{"id":43265,"date":"2022-09-26T12:43:48","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T12:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=43265"},"modified":"2022-09-27T12:39:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T12:39:00","slug":"jumping-with-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/jumping-with-glasses\/","title":{"rendered":"Jumping with Glasses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Glasses can look cool, protect your eyes and correct your vision
Photo: Tim Douglas and Jasper van der Mere by Roy Wimmer Jaglom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ralph Wilhelm takes a closer look at wearing glasses for skydiving\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are five reasons for a skydiver to wear glasses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Eye protection from the wind with an open-face helmet<\/li>
  2. Correction of a sight debility<\/li>
  3. Sun protection<\/li>
  4. Impact protection <\/li>
  5. \u2026and looking cool! <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    No matter what your reason is, make sure you choose the right glasses, to be comfortable, effective and compatible. Treat your glasses as an essential part of your gear – because they are. Make the right choice, aiming to find a good balance between comfort, safety & style. Here\u2019s some food for thought and some words of experience\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oldie<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    Inexpensive and easy to replace but definitely not the best goggle when it comes to protection or if you want to install corrective lenses. <\/em>Photo by Ralph Wilhelm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    1 Wind Protection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When using an open-face helmet, the shape of the glasses, which dictates the fit, is most important. The less wind you get into your eyes, the lower the risk of temporarily losing vision, due to your eyes watering. If a newbie skydiver asks which glasses to buy, people often answer with brand names. That does not really help. Every face has a different form. It\u2019s paramount that the shape of the glasses fits the shape of your face as well as possible. Too much space between the frame and your face makes it far too windy. It might look cool but these glasses are not suitable for skydiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, I went around the DZ and asked everybody who was wearing glasses to let me try their brands. Trying the glasses of another instructor (thanks Jeanine), I found that WileyX fit my face perfectly. However, they might not fit your face at all. Most manufacturers have different models for longer or rounder shaped faces. You have to try them on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fit<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    Depending on the shape of your face, some glasses will sit nicely tight.\u00a0<\/em> Photo by Ralph Wilhelm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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    The thickness of the glasses at the temples is quite important. Thick temples are a pain (in the face) when you put the glasses on while wearing a full-face helmet, and can cause discomfort and pain when wearing an open-face helmet, as the temples are pressed against your skin\/skull by the helmet. Remember you might sit quite a time with your helmet on during the way to altitude and on the way down under canopy. It sounds a bit unusual, but bring your helmet if you try out any glasses for fit. They might fight perfectly without the helmet but may be hard to get on when wearing a full-face helmet or may cause discomfort when wearing them under the helmet for a longer time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shapes<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    Most manufacturers like Wiley X offer different shapes, try to find glasses which best fit your face<\/em>
    Photo by Ralph Wilhelm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Trying your glasses on with your helmet is absolutely imperative since the temples are usually thicker and the pressure against the skull might become unbearable after several minutes. I accidentally wore corrective sunglasses for the first time with my G3 full face, as I forgot to swap to my normal eye-wear on a sunny day. I had no other choice but to endure massive discomfort throughout the jump. Taking them off would have meant seeing close to nothing beyond several meters which was clearly not an option.<\/em><\/p>Oksana Golubtsova
    4-way and big-way jumper<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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    Thin temples<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    Test the glasses with your helmet for a long time, as wearing them for a while can hurt if your helmet presses on the temples\u00a0<\/em><\/em> Photo by Ralph Wilhelm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Another nice-to-have point if you are using an open-face helmet is if the glasses are set up for use with a neckband. Since you don\u2019t want to lose your glasses in freefall, the use of a neckband is strongly recommended. Some brands depend on aftermarket slip-over neckbands. I don’t like this solution, as these neckbands are not so easy to install or remove, and I don’t need a neckband when driving a car or just doing something different than skydiving on a sunny day (what a strange thought!). I prefer glasses where the temples are set up in a way that you can snap a neckband on and off in no time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Neckband o<\/strong>ptions<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n