Upside down snooker glasses are prescription eyewear designed specifically for playing snooker, pool, and billiards.
The frame is worn inverted — the solid rim sits at the bottom of the lens rather than the top — so that when you get down on your cue, your eyes align perfectly with the optical centre of your prescription. The result is sharp, accurate vision at the exact moment you need it most.
At Bowden Opticians we have been supplying upside down snooker snooker glasses since 1997 — our very first pair went to a professional player in Hong Kong, before the days of Google and ecommerce. Our current frame, the Model Mark, is available in gold and gunmetal and can be glazed to almost any prescription.
→ View the Bowden Opticians Model Mark
Why ordinary glasses don’t work at the snooker table
Every pair of prescription glasses has an optical centre — a specific point in the lens where your prescription is perfectly accurate and your vision is at its sharpest. When you are standing upright, that optical centre lines up with your pupils, and everything works as it should.
The problem starts the moment you get down on a shot. In a typical cueing stance your head tilts forward by 30 to 45 degrees. At that angle your pupils are no longer looking through the optical centre — they have drifted toward the top edge of the lens, where the prescription distorts and vision blurs. In effect you are looking over your glasses rather than through them, which defeats the purpose entirely.
This is why so many snooker players struggle with standard glasses at the table. Some squint. Some lift their head to compensate, ruining their alignment. Others give up on glasses altogether and play with impaired vision. None of these is a good solution.
How upside down snooker glasses solve the problem
By wearing the frame inverted, the entire optical design rotates to match your cueing position. The solid rim moves to the bottom of the lens, and the open semi-rimless edge sits at the top. When you lean into your shot, your pupils now look through the optical centre of the lens — the sweet spot — giving you the sharpest possible vision at exactly the moment the ball is in play.
The semi-rimless upper edge does a second job: there is nothing above the lens to cut across your sightline as you look along the cue. With conventional frames, the top rim interrupts your field of view the moment you lower your head. With upside down glasses, you look through clear, unobstructed lens all the way to the top.
The lenses themselves are also deeper than standard prescription lenses, giving a larger optical zone. This means you retain sharp vision across a wider range of head positions — useful whether you’re playing an ordinary stance or stretching across the table on a difficult rest shot.
The glasses Dennis Taylor made famous
The upside down snooker glass has a longer history than most people realise. The design was first developed in the 1930s by London optician Theodore Hamblin and was later taken up by snooker professional Fred Davis. But it became known worldwide through one player and one match.
Dennis Taylor had deteriorating eyesight that was making it increasingly difficult to compete at the top level. He had tried contact lenses but couldn’t get on with them at the table. In the early 1980s he approached Jack Karnehm — a BBC snooker commentator, former professional player, and qualified optician whose family had been in the spectacle trade for generations. Karnehm made Taylor a pair by hand, working with tools he hadn’t used in forty years. The originals were heavy, made with real glass lenses, but they worked.
On 18 April 1985, Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the final black in the last frame of the World Snooker Championship. An estimated 18.5 million viewers watched that final shot — the highest television audience ever recorded in the UK for a sporting event broadcast after midnight. Taylor’s enormous inverted frames became as famous as the result, and demand for snooker glasses has never been the same since.
Bowden Opticians has been part of that story since 1997. We have supplied hundreds of pairs of prescription snooker glasses to players all over the world, and our own Model Mark frame carries that tradition forward.
The Bowden Opticians Model Mark
The Model Mark is our own-brand of Upside Down Snooker Glasses, developed specifically for table sports. It is available in two finishes — gold and gunmetal — with a semi-rimless construction at the top of the lens to eliminate frame distractions when you are down on the shot.
Every pair is glazed to your individual prescription. We adjust the optical centre higher than we would for everyday glasses, so that when your head is in the cueing position, your pupils align correctly with the sharpest part of the lens. The result is prescription-accurate vision at the table, not a compromise between playing and everyday use.
All Model Mark glasses include a free anti-reflective coating as standard. This substantially reduces glare from the bright overhead lights above the table — a common source of distraction that affects both comfort and accuracy during long sessions.
