Eyewear with racing helmet - need advice

don't forget Jacques Villeneuve. and his glasses actually look pretty good.

 

I have a pair of titanium framded glasses which, een though it takes a bit of wiggling to get them under my helmet, slip on reasonably easily and don't bend. Since I wear both prescription sunglasses and regular glasses, I bought sunglasses in a heavier plastic (I'm sure there's a fancier name for the material, by the price I paid) frame which slips right under and hooks around my ears first try.

Is your Arai a closed or open face helmet?

 

I've worn metal frame glasses with both Bell and Sparco full face helmets. I use the wiggling technique Tom describes; I have damaged frames trying to force them into the helmet and balaclava tangle.

Next for me: the bifocal tinted anti-fog visor.

 

Next for me: the bifocal tinted anti-fog visor.[/QUOTE]

If only there was such a beast!

 

I went karting last night and was hit from behind hard enough to cause my glasses to slip off my head. The grippy ear piece which is not glued to the frame stayed in place on my head but the glasses didnt!

I have Tag Heuer glasses like JV. Cept I got mine before he made his comback. I think I will need to wear a glasses strap next time I go karting

 

I only found out I needed classes when I went to university as an adult student. Sitting at the back of the lecture room I could not read the board ... moved forward and still struggled.

Thus went to get my eyes tested and found that I was borderline on having to wear glasses to drive. I don't have to as I pass the test, but at night and especially when raining I do now (and ofcourse it is much more relaxing as I can see kurbs, etc. better ... used to be much more fun ).

Interestingly in my 9-10 years of car racing before I went to uni ... I never had any eye sight issues, which makes me believe (and I am serious about this) that you do not need to see perfectly to race.

Now when you have recovered from laughing or disbelief, read on ...

You do not need to be able to read number plates, etc. when racing. The only thing you need to do is be able to clearly see other cars and corner apexes, etc. that does not take 20/20 vision.

Thus Admiral do you really need to wear your glasses at all?

Just a thought.
Pete

 

Pete ... he needs to be able to see the green light/flag whatever at the start or will be sucking dust for the first few seconds

 

... ofcourse , BUT seriously you do not need to have 20/20 vision to see that.

I'm proof, I haven't 20/20 vision and NOBODY ever got the jump on me at a start ... except when I jumped out of gear once, and broke an axle another time, etc.

Pete

 

Try Alan Mikli eyewear. Very strong, light and thin frames, etc. I wear them without problems; or, get contacts (if you can).

 

No disrespect, but be careful with contacts when you race or track your car at high speeds. I have heard several stories of people that have problems judging distance because of their contacts. At high speeds this can be dangerous. What ever you decide to wear (contacts/ eyewear) make sure that you have the correct prescription (check and then double check). I would recomend looking at light eye wear from sports brands such as nike and speedo.

 

James,

These, by far, are the best glasses for wearing under your helmet. You can get them with straight arms, unlike mine, though mine go on very easily under the helmet.

They're called 2.5 Eyephorics (as in 2.5 grams), light enough that I can wear them for 18 hours straight, made in Switzerland, best glasses I've ever owned and first pair that I will wear out.

US distributor is at http://www.italee.com/. Happy to answer any questions.

Cheers,

Brian

P.S. Spot the new Maserati Quattroporte Hot Wheels in the background.

 

James:

Just curious why you rule out wearing contacts? If it's because of dry eyes, then it may not be a problem for you with full face helmet on since moisture vapor from breathing inside the helmet keep the contacts quite moist compared to non-helmeted situation.

I normally only wear glasses (-7 both eyes) and don't wear contacts because they feel dry and uncomfortable, but I don't have that problem with my GP5 helmet on.

I also find that my peripherial vision is much better with contacts because they move with my eyeballs so I never have vision impairment from edge of lenses.

I use disposable daily wear contacts so just pop them in before race, the pop them out after the race with no maintenance worries.

