Prescription Glasses and Golf

[sevenfourate]

I'm 47 and like many my age - my close up vision is suffering.

 

I have an Eye test booked for Friday (And presuming i'll need something): wondered what everyone wears for prescription glasses when playing golf ?

 

Single vision, varifocals, contacts, progressives or........

 

***Anything else i could learn from long time glasses wearers ?

[andrue]

I wear varifocals and have done for a long time. It's the closest I can get to not wearing them since just one pair can stay on my face all day long. I also have a photochromic coating on them so that I don't need separate glasses (except for when driving because photochromic glasses don't darken inside a car). That does cause me some issues on cold bright days because they go darker in colder temperatures. On a bright winter's day when everyone else is revelling in the glorious colours I'm playing in twilight :(

 

But other than that I don't notice any problems playing golf. I have occasionally wondered if they interfere with green reading but after several tests haven't found any evidence that they do. I do seem worse than other people at tracking my ball in flight but I suspect that's more because I so often don't know where to look. I have few problems following other people's.

[Springsteennut]

Contacts for me. I’ve tried hitting with my trifocals a few times and I just can’t do it. I’m having cataract surgery at the year so it will be interesting to see how that makes things different.

[elwhippy]

Do not even think about varifocals. They distort your alignment and are hard to judge longer shots with. We have three opticians in our club and all recommend contacts or regular lens for sport, not just Golf.

[sevenfourate]

Do not even think about varifocals. They distort your alignment and are hard to judge longer shots with. We have three opticians in our club and all recommend contacts or regular lens for sport, not just Golf.

 

I'm incredibly new to all this. But am concerned about the effects on my golf (Depth perception, alignment, aiming etc etc). Of any glasses. And varifocals do worry me i must say......

 

Interesting [And possibly controversial] point of view !!

[SixtySomePing]

I got bifocals probably at your age but was still able to see the ball when hitting it ok by not wearing the glasses when I play except when keeping score. I have trifocals now, the middle lens I use mostly for computer work and vision maybe up to 5 ft. Reading lens and mid lens are both set below the middle of the entire lens, so when I look down to hit the ball, that middle lens is just perfect to see the ball. But even if I didn't have the middle lens, I think keeping the reading lens down closer to the bottom as possible would be fine for you, if you if you don't want it in the way. Any time you start wearing glasses it will take some getting use to. I also have a nice of pair of slide on polarized sunglasses for them. Even though my glasses are transitional, they don't work like sunglasses FYI.

[andrue]

Do not even think about varifocals. They distort your alignment and are hard to judge longer shots with. We have three opticians in our club and all recommend contacts or regular lens for sport, not just Golf.

 

I'm incredibly new to all this. But am concerned about the effects on my golf (Depth perception, alignment, aiming etc etc). Of any glasses. And varifocals do worry me i must say......

 

Interesting [And possibly controversial] point of view !!

It's definitely an area of debate. It does take some time (in my case very little) to get used to wearing them and some people never can get used to them. That proves there's some kind of adaptation involved and therefore scope for problems. But human eyes do adapt to things and I tried playing a few rounds with my previous prescription sunglasses which weren't varifocal and I didn't notice any difference to my scores.

 

Whether that's because it's not an issue or because the problem is too subtle to have a noticeable impact on a 21 handicapper I don't know. I do remember that it was irritating having to squint at my Garmin and my eyes felt different plus the whole thing about needing multiple spectacles just seems silly. So I took the view that comfort and convenience trumped any minor affect on my scoring. I enjoy golf more when I'm wearing them and that's all that matters to me.

[sevenfourate]

Do not even think about varifocals. They distort your alignment and are hard to judge longer shots with. We have three opticians in our club and all recommend contacts or regular lens for sport, not just Golf.

 

I'm incredibly new to all this. But am concerned about the effects on my golf (Depth perception, alignment, aiming etc etc). Of any glasses. And varifocals do worry me i must say......

 

Interesting [And possibly controversial] point of view !!

