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Riding with contacts?

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
How many of you ride with contacts in? This whole glasses thing is starting to suck in new ways, but I can't see well enough to ride without them.

Anything I need to be aware of?

Know it comes off like a dumb question, but I'd like to be able to see.

Any thoughts on how they'd work for field sports like rugby? It'd be killer to be able to see the ball in high def when I am playing.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
I have but I feel like I always need to wear glasses, sun or safety.

I know when I ride motos, after 25mph I can't see well unless I have a full face on.
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,132
7,679
Transylvania 90210
tried once at whistler with full face and goggles with fail results. the air flow through the goggle vent made them dry right out and peel off mid-run.
 

Raingauge

Monkey
Apr 3, 2008
692
0
Canadia
I've been wearing them for 15 years for sports. I'll never go back to glasses.

I usually wear goggles when I ride for the wind. It wasn't a problem until I started wearing disposable contacts. The non-disposable ones were great but if your riding and drop one in the parking lot you're screwed. If you have disposables you just pop a new one in.

When I was playing football (the american type) it made a huge difference in peripheral view. I didn't have to guess where the ball was going to be. The optometrist said my head could deform from a hit and they wouldn't pop out. Unless you're getting eye gouged in rugby I'd say you'll be ok.

I'm also pretty much blind though -6.5 in one eye and -6.0 in the other. I can't even read the alarm clock from my bed.
 
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Arkayne

I come bearing GIFs
May 10, 2005
3,738
15
SoCal
I almost always ride with my contacts on. If it's sunny I'll wear shades. If it's a night-ride, I'll use clear lenses.

It's important to find shades that have a good fit on your face so you don't get any turbulence around your eyes, effectively drying them out and eventually making the lens pop out when you blink.

I use Oakley Minute's and Half-Jackets.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
I've got the same issues. I've noticed my eyesight really take a turn for the worse in the last couple of months. I'm on my 3rd set of trial contacts and can't seem to find a brand that works well on both eyeballs.

Stupid astigmatism...
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
I've got the same issues. I've noticed my eyesight really take a turn for the worse in the last couple of months. I'm on my 3rd set of trial contacts and can't seem to find a brand that works well on both eyeballs.

Stupid astigmatism...
Did you try Purevision Torics? I'm happy with them, and I've got pretty bad astigmatism. I can't use the daily disposables because of it.

Anyways, I ride with contacts all the time. No issues at all. I can't stand riding with glasses on, having no peripheral vision sucks.
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
I've got the same issues. I've noticed my eyesight really take a turn for the worse in the last couple of months. I'm on my 3rd set of trial contacts and can't seem to find a brand that works well on both eyeballs.

Stupid astigmatism...
I had to switch to astigmatism lenses recently. They just suck in general. What made things worse was that my latest lenses had gotten to be the most comfortable ever! I'm on my second brand and they feel better than the first. The ones I have in were the first I tried, but I rejected b/c I didn't realize ALL astigmatism contacts suck the monkey. I now know they are the least uncomfortable.:rolleyes:

As for riding with them, I have since I rode moto as a teen. 20 years or so. I always ride trails with clear/tinted lenses and they only start to dry on less than 20 degree Farenheit rides.

Riding with clear/light tent sunglasses does two things. One...keeps your eyes from drying. Two...keeps dirt out. With contacts, a piece of grit in a contact means stopping....period. But I love riding with lenses. Smith Mainlines were awesome to ride in. ANd I love my Oakley Flak Jackets. Get a set of clear lenses for them and you are set. If you've got a big face, get the XLJ lenses.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Did you try Purevision Torics? I'm happy with them, and I've got pretty bad astigmatism. I can't use the daily disposables because of it.

Anyways, I ride with contacts all the time. No issues at all. I can't stand riding with glasses on, having no peripheral vision sucks.
I may have... I'll have to check the packaging on my latest set... Thanks for the tip.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
I had to switch to astigmatism lenses recently. They just suck in general. What made things worse was that my latest lenses had gotten to be the most comfortable ever! I'm on my second brand and they feel better than the first. The ones I have in were the first I tried, but I rejected b/c I didn't realize ALL astigmatism contacts suck the monkey. I now know they are the least uncomfortable.:rolleyes:

As for riding with them, I have since I rode moto as a teen. 20 years or so. I always ride trails with clear/tinted lenses and they only start to dry on less than 20 degree Farenheit rides.

Riding with clear/light tent sunglasses does two things. One...keeps your eyes from drying. Two...keeps dirt out. With contacts, a piece of grit in a contact means stopping....period. But I love riding with lenses. Smith Mainlines were awesome to ride in. ANd I love my Oakley Flak Jackets. Get a set of clear lenses for them and you are set. If you've got a big face, get the XLJ lenses.
Yeah, I always wear goggles anyway. I get the teary eye syndrome if not. It's the friggin' contacts themselves that I can't get working. yet. One last brand to try. Maybe Silver's brand...
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I'd wear glasses just to protect my eyes. I took a twig above my right eye by maybe 2mm a couple years ago. 20 stitches, scared the hell out of myself.
 