- Available in gold and gunmetal
- Semi-rimless at the top for an unobstructed sightline
- Lightweight frame for comfort during long matches
- Anti-reflective coating included as standard
- Glazed to your prescription — shortsighted, longsighted, and astigmatism
- Suitable for snooker, pool, billiards, and crown green bowls
- Dispatched to the UK and worldwide
→ Order the Model Mark with your prescription
Who are prescription Upside Down snooker glasses for?
Snooker glasses are for any player who needs corrective lenses and wants to play at their best. They are particularly worth considering if:
- You wear everyday glasses but find your vision blurs or distorts when you get down on the shot
- You currently take your glasses off to play and are managing with uncorrected vision
- You have tried contact lenses at the table but found them uncomfortable, dry, or unreliable
- You notice your potting accuracy varies from session to session and suspect your vision may be a factor
- You play pool, billiards, or crown green bowls and face the same problem in a different sport
Upside Down Snooker glasses are not just for players with strong prescriptions. Even mild shortsightedness or longsightedness can affect your ability to judge angles and pace accurately, particularly on long pots or when reading the position of balls across the table.
How to order
Ordering is straightforward. You will need two things:
- Your current prescription — from any optician. If you have had an eye test in the past two years, your optician is required by law to provide a copy on request, free of charge.
- Your pupillary distance (PD) — the measurement in millimetres between the centres of your pupils. This is sometimes printed on your prescription. If not, any optician can measure it for you, or we can advise you how to measure it at home.
Once we have those details, we glaze the Upside Down Snooker Glasses to your exact specification and dispatch them to you. If you have any questions about your prescription, your lens type, or whether snooker glasses are suitable for your particular situation, get in touch and we will be happy to advise.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get varifocal lenses in snooker glasses?
We do not recommend varifocal lenses for snooker glasses. The progressive zone in a varifocal is designed for normal upright head positions and does not work well at cueing angles — the reading zone typically ends up in the wrong part of the lens when you are down on the shot. We recommend single-vision lenses set for your snooker distance, which is roughly arm’s length from the cue ball (50 to 70cm for most players).
What if I have a strong prescription or astigmatism?
We can accommodate a wide range of prescriptions including higher powers and cylinder corrections for astigmatism. High-index lenses are available for stronger prescriptions to keep the lens slim and the weight down. Send us your prescription details and we will confirm what is possible before you order.
Are Upside Down snooker glasses suitable for pool as well?
Yes. The cueing position in pool is very similar to snooker and the glasses work equally well. The Model Mark is also popular with billiards players and crown green bowls players who adopt a similar forward-leaning stance.
How long does it take to adapt to wearing them?
Most players notice an immediate improvement the first time they get down on a shot. Worn upright they look unusual, but at the table the benefit is obvious straight away. Full adaptation — feeling natural wearing them both upright and cueing — typically takes a session or two.
Can I wear them as everyday glasses?
The Model Mark is designed for table sports. The prescription is optimised for the cueing position, which means it works well for close-to-mid distance tasks like reading or desk work, but is not ideal for driving or everyday distance use. Most customers keep a separate pair for everyday wear.
What do I need to measure my pupillary distance?
You can ask your optician to include the PD on your prescription — they are required to provide it on request. Alternatively, you can measure it at home using a ruler and a mirror, or we can send you instructions. The measurement is typically between 58mm and 68mm for most adults.
Do you ship outside the UK?
Yes. We have dispatched Upside Down snooker glasses to customers worldwide since 1997. International shipping costs and delivery times are shown at checkout.
Can I get my lenses replaced when my prescription changes?
Yes. The Model Mark Upside Down Snooker Glasses can be reglazed with updated lenses when your prescription changes. Contact us for a reglaze quote.
→ Order your prescription snooker glasses | Contact us with a question
Bowden Opticians — prescription snooker glasses since 1997. Based in Bolton, dispatching to the UK and worldwide.