It's definitely an area of debate. It does take some time (in my case very little) to get used to wearing them and some people never can get used to them. That proves there's some kind of adaptation involved and therefore scope for problems. But human eyes do adapt to things and I tried playing a few rounds with my previous prescription sunglasses which weren't varifocal and I didn't notice any difference to my scores.

 

Whether that's because it's not an issue or because the problem is too subtle to have a noticeable impact on a 21 handicapper I don't know. I do remember that it was irritating having to squint at my Garmin and my eyes felt different plus the whole thing about needing multiple spectacles just seems silly. So I took the view that comfort and convenience trumped any minor affect on my scoring. I enjoy golf more when I'm wearing them and that's all that matters to me.

 

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

 

My father who's about the same handicap as you - if that makes any difference whatsoever (And i doubt that one iota)........wears varifocals and said he never remembers having to make any adjustments to anything when getting used to / or wearing them. Golf included !

 

He also said i should go get an eye test; get some varifocals and go play golf. The word "overthinking" was mentioned more than once...... :rofl:

 

The only thing i'm 'concerned' about strangely is address position and putting. I'm not sure without them i'll have the full ability to see all the exact nuances of the lie, getting a full vision (sic) of my address position perspective etc. And as we know set-up is everything. Long range / following ball flight i'm fine. I think......

[sevenfourate]

I got bifocals probably at your age but was still able to see the ball when hitting it ok by not wearing the glasses when I play except when keeping score. I have trifocals now, the middle lens I use mostly for computer work and vision maybe up to 5 ft. Reading lens and mid lens are both set below the middle of the entire lens, so when I look down to hit the ball, that middle lens is just perfect to see the ball. But even if I didn't have the middle lens, I think keeping the reading lens down closer to the bottom as possible would be fine for you, if you if you don't want it in the way. Any time you start wearing glasses it will take some getting use to. I also have a nice of pair of slide on polarized sunglasses for them. Even though my glasses are transitional, they don't work like sunglasses FYI.

 

Thanks again for those thoughts. Is all an education right now - and i'm trying to absorb it all .....

[andrue]

The only thing i'm 'concerned' about strangely is address position and putting. I'm not sure without them i'll have the full ability to see all the exact nuances of the lie, getting a full vision (sic) of my address position perspective etc. And as we know set-up is everything. Long range / following ball flight i'm fine. I think......

You might find yourself positioning your head differently in order to bring the ball into better focus (raising your head slightly to lower the ball position in the lens). In practice it's probably a small adjustment because the difference between mid-distance and long distance is pretty small.

 

If you do choose to go with varifocals don't scrimp on the lens. Expensive lenses have larger areas and smoother graduations. It could be that a lot of people who couldn't get on with them simply went for the cheapest lens option offered them.

[sevenfourate]

The only thing i'm 'concerned' about strangely is address position and putting. I'm not sure without them i'll have the full ability to see all the exact nuances of the lie, getting a full vision (sic) of my address position perspective etc. And as we know set-up is everything. Long range / following ball flight i'm fine. I think......

You might find yourself positioning your head differently in order to bring the ball into better focus (raising your head slightly to lower the ball position in the lens). In practice it's probably a small adjustment because the difference between mid-distance and long distance is pretty small.

 

If you do choose to go with varifocals don't scrimp on the lens. Expensive lenses have larger areas and smoother graduations. It could be that a lot of people who couldn't get on with them simply went for the cheapest lens option offered them.

 

Any 'nudge' to keep my chin up at address is welcome here TBH.....

 

Thanks for all the advice.

[Mike_C]

I've worn progressive/varifocal lenses for over 10 years, and after a short adjustment period, golf is no problem. The one adjustment I make is to tell them to lower the "reading" portion of the lenses a bit, if I don't, I will have to lower my chin to see the ball correctly. The trade off is that for reading you need to hold things just a bit lower. I also work at a computer most of the day, and can't have it too high either. I had to have my current glasses remade because they didn't do it correctly and made them more standard with regard to the zones for the prescription.

