Oakley Shield Fusion: Sutro Shield sunglasses now available with prescription lenses

Large Shield goggles have long been a familiar sight on bikes. For those who wear spectacles, however, they have until now been a tricky category: often, an additional lens clip was fitted behind the large lens. Oakley now wants to replace this design with the Shield Fusion.

The technology was developed in collaboration with the optics specialist Shamir. The corrective solution is laminated directly onto the rear of the single-piece lens. This ensures that the prescription remains virtually invisible when viewed from the front.

Prescription lenses fitted directly onto the Shield lens

The key difference compared to a traditional clip-in system is that the prescription is not fitted as a separate component behind the lens, but is integrated directly into the Shield lens. This saves space behind the glasses and is designed to minimise any obstruction to the view through the large lens.

This is particularly interesting for mountain bikers because Shield glasses keep out a lot of wind, dust and spray and offer a wide field of vision. Until now, sports glasses with two separate lenses fitted directly into the frame were often easier to use. We explain the differences between clip-on systems and solutions with lenses fitted directly into the frame in our An overview of visual aids for cyclists.

These Oakley Sutro models are compatible

Shield Fusion is available for four models in the Sutro range:

• Sutro
• Sutro Lite
• Sutro Lite Sweep
• Sutro Lite Small

Oakley combines the prescription solution with all Prizm lens colours in the Sutro range. According to the manufacturer, the range of possible prescriptions extends from -3.00 to +3.00 dioptres. For the cylinder value, up to -3.00 dioptres possible.

What people who wear glasses should bear in mind

Shield Fusion is a new product, not a practical test. Whether the lenses work in any given case depends, amongst other things, on the wearer’s prescription, the position of their head and glasses, and the demands of cycling. It is therefore advisable to seek advice from a sports optician.

Anyone weighing up the options between contact lenses, clip-on lenses and sports glasses with built-in lenses will find in our Test of ten pairs of prescription cycling glasses the main differences between the systems. Direct-glazing models generally offer a wide field of vision and a discreet solution, but are usually considerably more expensive than clip-in versions.

Technical specifications: Oakley Shield Fusion