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Iflyjad
8th Feb 2011, 09:57
I currently wear a pair of prescription bifocal sunglasses for flying. They need replacing and I am thinking of moving to progressive (multifocal?) lenes. Does anyone have any experience with progressives or an opinion? Are bifocals better for flying? Note I am a PPL flying single engine GA aircraft.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Chimbu chuckles
8th Feb 2011, 11:06
I have progressive sunglasses as well as progressive clear glasses for night flying - love em. Will never go back to look overs or bifocals.

poteroo
8th Feb 2011, 11:14
Started with 'lookovers' 15 yrs ago, just so I could read maps, panel etc but moved to 'progressive' glasses about 8-10 years ago. My sunnies are now also progressive and it's the way to go.

happy days,

Jack Ranga
8th Feb 2011, 11:22
And what brands are they doing progressive sunglasses in?

Mr. Hat
8th Feb 2011, 17:42
Does anyone flying jets here wear transitions? Someone said to me they don't work on windscreens with uv filters. Not sure if modern jets are uv filtered.

Rudder
8th Feb 2011, 21:12
Mr. Hat,

Been wearing progressive transitions for many years and have had no problems in any number of Boeing and Airbus types

On Track
8th Feb 2011, 21:40
So they're called progressives now, are they? Well I guess that's progress.

When I first got mine they were called multi-focals. Anyway I've never had any problem with them when flying or driving. I find the biggest difficulty when flying is adjusting from the bright light outside the cockpit to the relative darkness of the interior.

Aerodynamisist
9th Feb 2011, 01:13
I wear single vision lenses and my experience has been that transitions lenses don't go dark enough for flying use. I highly recommend the anti reflective treatment for which I can't remember opsm's brand name, but it does make a difference when driving or flying at night. It's worth spending the extra money on the lenses to get the good hd polycarbonate ones that are thiner and lighter.

Mr. Hat
9th Feb 2011, 01:32
Rudder Aerody,

Thank you for your help. On Track "transitions" are lenses that go dark automatically in sunlight.

Bluebottle
9th Feb 2011, 01:36
I find that transition lenses don't go anywhere near dark enough when flying (or driving for that matter) for me...in an outdoor environment they are as good as any sunnies.

Mr. Hat
9th Feb 2011, 01:50
Might be some truth in the UV shield factor..

SaltAsh
9th Feb 2011, 02:16
Been wearing them for flying for about 3 years with no problem (after years of using tri focals with no problems). Seems to be a matter of personal choice, some folks just don't like or can't aclimatise to multifocals.

As for transitions, I understand that as they never get dark enough quick enough (or completely clear) they are not recomended for aviation.

Rob.

Mr. Hat
9th Feb 2011, 03:37
I'm not after a sunglasses replacement just one thats no too bright say below 10,000 ft.

How do you guys find them at night are they clear? Or a bit dark.

SaltAsh
9th Feb 2011, 05:21
As I said, they don't become completely clear (apparently).

Bluebottle
9th Feb 2011, 05:31
I find them perfectly alright at night, they go completely clear.

bentleg
9th Feb 2011, 08:15
I am thinking of moving to progressive (multifocal?) lenes. Does anyone have any experience with progressives or an opinion? Are bifocals better for flying? Note I am a PPL flying single engine GA aircraft.

I fly GA single engine high wing. I wear "progressives" and have worn bifocals and trifocals in the past. I find the infinitely variable focal lengths offered by the graduated power excellent, but like the first pair of bi-focals, they take a little while to get used to.

I wear graduated power transition lenses normally (not flying), and for night flying. I wear graduated power sunnies in the CASA favoured ND 15 tint for day flying. I find the transition lenses don't tint dark enough in a high wing, or in a car, the ND15 sunnies are much better.

When I renew my non-sunny glasses I will go for clear graduated power lenses as I think they will be better at night, transitions in the darker varieties dont go completely clear at night. Transitions are slow to react when flying in and out of cloud - the ND15 sunnies are better.

The DAME handbook (http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/manuals/regulate/dame/080rfull.pdf) Section 2.1.13 is worth a read.

Flopt
9th Feb 2011, 11:46
As a practicing optometrist , a CASA appointed DAEE and a CPL [admittedly non-practicing but 3700tt], I guess I should add my 2 cents worth.
Although 2.1.13 says V.3 approved in 2003, I think much of it was written 20yrs ago , especially the bit about photochromic lenses...I'm sure it was written about the first gen.' photogray' glass lenses of the dinasaur age.

And while ND[neutral density]15 is a excellent general purpose tint I defy anyone to get them made in polycarbonate [as suggested in 2.1.13] in Australia.[Our lens suppliers say they can't tint polycarb.]

I am not particularly sensitive to glare and wear my'transitions' tinted progressive multifocals with a high quality antireflection coating 90% of my time flying in GA conditions.

They are clearer than untreated glass lenses indoors or at night, have about 10-15% tint in the cockpit in daylight ,as they react to UV and a large % is filtered out by the perspex..and when I land and disembark they get to maximum darkness in 36 seconds.