 

I also have a pair of single vision sunglasses, and do like playing with them, but then I have a hard time reading my GPS or scorecard on the course.....

[scomac2002]

I have worn progressives or variable lenses for 15 years now. I first got glasses in my early 40's and have gone with progressives since my second pair. I don't recall having any issues adapting to them when i got them originally, at least nothing that sticks in my memory.

 

About 10 years ago following an iron fitting the fitter said to me: You where bi-focals don't you? I said yes and asked how he knew. He said it was obvious from my address position and how I held my head. He suggested that I needed to get single vision lenses for golf. The next time I got my eyes checked I opted for an expensive pair of single vision sports glasses with transition lenses. I could not get used to those for golf! The ball was always fuzzy in the address position and I had difficult reading putts. I couldn't read the score card either. I tried golfing with them for about a month or so and eventually gave up, playing much better with my regular progressive lenses and clip-on sun glasses. Fortunately, the sports glasses proved to be great for road cycling and skiing, so they did get plenty of use until the prescription became too weak to be effective.

 

Since that time I have just stuck with wearing my normal progressive lense glasses for golf. I do have a pair or prescription sunglasses that are progressive as well, but I find that I prefer to play with regular glasses unless conditions are extremely bright.

[garethw]

I wear progressive lenses all the time. The only issue I have experienced was I brought a set of Oakley Tincup and the lenses are not high enough to fit the full progressive lens prescription. This messed up my depth perception and putting was a nightmare, when I switched back to my previous frames (with the same prescription) there was a big difference.

 

I only found that out after taking both sets to another optometrist. She said the shop I brought them from should have informed me the exact prescription couldn't have been made to fit those frames.

[mshills]

I'm in my 40s and just started wearing glasses in 2016. I've had a tough time adjusting with golf.

 

My close vision is pretty good, but my distance vision is not. My daily-wear glasses are progressives, so I added a second pair of single vision for golf and other activities. Not easy to adjust -- the ball striking took a little while but it's acceptable now (at least I cannot say vision is to blame for poor ball striking :D.)

 

My issue is reading greens. I think I made a mistake with the photochromic lenses -- that may be part of the issue, but I just don't have the feel and judgment that I used to. Cannot pinpoint one specific thing other than it's just "not the same as I used to could." :D

 

Would love to hear anyone else's advice on greens reading.

[bigred90gt]

I’m 38, and have halberd wearing glasses for just over a year. Thankfully, my prescription is single vision and not much more than glorified reading glasses (+1.00 first, now +1.25). I tried contacts, but to say they’re just not compatible with my eyes is an understatement.

 

My first 2 pairs of glasses, I had magnetic clip on sunglasses made for them. The first pair was the best. A local optometrist makes them in house (Vision Source). I lost the glasses when I fell off of a pier into the bay one night while fishing. The second pair came from the manufacturer with them, but the glasses had major problems sliding down my face.

 

I’m on my 3rd pair of glasses now, with the new prescription, and I got transition lenses. I have a severe sensitivity to bright light/sun, and let’s just say they don’t get anywhere near dark enough for me. To the point that when my wife’s insurance renews in January, I’m getting a pair of prescription sunglasses.

 

I tried prescription Oakley’s. Spent a bunch of money on a pair of Turbines with prism black polarized lenses. Couldn’t see anything through the first pair of lenses so I had them remake them. Got the second pair and everything was blurry through my normal field of vision but clear through the bottom of the lense. I had them remake them again, and unfortunately while better, it was still the same problem. After 3 pairs of lenses over a 6 week period, I returned them for a refund. Lesson learned.

