Reading Glasses whilst flying?

[Diddy Pilot]

I am hoping to learn from the experience of members on here how to deal with a very practical issue.

 

As a by-product of aging I now require reading glasses, not such a big issue in and of itself as I only need them for up close work, however I now find that I am needing them more and more. Simple tasks like reading messages on the phone, cooking instructions on food packaging, text on computer screens and most importantly detail on maps even the compass whilst flying. My long range vison is still better than the average.

 

The reading glasses are great for their intended purpose but no good for any distance. I have taken the glasses with me in the cockpit and put them on when required. Awkward with the headset on but acceptable. My problems really start to arise when it is also a sunny day or at dawn/dusk with a low angle of sunlight. I need to alternate between glasses.

 

No glasses for distance viewing without sun.

 

Sunglasses for distance viewing with sunny conditions.

 

Reading glasses for up-close work (or as stated sometimes even quick check of compass or map)

 

If I needed glasses all the time then there is a range of solutions; tinted lenses, transition lenses, even those flip up sunglass lenses.

 

If I leave the reading glasses on then the long distance vision is impaired. I got some multifocal lenses which supposedly make it easier to transition between up close and distant, not needing to remove the glasses. This is an improvement, but I still feel that it is not as good as no glasses at all, maybe 70%.

 

Surely I am not the only pilot who has encountered this situation, others must have dealt with this previously.

 

I would love to know if there are any alternate solutions. What do others do?

 

 

[tillmanr]

Hi Diddy, I fly with bifocals shaped like aviators. These have a small reading section only and suit looking down to the instruments or iPad then looking outside without moving my head a lot. I have a clear pair as well as a pair with transitions lenses. On very bright days the transitions however go very dark and make reading the instruments difficult. Maybe a fixed polarised type coating may be preferable. Safe landings.

 

 

[alf jessup]

I wear multi focal glasses all the time these days as need them for reading and distance, took a little getting used to initially but wouldn't be without them, also have transitional multifocal sunglasses but never wear them in the plane anymore as it makes the gauges on the panel hard to see and also shows the colours in the lexan screen which is distracting

 

Alf

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Yes ... it's fun getting older isn't it?

 

I've always invested in really good sunglasses because most of my flying was low level with it's attendant hazards, and top-end sunglasses with a yellow/brown tint increases contrast and so they help you to see power lines and occasional tree branches that might be obscured against the background. In the early stages of needing near-vision glasses i.e. from about 40 y.o. I was able to solve the problem with Maui Jim sunnies because they brought out a range which have the reader magnifiers in the lower section (like bifocals). So they're high quality non prescription polarised and filtered lenses with a +1, +1.5, +2 or +2.5 lens at the bottom.

 

Incidentally I have an unmarked pair of Mauis with +2 readers which I don't use now, so if anyone wants a discount pair I might be persuaded to part with them. I'm not giving them away - they're $250 on discount - but I could be talked into half price ... PM me if interested.

 

For flying in dull weather I used to use a narrow pair of suitable readers and wore them low on my nose so I could look over them for distance vision.

 

As I got older it became more painful on the wallet because Mauis with a prescription lens for distance vision plus the readers at the bottom were about $900 (and you have to have two pairs to be legal when flying, although the second pair could be cheapies I guess.

 

Then I made the acquaintance of an optical house in China and I'm now able to get Prescription polarised+filtered+anti-glare/reflection and hard coated with tint or not, and/or if not polarised then they can be transitions, and with free-form graduated focus i.e. distance at the top through mid-range and near vision at the bottom. In Australia even the discount specs places want about $850 for similar with titanium frames whereas my Chinese supplier does them for about $240 including EMS delivery. It takes about 2 weeks once you send them your prescription.

 

Incidentally, if you need a prescription you just ask your optician to give it to you after your free biennial eye check-up, because it belongs to you, not them, as your Medicare pays them to do it.

 

If anyone wants an intro to a tried, tested and now trusted specs supplier/manufacturer in China you can PM me for details if you like.

 

 

[Geoff13]

I had the same problem when I learned the fly.

 

On advice from my CFI I went to an optometrist who is also a pilot.

 

I ended up with to sets of bifocals, one tinted and one plain.

 

They have standard unassisted viewing for distance and a slight assisted read section for the close work.

 

I have fund them to be excellent, not only in the plane but also on the bike and whilst driving both the car and the truck.

 

One of my better investments.

 

 

[Oscar]

When I was flying gliders years ago, I used ONLY non-polarised glasses - Aviator style with Zeiss Umbral brown tint-lenses, from OPSM that made them up at a very reasonable price. Every serious glider pilot used them - because you spend up to 8 hours flying in the bright sunshine and they were the only lenses that didn't distort the ground colours and didn't leave you with eyes that felt like they'd been sandblasted. They were the German Navy tint for warships in WWII and highly-prized.

 

For flying, I find the Aviator style the best - they didn't happen by accident.. That's all I have worn for about 50 years now...

 

Bought a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators and had them changed over to the Zeiss Umbral lenses ( non-prescription) - very, very expensive - about $450 in FY 2000. Probably around $800 today; I don't want to think of the price for prescription ground glass Umbral lenses... The Bloody Ray-Bans dismantled in the frame after about 12 months, and I spent years sailing/racing yachts where glass lenses are extremely bad news for keeping your eyeballs intact..

