Goggles are meant to enhance the enjoyment and safety of whatever sport you’re partaking in. Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding, motocross, or mountainbiking. They’re NOT intended to give you a headache as the sides press your eyeglasses into your temples like an underpowered torture device. But sometimes, they do. And we hate it.
Straight from the laboratories at NASA (or so we like to think) come “OTG goggles”, or “over the glasses” goggles. They’re specific models catered to us four-eyed folk – and meant to fit comfortably over your frames. They are a saving grace on the mountain, allowing you to clearly spot that floundering 5-year-old, face down in the middle of the bunny hill.
I’ve got glasses, why do I need goggles at all?
Some choose to ski/snowboard wearing just their glasses, thinking to avoid any discomfort or hassle. Despite being an obvious safety precaution for debris and cold, wearing goggles keeps your glasses (i.e your vision) protected, and also on your face at all times. If you start doing cartwheels down a powdery slope, do you think you’re going to find those glasses again?
What about prescription lenses or inserts?
The main complaint we hear about relying on inserts is needing to carry around a separate set of glasses for any point of the day you won’t be wearing goggles, like lunch. Or the drive home. But if you’ve got the cash, you may want to look into prescription inserts – a wide selection is available at SportRX. Or if you have prescription inserts already and aren’t sure what goggles they would fit in, check out this handy guide from Gogglesnmore.
Will other large models of goggles work?
Yes and no. Using non-OTG goggles increases the risk of pressure being placed on arms (temples) of your eyeglasses, possibly causing them to bend or warp. There are larger-framed goggles that many people wear over glasses successfully and comfortably, but it’s luck of the draw, so try them on in person to determine if the fit is right.
When you buy dedicated goggles for over your glasses, you’re not just respecting the brands that devote resources and time to designing goggles specifically for us – you’re respecting your spectacles!