 

As for the glasses themselves, there was an adjustment period but not related specifically to golf. At first, when you move your head around, things distort a bit from the shape of the lenses and it takes some getting used to. I don’t. Price it now, but it was very strange for a bit. I recently decided I was going to only wear them when working (most of my work is on a computer) or reading, and just do without otherwise. I have an expensive pair of Maui Jims collecting dust. That was great for about 3 days, and then the headache came back and things started getting hard to focus on. So I’ve resigned myself to just wearing them again. My eyes feel great as they’re not straining, I have no problems reading anything, and I don’t have a headache all day anymore. If you need them, wear them.

 

I have nothing to offer on the bifoca, verafocal, or anything g else.

[rwc356]

Ive been wearing bifocals for 15 years and tried playing with them - but failed. I had an old pair of frames and had new distance single vision transition lenses to handle the sun / glare. This seemed to work great for me - Thankfully my arms are still long enough to hold the scorecard out so I can read it without the bifocals and GPS readout is large enough as well.

[gentles]

I'm 28 and have worn glasses for all my adult life...without them I can barely see a flagstick. My condition means that contact lenses don't help.

 

Four pieces of advice

1. Look for lenses that a slightly deeper than standard size glasses to reduce the risk of the ball going out of the frame when you set up. I wear glasses like this for everything including golf at the moment: https://www.clearly.ca/glasses/konishi/konishi-ka7822-54?v=tortoise
   
2. I recommend getting some sort of tool to help glasses stay up - I use these and it really helps to avoid having to constantly be pushing the bridge back up, espeically if you start sweating. https://keepons.net/
   
3. Get a pair of prescription sunglasses...your eyes will thank you for it later. Make sure the tint on the first pair isnt too dark otherwise you'll be taking them on and off on cloudier days.
   
4. Bonus: get a pair of light, semi-rimless glasses for sports. Rimless glasses you can barely tell you're wearing, plus the edges are less noticeable out the corner of your eye
   

You'll get used to it before you know it...the only thing that still bugs the heck out of me is getting rain on the lenses...not much you can do about that!

[jimb6golf]

Contacts for me. Can't wear glasses playing golf typically. Plus I can wear more normal sunglasses on the course which is a must with sun and wind for me. Also I've found depending on the glasses it can mess up your alignment/ view over the ball, especially thinner style glasses.

[GolfGuitarsCars]

My daily wear glasses are multi focal. For golf, I went with single vision (distance) Oakley Golf Prism lenses. As you would expect, reading the scorecard or anything at reading distance is tricky but I manage. I use a Bushnell Neo Ghost that I keep in my pocket. No problem reading the numbers.

[sevenfourate]

I'm 28 and have worn glasses for all my adult life...without them I can barely see a flagstick. My condition means that contact lenses don't help.

 

Four pieces of advice

1. Look for lenses that a slightly deeper than standard size glasses to reduce the risk of the ball going out of the frame when you set up. I wear glasses like this for everything including golf at the moment: https://www.clearly....2-54?v=tortoise
   
2. I recommend getting some sort of tool to help glasses stay up - I use these and it really helps to avoid having to constantly be pushing the bridge back up, espeically if you start sweating. https://keepons.net/
   
3. Get a pair of prescription sunglasses...your eyes will thank you for it later. Make sure the tint on the first pair isnt too dark otherwise you'll be taking them on and off on cloudier days.
   
4. Bonus: get a pair of light, semi-rimless glasses for sports. Rimless glasses you can barely tell you're wearing, plus the edges are less noticeable out the corner of your eye
   

You'll get used to it before you know it...the only thing that still bugs the heck out of me is getting rain on the lenses...not much you can do about that!

 

 

Couple of points in there i'd already got covered / thought about. Couple i hadn't.

 

Great advice / tips....THANKS.

[andrue]

My issue is reading greens. I think I made a mistake with the photochromic lenses -- that may be part of the issue, but I just don't have the feel and judgment that I used to. Cannot pinpoint one specific thing other than it's just "not the same as I used to could." :D

 

Photochromics do impact a bit on green reading. I think the problem is that sometimes they go a bit too dark, especially on very cold days. The result is that instead of playing in reasonable light levels you're practically playing in twilight and most people's yes are going to struggle to perform well under those conditions. Luckily the UK climate is such that we generally only get really bright days when it's also pretty warm and that tones down the reaction. But the occasional bright, crisp, winter's day is a nightmare for me.