 

When I started to re-learn flying a few years ago for Power flying after a long time away from flying anything - I found I could not read the instruments on the panel, my short-distance vision had deteriorated too much. Not good. When your Instructor asks you why you had not back-tracked to the airfield and you have to admit that you can't actually see the compass properly - other than as a round thing on the panel- it's a reality check. My long-distance acuity had also deteriorated, though I'd not realised that when driving /riding.

 

So I went to an Optometrist and had my distance vision correction and close-vision correction checked and listed, then went to Zenni Optical and had a pair of dark-tint brown, a pair of light-tint brown and a pair of clear bi-focals made, in Aviator style, for around $15 each posted to here. And they are EXCELLENT quality, the frames are better-lasting than Ray-Bans and the lenses are very good. They are delivered to Aus. in about 15 days after ordering.

 

However: I immediately had problems with my flare (or round-out, choose your terminology) height in a J160 - when I pulled up the nose, I lost sight of the runway ahead and had to judge by checking to the side - and the bi-focal transition makes that very, very hard. With familiarity with the change, it gets easier; I've had no problems with driving or riding the bike.

 

I haven't tried transitional lenses, I worry that my judgement of closing distances will be distorted by the angle of view; with the bi-focals, you do know whether you're looking through the close-focus or distance prescription.

 

 

[gareth lacey]

I had a set of sunglasses with bi focals made just for flying ,$300, i also keep a pair of reading glasses with me ,(as per the rules)

 

cheers gareth

 

 

[robinsm]

multifocals, never a problem with flying and map reading...

 

 

[kgwilson]

A simple & cheap option I used for years was I had look over reading glasses & put my sunnies on top. It worked fine as looking outside the cockpit I looked over the top of the glasses but when looking at the panel,maps etc I was looking through the glasses. When it was dull I just took the sunnies off.

 

 

[revgazza]

Yes. the perils of age.

 

I have graduated transition lenses, so they darken in the sunlight and are clear for night flying. Perfect for me to keep everything in sharp focus.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Yes. the perils of age.I have graduated transition lenses, so they darken in the sunlight and are clear for night flying. Perfect for me to keep everything in sharp focus.

Tried those but found when sitting in the shade looking out into sunlight they didn't work. Waste of $500

 

I found a very cheap pair of sunnies with about number 2 at the bottom from a chemist shop which I leave in the plane.

 

Works a treat.

 

PHIL.

 

 

[TezzaP]

Some years ago I was made aware of stick on lenses which are the lower bifocal section of your glasses. In short, you wet them and they adhere to your normal sunnies and are available in various strengths to suit your prescription. Best of all they are quite cheap being about 20 to 30 dollars over the net. Try searching for stick on lenses and you will have lots of options.

 

I initially used them on non prescription Serengeti driver tint glass lenses, graduated darker at the top than the bottom and a brownish tint, but use them on a prescription pair now. The stick on optics aren't perfect but more than adequate for reading instruments in the car or aircraft. I talked to my optometrist about them when moving to the prescription distance lenses and he advised me what strength to apply.

 

At the price I thought they were worth a try and a decade later I am still using them having changed strengths as needed. Certainly a lot cheaper than changing high cost sunglasses every time your prescription changes.

 

 

[pluessy]

I have been using the Hydrotac stick-on lenses for years on my non-polarised sunglasses (HydroTac® Lenses - Home). They can be cut to suit the lens shape and I find them excellent. I just need to lift the head a little bit to read the instruments and normal vision is straight through with no interference from the add-on lenses. I'm still on the original 1.5 strength but will need to change to the 2.0 soon.

 

There are also safety glasses available with built-in reading glasses at the bottom. I use them for driving and at work but they are polarised and affect some of the clarity and readability of the aircraft instruments (digital and iPad/phone).

 

 

[Spilsby4]

I wear bifocals in the cockpit. I asked the optometrist to make the line between the reading and distance sections a little higher (it is about 1 mm higher than the standard line), and for the reading section to be as wide as possible. These have worked out perfectly with the instrument panel in focus and the outside world in focus when I look out (which is most of the time - right?). I need to tip my head down just a little to look out the distance part if I am looking down at the ground, but that's the only disadvantage.

 

 

[Morant]

I find the Hydrotac are brilliant, especially at the price

 

 

[billwoodmason]

Multi focal prescription lenses as in my avatar photo work really well for me, I also have the same prescription in a set of sunglasses for bright days. They were bought from Specsavers on a two for one offer.

 

 

[Love to fly]

When I first needed reading glasses I used graduated glasses that were clear at the top so I could just leave them on whilst flying. The transition lens worked well for me and I didn't need sunglasses. Gradually I needed long sighted correction as well. Still find the graduated transition glasses work well. You need to carry a spare anyway so these can be a different tint. These days I use multi focal contact lens and wear sunnies. Works for me. Peripheral vision is fine. I always carry backup glasses though.

 

 

[Chris SS]

I use Maui Jim sunnies with 1.5 readers - they are incredible.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Don't know where one gets them but I've seen a pair of sunnies with a small clear close up lens in the lower half. Small enough not to interfere with normal vision, but great from checking instruments and maps. Search aviation suppliers.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I wear bifocals all the time when driving or flying. I have clear ones for night driving and sunglasses ones for day driving and flying. Mine are set for long distance and the lower section is set for 800mm focus which allows me to see all that I need to see and do in and out of the cockpit