Of course, wearing contact lenses is the best option if you’re used to them—you won’t have to worry about any of these issues. Unfortunately, I’m not comfortable with contacts, and I’m not brave enough to get laser surgery, so I have to go with cycling glasses that have built-in myopia frames. Regular myopia glasses have completely symmetrical, round lenses—the front of aspheric lenses is almost flat, and the left and right lenses are nearly horizontal with no angle between them. Goggles, on the other hand, are curved to fit the face shape, which is necessary to block wind and light. Regular myopia frames, even if they’re large and use tinted lenses, can’t replace goggles because they lack curvature and can’t conform to the face. In the diagram below, the black line represents the goggle lens, the yellow part is the nose bridge, the purple is the lens, the green dots are the lens centers, the blue indicates the pupillary distance, and the green shows the myopia frame.
If you simply place regular myopia glasses at the back of the goggles at that angle, the goggles will bulge significantly at the top, making it impossible to block wind and light effectively, and they won’t be comfortable to wear. Obviously, no one would do this.
Therefore, the inner myopia frame is bent to match the curve of the goggles. Using regular myopia lenses, as shown in the second diagram, if you simply measure the frame size and pupillary distance and then cut and install the lenses, tilting the lenses slightly will result in an incorrect pupillary distance. So experienced fitters move the pupillary distance slightly outward—but this is just a makeshift solution. Anyone who wears glasses knows that the best vision occurs when looking straight ahead. This method forces the glasses into a tilted position, essentially making you look sideways all the time, which naturally leads to various issues. Adjusting the prescription is just a way to compensate, and the lenses don’t fit securely with the frame.
The correct approach should be the bottom one—customizing lenses with added curvature based on the frame’s arc. Only this way can you achieve perfect fit and visual performance. Many mid-to-high-end lenses offer custom curvature services, which cost a few dozen yuan more than regular lenses and take a few extra days to arrive.
The image above shows tinted myopia lenses with added curvature. Those who wear glasses can compare them with their own lenses to see how much more curved they are.
Besides the prescription, the comfort of regular glasses also depends on frame parameters—namely, the processed pupillary distance, pupil height, and frame curvature (face bend). When cycling, because your upper body leans forward, your face tilts downward toward the handlebar stem, causing you to look forward through the upper part of the lenses while your eyes turn upward and inward. This changes the actual pupillary distance, pupil height, and astigmatism axis of the lenses, leading to discomfort or dizziness, which worsens with higher prescriptions (except for those with exceptional adaptability or low sensitivity). This affects the safety of long rides.
For specialized sports myopia cycling glasses, another factor to consider is the frame’s face bend. In addition to the issues mentioned above with regular glasses, these glasses generally have a larger face bend. The outer tinted plano lenses can produce a prism effect due to the angle between the line of sight and the lens plane (even people who don’t normally wear glasses may feel uncomfortable when first using high-curve sport glasses and need an adaptation period). This distorts your view of objects, causing discomfort.
Therefore, for those with anisometropia (a difference of over 250 degrees between the two eyes’ prescriptions), astigmatism greater than 75 degrees, an astigmatism axis within 90° ±15°, or both eyes over 300 degrees, it’s best to avoid high-curve myopia cycling glasses. Choose as flat a pair as possible. To put it plainly, regular glasses + clip-on sunglasses are the best option, and try to keep your chin up when looking forward.
Recommended methods
1. Regular frames + clip-on cycling sunglasses
2. Regular frames + tinted (photochromic) lenses
3. Regular frames + specialized sports myopia lenses
4. Daily disposable contact lenses + sport sunglasses
(Source: Bicycle Network)