Have you tried hard contact lenses (RGPs)? My eyes are also terrible, in that diopter neighborhood with astigmatism to boot. I found soft contacts at that prescription very uncomfortable but RGPs were a game changer. After the initial adaptation period they’re very comfortable and give me great vision- could easily read the 20/20 line when I got my last pair fitted. Those with a set of cycling glasses to protect from wind/dust/mud have proven to be a great combination.
They were something like these, only roundish lenses with a thick black frame, 5 inch bows and an elastic strap. I should probably see if I can find them again. OH! They had a HUGE rubber nose pad/guard.
I remember a movie about hockey I think, and one of the characters had hideous thick black framed glasses and was known for hurting people (if memory serves). Yeah, that… I just remember feeling like they were far too demonic looking, and not especially comfortable. The parents got them for me because I kept breaking glasses. Apparently as a ‘cone of shame’ type thing. It worked.
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My eyesight is as bad as yours, other than contact lenses the best solution I’ve found is prescription safety glasses. I look like a dork but at least I can see.
That was going to be my suggestion.
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Hey! I get how tough it is finding the right sport glasses with such a high prescription. Those Siroko 72s are okay, but Rudy’s prescription lenses might be the way to go since they go up to -20!
Trying a Base 6 frame sounds smart—less distortion and still decent coverage. Oakley Sliver or Mainlink could be good options.
Definitely see an ophthalmologist too; it’s crucial to check for any other eye issues. For more options, check out eyewebsafety for their eyewear program. Good luck!
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If you have a really strong prescription, you might need to settle for a frame for spherical lenses and/or smaller glasses. I have a moderate prescription (-4.5 in one eye) and it is at the very limit of what my Adidas frame can handle. It is very large and made for aspherical lenses. At the edge, they are 5+ mm thick! They had to leave cutouts in parts of the frame for that reason.
Good luck!
I found my pair of Oakley Radars and Oakley used separate lenses on each side of the base lens. They seemed to have no problem correcting my vision, but I don’t remember how ‘bad’ my eyes are, or were at that time.
Oakley did a pair in their Holbrook frames, and they are perfect for riding. I got the red mirrored lenses, and they are so amazing.
SportRX has some of their own branded frames that are swept for cycling; that can save you a few bucks.
Theirs look like Oakleys and they have a way of reducing the distortion, at an increased cost.
They have a wizard for building what you want/need and getting a price.
I have been a customer. I can tell you that the main drawback is time. Figure a month from the time that pull the trigger, until they show up at your door.
I was told that getting lenses for distance vision is easier than for near vision, so some might be able to get that in a frame. Some frames support trifocal lenses too. YMMV
My cycling glasses are definitely optimized for distance vision. Distance vision is markedly better than with my regular glasses, while objects that are nearer are a bit harder to see in focus.
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