 

I'd say 95% of the time it's not a problem but I remember one day earlier this year when I played a lousy front nine and a great back nine and it was because it clouded over half way through the round. The rest of my foursome were unhappy about the change in weather but I was happy because it actually appeared to brighten up. Went from dark brown/yellow to quite satisfactory grey :)

 

I lost the glasses when I fell off of a pier into the bay one night while fishing.

You need a bigger boat.

 

Or less alcohol :)

[jslane57]

Single vision. Larger frames. Glasses just for golfing. If you can truly turn your shoulder under your chin and still see the ball clearly on your back swing with any type of multi lens glasses, you're way in the minority, or doing it wrong. I've seen many an older person go to multi focal lenses and then blame their game drop on their age, when their eye wear simply prevents a full golf swing.

[sevenfourate]

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far. Plenty to chew on indeed.....

 

I'm going to make no immediate purchase, but see what the eye test comes up with / their suggestions and i'll post back on here. But a large framed pair for leisure / golf and a pair for work is the thought right now.

 

No-point re-inventing the wheel if i don't have to.

[mcs4]

I've played with prescription lenses for 15+ years. It was an easy transition for me in the beginning because I've always played with sunglasses on, so I just switched to prescription sunglasses when my eyesight got to a point that I needed corrective lenses.

 

Lately I have been trying to be more mindful about making sure the lenses are not causing improper compensations in my swing. For example, I try to make sure I am not dipping my chin too much in order to make sure the ball is entirely within the field of vision of my lenses. I've also been experimenting a bit with how I move my head and how it impacts my vision through the lenses.

 

As others have mentioned, the coloring, tint, and other aspect of the lenses can impact your green reading.

 

Wearing glasses or sunglasses that have decent coverage (i.e. that aren't too small) is a no-brainer.

 

There are also schools of thought that suggest sunglasses in particular can impact your depth perception. I do not know if that is entirely true, but I can say that I do always feel that there is enough of an adjustment period if I switch between sunglasses and regular glasses that I wouldn't want to do that right before I hit a shot. This past weekend I played my first full-daytime round in many years with my regular glasses rather than my sunglasses, and I did seem to do better than usual at avoiding fat shots, so that is an experiment I will continue to explore (although generally I much prefer to use sunglasses).

[sevenfourate]

I'm 38, and have halberd wearing glasses for just over a year. Thankfully, my prescription is single vision and not much more than glorified reading glasses (+1.00 first, now +1.25). I tried contacts, but to say they're just not compatible with my eyes is an understatement.

 

My first 2 pairs of glasses, I had magnetic clip on sunglasses made for them. The first pair was the best. A local optometrist makes them in house (Vision Source). I lost the glasses when I fell off of a pier into the bay one night while fishing. The second pair came from the manufacturer with them, but the glasses had major problems sliding down my face.

 

I'm on my 3rd pair of glasses now, with the new prescription, and I got transition lenses. I have a severe sensitivity to bright light/sun, and let's just say they don't get anywhere near dark enough for me. To the point that when my wife's insurance renews in January, I'm getting a pair of prescription sunglasses.

 

I tried prescription Oakley's. Spent a bunch of money on a pair of Turbines with prism black polarized lenses. Couldn't see anything through the first pair of lenses so I had them remake them. Got the second pair and everything was blurry through my normal field of vision but clear through the bottom of the lense. I had them remake them again, and unfortunately while better, it was still the same problem. After 3 pairs of lenses over a 6 week period, I returned them for a refund. Lesson learned.

