Sporting challenge

As a result of the flurry of activity around the wrapped sports lenses available at Optrafair, optician embarked on a project

Many of the lens companies at Optrafair were making a big play of their wrapped lens capabilities, but some practitioners at the show were still voicing scepticism about the ability of prescription houses to successfully glaze wrapped products.

Companies such as BBGR and its sister company Rupp+Hubrach were making bold claims about their ability to glaze pretty much any frame on the market, so optician decided to put them to the test. Our challenge was made to BBGR and its sister company R+H to glaze some of the most tightly-wrapped frames available.

The frames were provided by Rudy Project, supplier of a range of prescription products based around corrective inserts and glazeable frames.

These are used in sports from running, to cycling and golf.

The frames chosen were an Ekynox SX in silver with a mirrored blue lens and an Ekynox in black. Both products as a sunglass are constructed from lightweight performance Grilamid TR55 LX. They both have interchangeable lenses and vents between the frame and the lens to reduce moisture build up. Both have adjustable temples and nosepieces and as a plano product the lenses are optical grade polycarbonate.

The technical team at R+H suggested a soft grey-blue Sports lens with a 50 per cent absorption and a Silver Shade mirror coating for the Ekynox SX. This replaced a blue mirrored Rudy project Laser Blue lens already in place. The suggested lens for the black Ekynox, which had a black tint lens was a Sports Transitions in grey with a Silver Shade mirror coating. Both were glazed with fixed lenses including side vents, as on the original design.