Without mentioning brand names make sure any anti refection coating has a 2yr warranty...or they will probably craze before they should be expected to.

In very glarey situations like directly into sun, or in and out of bright Cu I am currently wearing a 'yank' brand of polarised tinted progressive multifocals that I discovered trout fishing.

If I tilt my head over 45% my remaining LED diplay blacks out but the G430 is fine and I can see sheds on the ground 15nm away that are invisible without them.There is no such thing as X-ray glasses but there is some seriously good science in them....don't even like the company much...just like the product.

A Dash8-400 skipper tried mine and now wears them too ...he says the FO's screens black out if he tilts 45%...but not if he just turns his head....[who flys with a 45% head tilt anyway?!!]

My main advice is get any progessive lenses fitted carefully by a competent person and checked on collection..not just handed to you.

Best of luck

Flopt

dmclean
9th Feb 2011, 21:18
Mr. Hat- I work for Transitions Optical and have recently fit a few pilots in Transitions lenses. Our original Transitions lens are activated by UV so any windshield (plane or car) that blocks UV will keep the lenses from activating/getting dark. Indoors and at night, these lenses are as clear as your ordinary lenses.Last year we introduced a new product, Transitions XTRActive lenses, that are activated by visible and UV light. The lenses have a slight tint indoors, get moderately dark behind windshields (even those that block UV) and dark outdoors. Back in June we fitted a pilot (Cessna type planes) with the XTRActive lenses and he LOVED them. You can ask your eye doctor about them or, visit transitions.com for additional info.

FlightlessParrot
9th Feb 2011, 22:04
Be aware that there are two facts about progressives, which optical dispensers don't exactly foreground:

1. The area of max sharpness is a figure-8, so that while fine for reading and distance, at intermediate ranges there is a rather narrow zone of sharpness. This might, or might not, be significant for instrument scanning. I use a dedicated pair of bifocals for working at a computer.

2. My latest Zeiss lenses give a wider zone of sharpness, but at the cost of very significant distortion. This was initially quite disconcerting when looking at flat, rectangular surfaces, but I adjusted quickly.

These drawbacks probably vary with the power of the prescription: I have a lot of astigmatism, so at a pinch you could use my lenses to project Cinemascope.

Photochromic is a problem, though I note that there's now a solution. Fitovers are OK in the car, but prescription sunnies are more elegant.

That said, I've worn progressives in my few attempts at flying a glider, and they by no means added to my problems.

Che cows with guns
9th Feb 2011, 23:21
I wear transitions and progressive. Best thing I ever did. I never used to wear sunnies at all, people thought I was weird. It was just a personal thing. The Transitions go just dark enough for me and work a treat.
I live and work predominently in the tropics and find when I go down South to say Melbourne for Sim the glasses go really dark, 50% darker than up here above the 16 degree parallel. Not sure why must be something to do with the suns strenght down South, who knows?
The DAME I see reckons they are fine for flying. Be aware though if you like the super dark sunglass effect then they won't be any good, not dark enough.
They are very expensive mine cost $800.00, with nice frames.
Che

bankrunner
10th Feb 2011, 05:11
I have a pair of cheap Cancer Council polarised sunnies. Great in steam gauge aircraft, but absolutely hopeless in the G1000 equipped 172 I occasionally fly, I have a similar problem to Flopt in that I can't read the PFD unless I have my ear almost touching my shoulder.

Wally Mk2
10th Feb 2011, 06:18
"Flopt" thanks for yr input,a;ways appreciated from a professional:ok:

Yr advice however right at the end of yr post is good. I went to collect a pair of prescription goggles from an optometrist they handed them to me for a quick payment as they where busy. Just as well i tried them on there & then the glasses where crap! Wrong position of the reading segment on both lenses!!!! I eventually got a pair of industry glasses where they are 3 segmented for reading over head panels/switches with a flip-up sun-glass clip on, works for me & I have total control over the light. It's all a trade off. The day someone can get the eye muscles to go back to what they where when I was a healthy youth will be like winning lotto 10 times over !:)
Bugga this old age,oh well at least the sheilas are looking better with age:E

Wmk2

coconut99
10th Feb 2011, 06:58
Anyone use contact lenses for flying? How do you find them? Pros/Cons?

I currently wear standard glasses but have been thinking of switching to contacts. :8

Coco

Mr. Hat
11th Feb 2011, 03:05
Great info guys/gals. Keep it coming haven't got the lenses fitted yet decision next few days. Its expensive so I've got to get it right!

bankrunner
11th Feb 2011, 06:05
Coconut99, I wear monthly soft lenses and they're fine, it means i can wear whatever sunnies I like, and at night I dont have my headseat squeezing my glasses into the side of my head, which gets uncomfortable after a while.

They dry out quickly when I'm SLF in a 737, so they might be troublesome if you fly pressurised aircraft.

Katoom
12th Feb 2011, 01:27
I'm hoping we will be able to throw away our bifocal and multifocals soon...

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