I feel ya dirty-mcdirty:D
I wear glasses for everything except bike riding. I think the correction being on the eye and not away from the eye makes for better high speed vision.
Old school soft contacts were a pain and once i had one pop off mid race at Road Atlanta and finished my race with eye .:D Man the good ol days and that was with the gravity-cavity over the big hill before the last turn.
The airflow of helmets and or goggle combo's is a a factor like the other guy stated. Snowboard goggles let in too much air for me at least wearing contacts.
Lately ive been using the one day disposables from walmart and after a day of DH i wash em good and reuse for a 2nd day and then throw away. They are thinner than the longer term acuvue/surevue contacts and frankly my eyes dont feel as scratched/worn after using for a weekend.
The price actually works out almost the same for a given month supply.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Did you try Purevision Torics? I'm happy with them, and I've got pretty bad astigmatism. I can't use the daily disposables because of it.

Anyways, I ride with contacts all the time. No issues at all. I can't stand riding with glasses on, having no peripheral vision sucks.
Ah ha! Just got home and checked out my last set I just picked up last weekend. They happen to be.... Bausch&Lomb Purevision Toric.

Hope they work... Will check and report...
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
I wear my glasses most often when not riding. It's sweaty and I hate it on my glasses. I always ride with contacts and Radars or Jawbones for protection. I just carry wetting drops for emergencies.
 

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
I wear contacts too. If i'm riding DH, I just make sure i've got on a good pair of goggles so my eyes don't dry out. I also wear contacts riding XC if i'm with friends. If i'm with friends, i tend to ride a lot faster downhill. If I'm just riding by myself I don't wear them. I don't need to see every pebble and root as much just because I won't be going as fast. I do have some big sunglasses. Some Smith type that twist and open up to switch lenses.
 

Rideforfun

Monkey
Nov 23, 2009
286
0
For ball sports they are awesome, I've had them for 4 years play soccer and 2 playing lacrosse and it was fine. I don't wear them when I bike but it's mainly because I don't wear them ever now. They did get dirt and stuff stuck to them and they would dry out.
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
good fitting sunglasses are important.

my contacts are UltraFlex Torrics.

--edit--

wait...right now I've got AccuView and I hate them. 2 more months and I'll be back to Torrics.
 

Arkayne

I come bearing GIFs
May 10, 2005
3,738
15
SoCal
Oh, like an innertube, pump, multi-tool, etc... keep an extra contact in your pack. It sucks being out in the boonies with 1 good eye.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Just changed from glasses to contacts. Big change for me, considering the glasses I was wearing were DESTROYED - you could barely see through all the scratches. Plus the prescription was old. With the newfound clarity came newfound speed too.

I did have one dry out with the wind and start shifting around once. Blinking and putting in some eyedrops between runs takes care of that.
 

worship_mud

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2006
1,464
2
contacts all the way! i use them for all sports, incl. football (soccer), climbing, hiking. i hate foggy and seaty glasses, makes them useless.
and let off the weed while wearing contacts. it dries out your eyes. (at least i was told so...) :D
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I don't smoke weed anymore, so that works out well.

When I head back up to Reno for Christmas I am going to go see my old eye doc. I nuked another set of glasses out riding today, its just getting to be too much for me. Time to play "let's try contacts" til I find something that works.
 

Mike B.

Turbo Monkey
Oct 5, 2001
1,522
0
State College, PA
I've been riding with contacts for the last 13 years or so, no way I could go back to glasses. B&L SofLens Torics (really bad astigmatism) for me which are supposed to be a 2 week disposable but my eye doc said a month is no problem. Never had one pop out while riding and I don't carry any spares with me though I probably should.

Like the others said, good fitting sunglasses are key. I use clear lenses probably 90% of the time for mountain.
 

Krzr3000

Monkey
Apr 24, 2005
113
0
I spent lots of money on prescription oakleys for riding before going to contacts. Will never go back. I also have bad astigmatism so it took 4 or 5 trial lenses to find a good fit, and even then its not perfect but they are better than glasses for sure. I wear goggles for downhill, glasses for trail and road, no glasses for bmx and have no dryness issues. Its nice to be able to have cheap riding glasses with no worries of losing or destroying them.

Its kind of a toss up too, i've seen and heard of some nasty injuries caused by glasses when face meets tree/rock.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,520
7,069
Colorado
i had lots of issues with riding in contacts. I am trying to find someone in the military, or former military, who can order a set of Oakley prescription glasses for riding. they don't have any good prescription outdoor glasses otherwise.
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
Problem I have with lasik is the time issue. How long do I need to wait before I can get hit in the head again?
 
Is it just me or does sex get better as eyesight gets worse?
Eyesight tends to degrade as one imbibes. I feel your logic is sound, from personal experience.

I ride with contacts in - they're the ones you leave in for a month at a time. Some opto's hate them, some think they're great, but I've never had issues with them drying out. In fact, I've surfed/swam with them in without issue.
 
to prevent the drying out thing with the vented goggles, i use otc eye lubricant. they have ones that are "extra strength" which are alittle more viscous, and tend to stay put instead of running out of your eyes after it's applied. that seemed to eliminate most of my issues.