4 minute read
Maintain focus with Optilabs
Whether shading your eyes from the sun, protecting them from debris and wind, or enhancing your vision, sports eyewear is an absolute must for all serious cyclists. And if your eyesight isn’t perfect – which according to statistics*, is nearly 75% of us – things can get tricky.
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Wearing sports eyewear with contact lenses can be a fiddly and unsatisfactory experience, while prescription sunglasses are often pricey and not always up for the job. But that’s where Optilabs can help. Based in South London, Optilabs specialise in prescription sports eyewear which is not only stylish, it is custom-made for you. With a range of cycling-specific glasses, prescription prices start from a very affordable £125.95. Best of all, all lenses are manufactured in-house, allowing Optilabs to offer a true bespoke service, with a fast turnaround and top quality control. Optilabs have a well won reputation for excellent customer care, so whether you order online from their website, give them a call or pop into their showroom, you can be assured of glasses getting personal attention from their experienced staff.
With over 50 years’ optical experience, Optilabs are the choice of cyclists who require prescription eyewear throughout the UK and abroad. Over the years, their glasses have certainly been put through their paces on some epic adventures – Devon to New Zealand by bike, Race Across America, Coast2Coast in a day and L’Etape du Tour 2019 to name just a few!
With a wide range of cycling frames and lenses, Optilabs have glasses to suit everyone. Light-reactive photochromic and high definition polarised lenses are the top choice for cyclists who opt for direct-glazed frames. As the prescription lenses are fixed directly into the frame, it is a style that offers a wide, uninterrupted, field of vision. Alternatively, you can pick one of the Optilabs sports packs, which offer a custom-made prescription insert with the option of interchangeable tinted shields. And if you are unsure which design is best for you, Optilabs’ have a ‘try before you buy’ service that allows you to trial up to three frames at home before making your choice.
MEET OPTILABS’ SUPERB CYCLING-SPECIFIC EYEWEAR RANGE…
Horizon frame with prescription insert and four interchangeable shields from £185.95
Spark frame with brown photochromic lenses from £185.95
Flow frame with standard tinted grey lenses from £125.95
The 'Horizon’ sports pack' comes with four interchangeable shields for different lighting conditions and an optical insert made to your exact prescription. Made from lightweight, shock-resistant plastic, the frame features FLEX technology so it can be adjusted to the shape of your face. 1
The ‘Spark’ features a wraparound design and direct-glazed lenses in a red frame with white side detailing. They are shown here with light-reactive photochromic lenses, which offers a flexible solution to changing light levels to allow them to be worn throughout the year. 2
With innovative ventilation to help stop the direct glazed lenses from fogging, anti-slip rubber arms, and a nose bridge with FLEX technology – that allows you to customise the frames to your face shape – ‘Flow’ frames are Optilabs’ best-selling design. 3
WHY CHOOSE A SPORTS EYEWEAR SPECIALIST?
The difference between sports eyewear and everyday glasses is the high curvature of the frame and lenses. Whilst the wraparound design creates a streamlined profile and great protection against the wind, it can cause headaches for prescription wearers – quite literally in some cases! Without adjustment, a prescription changes as the lens curves, which can lead to distortion at the periphery of vision. However, with specialist lens manufacturing equipment that is customcalibrated to each frame design, Optilabs’ unique ‘Curve Technology’ allows micro adjustments to be made to the prescription. This is applied during lens manufacture, ensuring clear vision is retained across the entire field of view – even on wraparound styles!
As a prescription specialist, Optilabs also offer Distance, Bifocal, Varifocal lens options. Those with high index prescriptions needn’t feel left out either as Optilabs’ in-house laboratory makes it possible to cater for a wider range of prescriptions than most eyewear companies. This is particularly true of high street opticians who have been known to say a prescription is too strong or complex for sports glasses. Thankfully, Optilabs can more often than not help in these cases by using a combination of their optical know-how and the specialised equipment at disposal. It can get very emotional when a cyclist finally gets the pair of glasses they’d long been denied. Optilabs deserve great credit for their can-do attitude, providing that experience and caring for each customer pays dividends.
Lastly, Optilabs also offer a handy reglaze service. So if your favourite cycling glasses have an out-of-date prescription, or you’ve got scratched of broken lenses, all is not lost!
WHAT ARE PHOTOCHROMIC LENSES?
One of the best lens choice for cyclists, photochromic lenses adapt automatically depending on light conditions. They do this thanks to photo-reactive molecules that are embedded in each lens. Normally transparent, when exposed to ultraviolet rays, the lenses undergo a chemical process causing them to absorb a significant percent. So they’re absolutely ideal for cycling!
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