 

As for the glasses themselves, there was an adjustment period but not related specifically to golf. At first, when you move your head around, things distort a bit from the shape of the lenses and it takes some getting used to. I don't. Price it now, but it was very strange for a bit. I recently decided I was going to only wear them when working (most of my work is on a computer) or reading, and just do without otherwise. I have an expensive pair of Maui Jims collecting dust. That was great for about 3 days, and then the headache came back and things started getting hard to focus on. So I've resigned myself to just wearing them again. My eyes feel great as they're not straining, I have no problems reading anything, and I don't have a headache all day anymore. If you need them, wear them.

 

I have nothing to offer on the bifoca, verafocal, or anything g else.

 

Wow !

 

I'm imagining buying the wrong type, can be frustrating, expensive and time-wasting. And reference golf and glasses; the game is hard enough as it is.....

 

I'm hoping to be to embrace them - as it is what it is and the years are passing. Not much anyone can do about that. Just hoping i can learn from others mistakes.

[sevenfourate]

I've played with prescription lenses for 15+ years. It was an easy transition for me in the beginning because I've always played with sunglasses on, so I just switched to prescription sunglasses when my eyesight got to a point that I needed corrective lenses.

 

Lately I have been trying to be more mindful about making sure the lenses are not causing improper compensations in my swing. For example, I try to make sure I am not dipping my chin too much in order to make sure the ball is entirely within the field of vision of my lenses. I've also been experimenting a bit with how I move my head and how it impacts my vision through the lenses.

 

As others have mentioned, the coloring, tint, and other aspect of the lenses can impact your green reading.

 

Wearing glasses or sunglasses that have decent coverage (i.e. that aren't too small) is a no-brainer.

 

There are also schools of thought that suggest sunglasses in particular can impact your depth perception. I do not know if that is entirely true, but I can say that I do always feel that there is enough of an adjustment period if I switch between sunglasses and regular glasses that I wouldn't want to do that right before I hit a shot. This past weekend I played my first full-daytime round in many years with my regular glasses rather than my sunglasses, and I did seem to do better than usual at avoiding fat shots, so that is an experiment I will continue to explore (although generally I much prefer to use sunglasses).

 

I'm a big guy - and would be looking for big frames anyway. So a big field of vision for golf will be a bi-product of that. And the bigger the better for that reason as far as i'm concerned.

 

I'm in the UK. So more cloudy / dull days than full on bright sunshine. I'd be more than happy with no tints, graduation etc in order to make green-reading etc a little easier / more of a sure thing. I don't wear and have never worn a hat; but perhaps coupled with wearing glasses; that's something else i need to learn to do on sunny days....especially if the prescription glasses are going to be completely clear lenses.....

[andrue]

I don't wear and have never worn a hat; but perhaps coupled with wearing glasses; that's something else i need to learn to do on sunny days....especially if the prescription glasses are going to be completely clear lenses.....

The only times I wear a hat are in light rain when I use a fishing hat (with a string an' 'all so sue me :tongue: ) or on bright, cold days when I wear a baseball cap and hope it cuts out some of the UV to reduce the darkening reaction.

[bigred90gt]

 

 

I lost the glasses when I fell off of a pier into the bay one night while fishing.

You need a bigger boat.

 

Or less alcohol :)

.

I was on a pier, so no boat. But yes, definitely less alcohol. Sobered up real quick hitting the 65 deg water. Could have been a disaster. The water was only about 4' deep, but I fell from a pier that was about 6' off the surface of the water, and the entire bottom in that area is a large oyster bed. Had I gone head first, I could have very well planted the top of my head into a pile of sharp oyster shells. Havent had a drink on that pier since.

[J295]

I tried disposable contacts, single lens, and progressives. I have settled in on progressives for both regular glasses and sunglasses for the past 10+ years.

 

I had a lot of difficulty reading greens in all cases. Now, everything looks a little bit right to left, from both sides of the ball! I have always had a depth perception problem, so that’s really not the glasses, that’s me.

 

My successful work around has been

1. Took in aim point class and learned to successfully read green with my feet. Now many of my friends are having me teach them because my putting has been so good.

2. I laser every distance from 25 yards and further,