I need reading glasses (from the dollar store) to see the charts and no glasses at all for out the window. I had a pair of cheapo aviators with bifocals for reading that were great. They are all used up now and I need to get new ones. Any recomendations for an online purchase.

Tim

Hi TIm,

Go to WalMart's fishing department and for $18 you can get polarized sun glasses with "cheaters" that are embedded in the lower part of the lenses. They make good for map reading and fly-tying and are hardly noticeable unless you look down to use them.

onthegas wrote:Hi TIm,

Go to WalMart's fishing department and for $18 you can get polarized sun glasses with "cheaters" that are embedded in the lower part of the lenses. They make good for map reading and fly-tying and are hardly noticeable unless you look down to use them.

Great recomendation. They sounds cool, I need a pair of those!!

You guys are old...

I am at Provo, UT at this time to take care of my 88 year old mom while my younger bro and fam go to so cal. She reads fine without them. I need 200+ for reading. I missed that gene.

Tim

whee wrote:You guys are old...

I've been staring at this computer all day every day for the last 15 years and if I don't use my glasses it will give me a headache after an hour or two. I don't wear them for anything else. You will get there, Whee.

whee wrote:You guys are old...

WHEE,

I know you are kidding. But I made it to age 50 without having "must possess" on my 1st class flight phyical. Still do not have to "wear." Am 61 and still have 20/15 distance and use 150 mag. for reading in low light.

Hope you are as fortunate.

Bob

Hey Tim

There are a couple of Dollar Stores around here. I will go in and buy a bunch of reading glasses and sun glasses. I throw a pair in all my cars because I always lose or destroy them. Allens Supermarket in Springville has them too for about $10. Any yes, Whee, we are old

Makes me think of Red Fox as Fred Sanford with the drawer full of eyeglkasses that he used to open and rummage around in when he needed to read something.

Eric

Hey Whee... I hate to pop your bubble, but its well known that old age and treachery beats youth and enthusiasm every time.

Word of caution on the polorized lens...... If your plastic windshield has too many exceedingly fine scrarches it can be a problem. Also GPS displays, etc of some types can be a problem.

I had a pair of expensive polorized sunglasses that I loved. That combined with a well polished EXCEEDINGLY fine scratched motorcycle face shield and bright sunlight/shade (tree shadows acrost the road at high speed) provided some very trippy colors and psychadelic effects that were VERY disconcerting till I deduced the cause. Thought I was having spontaneous visual halucinations. Even after I figured it out, I had to give the sunglasses up until the sun was high enough to avoid the rapid shadow/sunlight change. Too crazy to tolerate.

(Alright, truth be told, I was to cheap to buy a new face shield for one last long ride to San Diego. So I used a power polisher and used finer and finer abrasives until it was PERFECT.......to the naked eye. Those polorized sunglasses knew better!)

Anyhow, Know their limitations and characteristics if you wear them.

Littlecub wrote:Word of caution on the polorized lens...... If your plastic windshield has too many exceedingly fine scrarches it can be a problem. Also GPS displays, etc of some types can be a problem.

Also heard that it limits the glare from a windscreen of other aircraft. Somtimes all you see is a glint. Not sure about that.

Tim

qmdv wrote:

Littlecub wrote:Word of caution on the polorized lens...... If your plastic windshield has too many exceedingly fine scrarches it can be a problem. Also GPS displays, etc of some types can be a problem.

Also heard that it limits the glare from a windscreen of other aircraft. Somtimes all you see is a glint. Not sure about that.

Tim

However, they may allow you to spot traffic in slightly hazy conditions that normal lenses won't.

I recently lost my polarized set of Ray Bans, and started using my old pair in the plane that are not polarized.....What a difference. As Zane said, I much prefer my polarized lenses when flying around the gunk and clouds. I still am able to see the glint off other airplanes from the sun with the polarized lenses, but it just isn't quite as pronounced. That was my original worry when using polarized lenses in the severe clear of summer.

My cheap ass is having a hard time with the idea of parting with another $160 for a new pair of polarized spectacles. One of these days that scratch in the old pair is going get to me, though.

Don't use polarized sunglasses in an airplane for the aforementioned reasons. For sure, don't use them in a seaplane.

The best bet I've found for near vision is the stick on bifocals available in a lot of places. Take your regular sunglasses, put a drop of water on the little stick on bifocals, and place the bifocal where you want them. Move em up or down, cut them in half if they are too big, make a set of TRI focals if you want, by combining two sets of stick ons.

They are available in lots of places. Here's a link: http://www.goodglasses.com/index.cfm/fa ... DQod2T-7Jw

I've used these for years, they work great and are CHEAP.

MTV

I have been buying pilot sunglasses with reader lenses built in from http://www.flyingsunglasses.com/chartreaders.htm. They are $29.95 for the first pair and $14.95 for the second. The folks are real nice. Just call in an order and they send you the glasses and a bill.

Never could get used to sunglasses bifocals, so wear my 150 readers down on my nose, and slip the polarized suns over tho top. Works great for me. Easy to just pop the sunglasses up and still have the readers on to look down into a shady cockpit where you may not want the tint. I had problems with the polarized lenses only when looking through another tinted lens like on my full face motorcycle helmet. So, if your windscreen is of the tinted variety, you may have a problem with polarized lenses. ...Another old fart

When I was biking a lot I discovered that reading my watch was getting to be a challenge. I found "stick on" lenses that could be wet and stuck on any glasses or Oakleys. Turns your glasses or goggles into byfocals.

I will try to dig up the name when I get the time.

TD

TomD,

Look at my post here.....stick on bifocals..oh--wait, he must not have had his bifocals on...

MTV

This link will accurately tell you whether or not you need glasses and if so, what strength.

With advice from Zane, try this link