Conference vmszoo::rc

>    muggy that I refuse to stand on the flight line and try flying
>    through a sheet of salty sweat trying to burn my poor eyes.

About those poor eyes.  After a full day of RC flying (or even 
spectating) my eyes are burning bad.  Staring up in the clouds
all day will really hurt.

I wear prescription photo gray extra glasses (those are the kind
that turn into sun glasses when exposed to ultra violet light).
Still the sun kills after a long day.

Lately at every glider contest I go to more and more guys are
wearing these special sun glasses sold by "Safety Plus".

At the last contest easily 75 percent were wearing them or some
equivalent.  I received a pair UPS last night.  They fit over my
glasses (tho I suspect they would not if you had LARGE glasses)
and they give additional protection in addition to doing a fare
job of sealing out the light from the sides, top, and bottom that
are missed by regular glasses.

Recommended.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
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    Re: last-2,                           
    
    If these are the glasses I'm thinking of, yes, they're UV and blue-
    blockers.  Like Kay, I too wear prescription photo-gray glasses
    and I understand that I'm at even greater risk of cataracts caused
    by UV as the darkened lenses allow the pupil to open, allowing even
    more UV to enter the eye.  I intend to have my glasses UV coated/
    treated from now on.  Of course, this will do nothing toward blocking
    the blue frequencies but these are not harmful, as I understand
    it.
    
    The currently prevalent UV glasses give everything a bright, yellowish 
    look (due to the blocking of all the blue frequencies) that'll take some
    getting used to but images are sharper and can be seen clearly at
    increased distances so they're very popular with the sailplane/
    RC-assisted oltimer free-flight fliers nowadays.  

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

I wore photo-gray sunglasses for years while I was sailing.  Now
I have very large floaters in both eyes, due partially to the
eystrain/uv exposure.

My latest prescription sunglasses are amber, very similar in
action to the glasses you've been describing.  Since the floaters
make my eyes sensitive to diffused light (its like looking at the
world through a screen door), I am especially aware of how the
amber glasses improve resolution of low contrast images, such as
a plane against a background, or when flying in low light
conditions (I'm a terror on the road after dark). 

Besides, the amber makes flowers and trees look especially
colorful; its great fun to go to the Denver City Gardens!

An ounce of prevention now is worth a ton of cure later -- those
photo gray glasses do very little for you except to cut the light
coming in and make you think you're wearing sunglasses. 

    It should be noted that prescription photo-gray glasses are no better
    _or_worse_ than sunglasses.  Both have the effect of allowing the
    pupil to open wider, thereby admitting more UV into the eye.  Those
    of us who spend lotsa' time outdoors, especially looking up into
    the sky as we R/C pilots do, are even more at risk and should take
    advantage of the new UV blocking lenses and coatings that are now
    commonly available.   

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    In this part of the country (New Hampshire) there have been several
    ads on television for Ambervision sunglasses.  They are also supposed
    to be UV blocking.  I ordered some clip-ons for my glasses and although
    I have not tried them while flying, I did wear them outside and
    everything seemed so much clearer.  I think this will help me with
    orientation of the chopper, since part of my problem is actually
    seeing it.  This Sunday at our fun-fly, my vision glazed over due
    to sweat in my eyes, and I found out that you can't fly what you
    can't see.  Need I explain further? :*}.

		________
	 /	  __|__  
	=========[_____\>
	/	__|___|__/  BREAK A BLADE,
			    Ken    	

    I wear the blue blockers and swear by them. If I happen to forget them
    and have to wear "regular" sunglasses, everything looks fuzy. The
    blue blockers give you the UV protection you need, plus make everything
    much crisper and sharper.
    
    Steve

    
    Are "blue-blockers" = amber = brown?
    
    Or does blue-blockers mean they block u.v.
    
    From what I was told
    
    Grey tint maintains color (also known as "true-grey").
    Brown(amber?) tint makes edges crisper but you loose some color
    Green tint?
     
    

    I'm not sure this is exactly right, but the makers of "blue blockers"
    block out the entire blue spectrum in order to also block the UV
    spectrum. This does have an effect on color.
    
    As some of you may no, there is no such color as white. White is the
    absense of all color. There is also no such color as black. Black is
    the conbination of all colors. With the blue blockers, the "blue"
    rest area signs along the highway turn black. Some blues, like on
    cars, also turn black. Because the lens have a yellow/orange tint,
    anything white looks yellow/orange. Anything already yellow/orange
    will look mostly white. Many times I have seen airplanes that I just
    assumed were a particular color, but when taking the "blue blockers" 
    off, found them to be completely different.
    
