FAQ

There are numerous, compelling reasons to wear sunglasses (prescription or otherwise) while fishing, and the most important ones are related to safety and health. Our eyes are the primary way in which we engage with the world, and hours spent in the UV rays of the sun does serious, permanent damage to them. While it’s a glorious thing to spend hours fishing in the sun, it’s important to realize that sun damage is dangerous and that wearing glasses provides us with a measure of protection against this damage. The sport lenses we make not only protect the eyes by blocking UVA and UVB but they also cover the delicate, vulnerable skin around our eyes. Additionally, eye fatigue is caused by excessive strain on the eyes and prolonged exposure to bright light, both of which are drastically reduced behind a pair of sunglasses. These days, the screens we constantly look at provide us with enough causes of eye fatigue, we should do our best to minimize these causes. Another reason is the fact that sunglasses block light, and polarized lenses drastically reduce the glare on the water, which helps you perform better and catch more fish. 

Well, it depends on your Rx. If your only issue is that you can’t see distance, then that’s an easy one. Single-Vision distance is all you need. Otherwise, when it comes to bifocals or progressives, the best option is the one that best suits your needs. Is there a single, specific situation or reading distance that you find you have trouble focusing on? Are you having trouble tying your flies? Perhaps a lined bifocal is a good option. If you can’t see your catch as you hold it up, perhaps the progressive is the lens for you.

If you are ordering a bifocal or progressive we will ship you your frames along with a marking kit and detailed instructions so that you can tell us precisely where you’d like us to set your bifocal/progressive. Once you send them back to us, we’ll get to work on your lenses and then send them back to you once they’re completed.

Well, why are you here? If you’re currently wearing a pair of sunglasses and would like to update or convert them into prescription sunglasses, then what type of lenses do you currently wear? What tone are they? How do you like them? Do you notice they’re too light or too dark? Do you like them in certain situations but wished they worked better in others?

If you don’t currently wear sunglasses, well, that’s fine. Welcome to the club. Nearly all of our fishing customers wear polarized lenses, but we understand that there are a lot of options. If you’re considering getting a sunglass lens but have never worn one before, talk to us so you know your options and so that we can give you some advice. Or, try on your friend’s glasses and see how you like his or her tone and style. This is a serious investment and you have a lot of options, and it’s in all of our best interests to make sure you like what you’re getting.

Being fully custom and handmade, our lenses take approximately three to four weeks to complete. Mirror finishes or special coatings can add an extra week to the process. Considering that you’re purchasing a highly refined medical device that requires a substantial investment of time and energy from both parties, and which will be individually crafted by hand, we appreciate any patience you’re able to give us.

While we do our best to accommodate your schedule, it often seems like everyone has a trip or event coming up. We do offer a RUSH processing service, for an extra $50, which halves the time to approximately one and a half weeks. The lenscrafting process is delicate and lenses are fragile, so we cannot guarantee delivery; however, if we can’t deliver them as promised we won’t charge you the Rush fee.

Sports Optical is an independent optical boutique in Denver specializing in custom, handmade prescription sports lenses. In the early 1990s we pioneered the technology to put prescriptions into curved-format sport lenses, and since then we’ve been hard at work perfecting our craft. Today, our lenscrafting pedigree is second to none and we ship our lenses all over the world for athletes and professionals of every kind. We didn’t get here on technology alone, however, and we’re proud to offer sincere and personable customer service with each phone call and in every email.

We’d like to explain that while those of us here at Sports Optical have a lot of hobbies and passions, from cycling to car racing to tennis, not all of us fish, just some of us. With this in mind, we’ve worked with fisherman of all kinds to test our work and lens materials to make sure what the lenses we’re making are the lenses that will work best for you.

From a business standpoint, it might be better for us if we let you order online, but from a quality standpoint we’d rather take the extra time and effort to receive your order by phone or through email. This is a serious investment for you as well as us, and being a custom product which requires a significant amount of precision, we try to make sure we do it right the first time. By having all orders come through the phone or email, we’re better able to address your needs, confirm all the prescription and order information you provide us, and offer a higher quality service.

Absolutely. We ship to all fifty states and across the world. Domestically, we use UPS Ground and for International shipping we use USPS International Priority.