I often stumble slightly as my brain seems to have been tricked by the glasses into thinking that the obstacle is further away than it really is. I'm pretty sure that this has to do with whatmy brain has learned rather than the prescription of the glasses, and is something that will come with use. I do use them for running, and find them brilliant for the same reasons as I do for cycling, but I am easing into things, and would not yet wear them in a race, or on fast downhill rocky sections. Having worn them on a number of short local runs I can already feel the difference, and compared to previous prescription sunglasses they are in a different league.
All in all top marks!
http://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/
The specific product on review was the Dixon Sport RX