    However, I don't find the color change to be a problem. The advantages
    I find are that because the UV spectrum is blocked, things get
    clearer. How many of you have looked into an Ultra Violet light and
    saw that it looked all fuzy. For reasons unknown to me, the Ultra
    Violet light seems to blur things. When it's blocked, it's amazing
    how much clearer things get.
    
    I also find better depth perception and better definition between
    similar colors. For example, looking up at the sky on a cloudy day
    where the clouds are various shades of grey/white, it all seems to
    blend in. With the blue blockers, however, you can see all of the
    different cloud variences very clearly.
    
    It's something you really have to try to appreciate. I've seen them
    advertised many places. Some quite expensive. If you don't need
    prescription lenses, you can buy them really cheap. The last two pair
    I got were from the local gas station for 5 bucks.
    
    Steve

    
     I'm using a pair of prescription Serengeti Drivers that offer the
     copper lense "blue blocking" capability. I bought these last year
     prior to my entrance to the hobby and have found them to be excellent
     with glare handling and contrast quality.  
    
    George 

    Get the lenses that are 100% UV blocking. The "blue blockers" are the
    amber lenses. Along with all of the UV, they also block most of the
    blue light. Most people feel that the view through amber lenses is
    sharper and has higher contrast than grey. The colors are a little
    weird and they take a bit of getting used to.
    
    The lenses that wrap around the sides give you some protection around
    the side, but be sure that you get high quality glasses. I get headaches
    from the eyestrain when looking through cheap glasses.
    
    When the light level drops, it is probably a good idea to remove the
    sunglasses. Even though Amber lenses appear to increase contrast and
    make evening/night vision sharper, they reduce the amount of light
    getting to your retina enough to significantly reduce what you can
    actually see.
    
    The only problem that I have with wearing sunglasses is that on Monday
    morning, I have a very weird tan, sort of like reverse racoon eyes...
    
    	Marty Sasaki

    
    I think you have it backwards.
    
    White = is all colors combined
    Black = is absense of all colors
    
    Also "100%" U.V. protection is independent of tint color.
    Some colors (blue blocker/amber) have better side effects against
    U.V. than others. Even clear glass blocks a significant amount
    of U.V. 99% of all sunglasses block over 90% of U.V.
    I don't think amber alone is blocking 100% of the U.V.
    Maybe blue blocker implies (amber + 100% U.V.)?
    

As I understand it, blue blocking glasses enhance contrast in two ways. First,
blue light, having the shortest wavelength, is scattered the most by the 
atmosphere. That's why distant scenery takes on a bluish tinge. By eliminating
the blue light, you get a clearer view of distant objects.

Secondly, on a sunny day, all shadows receive their light strictly from the
sky, which is blue. So by cutting the blue out, you effectively lower the light
reflected in shadows, which causes greater contrast.

But I still like neutral gray better.

Dave

Lincoln Ross gave me the following address:

Lab Safety Supply Inc.
401 S. Wright Rd.
Janesville, WI.  53546-9989

They sell the same sun glasses that safety plus does
for $12 instead of $20.

I have had two pairs from Safety Plus and will probably
order my next pair from Lab Safety Supply.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
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For those of us with perscription glasses, you may be delighted to
know that when you 'move on' to another set of glasses your old ones
(if they have plastic lenses) can be tinted giving you a pair of
perscription sunglasses. The glasses store may tell you that they can not
guarantee how it turns out.  All of those coatings you paid mega-bucks for when you
you bought the glasses may now prevent the tint from being distributed
evenly.  (These places are worse than car dealerships! :-)

My perscription hasn't changed in a long time, so when a pair of
mine got a chip on the edge which was cosmeticly unattractive, but did
not affect their function, I had them tinted for less than $20.
They ground down the chip, and the tint turned out great.  (I got the
tint extra dark: essential for my honeymoon in Greece!)

As far as I know, (& Consumer Reports agrees) most sunglasses are
able to block a good portion of the UV light.  Most of the ad copy
written to sell high-end sunglasses is over-blown if all you really
care about is function.  Freedom from distortion will cost you 10-20
bucks, the rest is fashion.

-Dave

    One of the local mags here in Europe has an advert for flying glasses -
    based on the blue-blockers. Quite reasonable at about STG �19 and even
    more reasonable at �29.95 for a prescription lens. I have ordered a
    pair of the latter. Looking up into the blue (more often cloudy here)
    sky can be a real strain especially when its not practical to wear
    ordinary sunglasses.
    
    Eric();