 

Why not look into Laser Eye Surgery ?????? You may still need glasses to read, (if you are over 40..) ,but it may be reasonable option....and it happens to be the field that I am in, so I am biased......

There are a few professional racers who have taken the plunge, so it may be worth looking into....
There is even an Fchat member who has had it done...(at the facility that I represent, no less....won't put his name here, as there is a thing called patient confidentiality.....)

glasses and contacts are certainly less expensive, and obviously carry less potential risk thann surgery, but it is worth investigating....

am happy to help if you have any quesitons about this, or other eye related issues.....(open to anyone by the way....)

just my 2 cents....don't spend it all in one place.

hps

 

Been a track driver for years, bad-eye owner most of my life. If you wear glasses most of the time and switch to contacts for the track, you WILL have depth perception problems. It takes a couple of weeks to get fully adjusted to the difference. I wore contacts for twenty years and had to give them up last year because they could no longer "balance" my eyes, resulting in headaches. Corrected each eye to 20/20 or better, but after many attempts could not get them to focus the same. So I switched to glasses and had a couple weeks worth of depth-fun.

Stick with what your eyes are used to. Depth-induced vertigo is no fun at all, trust me. And the last place you want to find that out is mid-corner! As for me, I'll be getting eye surgery next year and I can't wait.

Mark

 

Because LASER surgery / LASIK would destroy my eyes. If I ever do have corrective surgery, it would be to have an intra-ocular lens fitted. I can't consider any surgery though until my eyes have stopped forming, which won't be for quite a few years yet.[/QUOTE]

Not sure I agree with you on this one......even though there are a few rather dis-reputable surgeons who have indeed done some damage....if you choose a surgeon who on occasion will say "no" , you should do OK.
As for the intra-ocular.....the facility where I am , performs these as well. There are several options now, even one with multifocal implants, giving bothe distance and near vision. (Very exciting within the Ophthalmic field..!!! - we have done a few patients and they do very well...)
You mention however, that your eyes are still forming.....? This usually stops mid 20's....how old are you,, if I can be so bold as to ask ?
If you are describing the onset of presbyopia, that occurs between 40 and 50 to most people, resulting in the need for reading glasses or bifocals,..then you can go ahead and look at some intra-ocular options now.
There are 2 types, 1) An implantable contact lens, or ICL. These correct distance vision very well, and do not impede the patient's natural accomodative ability, (your own natural ability to focus up close...), or 2) A Clear Lens extraction....basically cataract surgery, where the crystaline lens is removed, and the artificial lens is inserted, correcting the distance vision. (This is now available in multifocal, as I mentioned.)
I'm not trying to sell you anyting, as this needs to be a carefully thought out personal chioce, but LASIK eye surgery does not typically "destroy" eyes, as you said. If you are a good candidate, and you chooose a surgeon who is not willing to cut corners and offer the lowest priced surgery , you should do very well. What people need to understand is that LASIK is not a haircut.....it is surgery, and things can go wrong.....
When someone offers a ridiculously low fee, they are cutting corners.....bottom line.
Why trust your eyes to the cheapest surgeon in town ? Why take your Ferrari to the guy who says, "don't worry, I can fix a clutch in that 288 GTO for half price...."
While I won't disagree with you that there are patients who have not done well with LASIK. These are few , and invariably, are people who should not have been having surgery to begin with........poor choices......

Anyway....enough of my diatribe......If you are looking into any eye surgery, I am happy to offer any advice and guidance I can....I work in the field, and am involved in laser, intra-ocular, glaucoma, retinal, etc.
PM me, if you have any questions at all. I am happy to help and maybe talk you out of it if I have to ......

hps

 

Oakley makes many different style frames that would work. They make the frames that Ralf Schumacher uses as well as the ones Sebastian Bourdais is wearing in the picture you posted. Visit a local dealer and they should have a catalog of all the different styles or visit their website.