Wearing eyeglasses/safety glasses while shooting

Denys

Turbulent Optics Student
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Mar 26, 2012
    1,373
    812
    Texas
    I hate wearing glasses when I shoot with a riflescope. After paying multi kilobucks for top-of-the-line optics, even the most expensive fancy coated polycarbonate eyeglasses make the picture coming out of the eyepiece look dull. Therefore, I usually shoot without my glasses. This is NOT an ideal situation. I would like eye protection, but it’s insulting that the IQ from the scope is impacted by my glasses.

    The problem with polycarbonate lenses is that it has a very low Abbe number, meaning that it creates CA, (Chromatic Aberration.) Your high dollar riflescope can control CA very well, but you just created some with your polycarb lenses. This is with eyeglasses, safety glasses, etc. Trivex has a much higher Abbe number compared to polycarbonate, it’s not Super ED or CaF2 numbers, but it’s much better than the polycarb. I found an outfit called Zenni.com that produces all types of eyewear, and you can upgrade the lens material to Trivex for $30. I went ahead and ordered a pair of safety glasses made with Trivex.

    When I wear these safety glasses, I cannot tell the difference between having them on and naked eye. I can sure tell the difference between naked eye and my polycarb prescription glasses, they make everything duller, the colors are less vivid.

    If I have the story straight, a company called PPG developed Trivex around the turn of the millennium, to be used as a form of transparent armor. This Trivex was for helicopter windshields and fighter jet canopies, and so on. Its characteristics are high impact resistance, optical clarity and light weight.

    It seems that after its success in such applications, PPG adapted Trivex for the optical lens market, with an eye to be premium lens material for eyeglasses.

    At the last match, I wore my Trivex safety glasses the entire time and the image from the riflescope was just as if I didn’t have them on at all. I ordered a pair of Trivex glasses with my prescription, and I have been wearing them since they arrived. It’s as if they were not there. The colors are fine, and they weigh next to nothing.

    As stated earlier, Zenni.com is where got my Trivex safety glasses and my Trivex prescription eyeglasses. It's a little tricky when you order the glasses, but you must remember to specify the premium lens material and be sure it says 1.53 index or 1.53 Blockz. There are other numbers, but the Trivex is 1.53.

    There are other places that have Trivex, such as RX Safety and others. I have only purchased from Zenni and I am very pleased with the results. The Trivex safety glasses with plastic frame were $60. The Trivex prescription glasses with titanium frame were $120.