The RX INSERT
A solution for prescription wearers
We’re pleased to introduce the RX insert, which has been the driving force for the development behind the 2RX. It is possible to utilise all the benefits and features of the X Sight Sport shooting glasses and lens colour range with your prescription.
Designing an optional prescription solution that works together with the unique features that make our glasses perfect for archery and clay shooting has been the most complex part of the design process for the 2RX.
Will the RX Insert be suitable for your prescription?
We have designed the X Sight RX insert with our expert optical manufacturer and tested its limits with specialised optometrists to achieve the best results possible. Still, unlike your regular prescription glasses, some limiting factors need to be considered when filing an RX insert for use with specialised shooting glasses like ours.
It’s important to note the RX insert is only suitable for weak to medium prescriptions. Read the guide below for more details...
Seeking advice
If you have never had a wraparound prescription before and are on the border of the power limits outlined below, it is good to be cautious. You may not be able to adjust to a wraparound prescription, or it may not be physically possible to manufacture. If you are curious whether your prescription will work in the 2RX insert, it is a good idea to talk to your optician or seek advice from a specialist optometrist before purchasing.
RX insert Guidance
We have written this guide to help you understand the RX prescription insert and its optical power limits and decide if it is right for you.
What is an RX Insert & how does it work?
RX is commonly known to most as the symbol for a medical prescription. RX can also mean a prescription for eyeglasses lenses.
The RX insert is a frame like any other pair of glasses you can get from an optician filled with your required prescription, and it sits behind the exterior front lens.
Unlike traditional glasses frames, which are flat, an RX insert is curved to adapt to curved wrap-around style glasses like ours. X Sight shooting glasses are designed with a high curvature to maximise the benefits of a wrap-around lens for archery or shooting.
Our RX insert is made from TR90. A type of plastic which is robust and very lightweight whilst also having a flexible quality. The TR90 material makes it an ideal solution for fitting with prescription lenses.
The RX insert is fixed behind the lens using grooves in the ventilation bar, which hold it in place and allows it to be swapped easily between lens colours. This two-part arrangement offers excellent versatility and performance, allowing you to experience all the benefits of the X Sight glasses with your prescription lenses.
We’ve made our insert as large as possible to minimise interference with your peripheral vision.
Because it is larger than most others, there is a trade-off regarding the strength of the prescription lens that will work with it. For further guidance, please read about this under ‘Considerations’.
Because it is larger than most others, there is a trade-off regarding the strength of the prescription lens that will work with it. For further guidance, please read about this under ‘Considerations’.
Is the RX Insert suitable for me?
When it comes to prescription glasses for shooting sports, everyone is unique, and there are several factors involved in shooting sports, like archery and clay shooting, that change your eye position.
The position of coming into anchor for archery or mounting the gun for shooting should be considered and tried to ensure you have good visibility through the RX insert.
Our RX insert is as large as it can be, but you may see the frame in your peripheral vision, as is the case with most normal prescription glasses.
We recommend trying the frame before you get it filled to ensure you are comfortable with it and that it is suitable for you to shoot in.
Considerations & optical power Limits
- Between the range of -3.00 : +3.00
Prescriptions strengths outside the above range are unsuitable for our RX Insert. Anything stronger could be too thick and could cause distortion. Keep reading to find out how to read your prescription.
Prescription strength is defined for each eye separately.
- O.D. : right eye
- O.S. : left eye
Sphere: The sphere (SPH) on your prescription indicates the lens power you need to see clearly. A minus (-) symbol next to this number means you are shortsighted, and a plus (+) symbol means you are longsighted.
Cylinder: The cylinder (CYL) number indicates the lens power needed to correct astigmatism. If this column is blank, you don’t have an astigmatism.
Axis: An axis number is also included if you have an astigmatism. This number shows the angle of the lens that shouldn’t feature a cylinder power to correct your astigmatism.
ADD – The number under the ‘add’ column tells us the 2nd lens prescription needed for multifocal lenses like a bi-focal.
The RX insert is curved to fit inside the wrap-around protective style of shooting glasses, and the prescription lens has to match the curve. Regular prescription glasses tend to be flat frames & have flat lenses.
The lenses will be flat, not curved, when tested for your prescription. A prescription doesn’t consider the lenses being angled in front of your face in a wrap-around style.
A curved prescription lens has limiting factors on power range. Flat lenses can reach much higher corrective needs than a curved lens, but why? As you increase the strength of prescription power in a lens, the thicker it becomes in places, e.g. edges or the centre, depending upon your corrective needs.
Going beyond the limits can result in the following issues:
- The lens not fitting the insert properly due to being too thick at the edges.
- The insert or the lens makes contact with the lens in front, which can damage both lenses and cause potential fogging.
- The lens touches your eyelashes because it is too thick in the middle.
- Furthermore, it could cause visual aberrations or defects in the visual image.
It’s important to note the RX Insert is only suitable for customers with weak to medium prescriptions. Depending upon the strength of your prescription, it may not be possible to manufacture a lens into a curved RX insert without adverse side effects. We recommend speaking to your optician for further advice if you have a strong prescription or any concerns.
If you have an astigmatism correction on your prescription, you’ll have both CYL and AXIS values for one or both eyes. You’ll see a minus (-) or plus (+) number in the CYL section. People with prescriptions that have high CYL (outside the range of -2.00 to +2.00) generally cannot adjust to an RX Insert.
There is some good news for those on the border of the power range limit. There are options to counter stronger prescriptions, such as using a thinner, lighter lens. We recommend you speak to your optician if you’re interested to know more about these options.
Varifocals aren’t ideal for shooting as they are designed with various focal points in the middle of the lens. In shooting sports, you don’t always look through the centre of the lens. Archers will look to one side during anchor and aim, and clay shooters will look through a top corner during gun mount.
Varifocal & bi-focal lenses are better suited to flat-lens traditional glasses. Incorporating them into a curved lens can cause unexpected distortions. Therefore a single-vision lens is recommended for a curved RX insert. Of course, everyone is unique, and what works for some won’t work for others. We recommend speaking to a specialist if you want to use varifocal or bi-focal lenses in an RX insert.
Filling your prescription
Currently, we do not provide a prescription filling service. However, any competent optician, such as your local independent optician, should be able to advise on the suitability of the RX insert for your prescription and fill the frame with your desired prescription.
We provide the RX insert unglazed (no lens fitted). You should seek advice from your local optician about the suitability of your prescription for wrap-around RX Inserts before purchasing an RX Insert, or contact a specialist Optometrist.
Improving your visual performance
One of the specialists we collaborated with to test our RX insert is Ed Lyons of Flint and Partners Optometrists, a world leader in eye science for shooting sports. We recommend consulting with Ed Lyons if you are seeking specialist advice on RX inserts, prescription shooting glasses or methods and training aids to improve your visual performance.
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