Riding With Contact Lens!

I've not worn contacts for at least 25 yrs due to allergies.

This week, while getting new glasses, the Dr. offered me a free set of disposable contacts - guaranteeing that I'd love them.

So...I took his challenge and I'm amazed! I drove back to my office in the sunshine and with the top down...and no sunglasses...comfortably. That never happened in college!

So...I went to buy some Rudy Project sunglasses for a ride. AND, I found out that I get a free Rudy Project helmet (which I was about to buy anyway...) with the purchase of Rudy Project sunglasses!:cool::D:D

So, I did a quick 20 on Friday with my new contacts and then 30 yesterday...and I'm hooked!

Using riding glasses helps tremendously over my normal glasses particularly in eye watering downhills (my max speed yesterday was 44.8mph) and eyes seem better protected against red eye causing pollen.

Now, if I could just do something about my second chin...:D;)

I remember doing the MS150 9 years ago with my regular prescription sunglasses (not wrap-around). My eyes were totally dried out by the end of the 2nd day. The last few miles I was riding while alternately closing one eye, to give the other one a rest. It was awful!

Now I ride with contacts and wrap-around riding glasses - what a difference! My eyes still water occasionally, but I've never had the "dry eye" syndrome again.

Yeah, I remember doing the Ride Across INdiana with the first 90 miles in a bad rainstorm! In my normal glasses, I was constantly wiping road grime out of my eyes...

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Originally Posted by Mr. Bloom

Using riding glasses helps tremendously over my normal glasses particularly in eye watering downhills (my max speed yesterday was 44.8mph) and eyes seem better protected against red eye causing pollen.

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ALRIGHT!!! Everything came together for you and you'll look oh so polished in your coordinated ensemble. :cool:

Now all you lack is this....

My very first group ride -- 1998 -- I was very leery, never done anything like this before. Had a new Trek 5200 but didnt know if that was good or bad or what people were really riding, or what was expected of me. Anyway, I wore contacts at the time, and about 10 miles in I lost one. I rode the last 30 miles with only one contact in! After that I always wore glasses to ride. Now I got Lasik and it is so suh-weeeeeet!!

So...which contacts are they? I'm always up for asking my eye doc if something might work for me:)

Just got a set of contacts myself (first in about 20 yrs), very pleased. Congrats and enjoy!

I am so envious.
I had a contact rejection issue in my early 30s. I try the new and improved models almost every year and still cannot tolerate them. Surgery is not an option because I overproduce scar tissue. My opthamologist doesn't think I should chance it.
I am stuck in prescription sports glasses. I have a double chin to boot!

I've been wearing contacts longer than I've had my bike -- didn't realize regular glasses are not so good at protecting your eyes when you ride.

I find the interchangeable lenses on my sunglasses are excellent. I can get away with dark lenses (I highly recommend polarized lenses) for most conditions plus a pair of yellow ones for riding at dusk. If you ride in the dark you might want clear ones, too. Although I find the yellow ones actually brighten things up as the sun sets.

I can't imagine riding in my glasses (progressives). I wear my contacts from the minute I get up to the minute I get into bed. If I am sick enough to wear my glasses, I am too sick to ride!
My Smith sunglasses are also great (the ones for small heads). I actually have two pairs, as DH bought a pair and they were just too small for him. I keep one with the dark lenses in all of the time and one with the amber. At times, I switch those to clear lenses for night time riding.

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Originally Posted by sundial

Now all you lack is this....

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Oh Great! This is reminiscent of the threads encouraging me to get a kilt!

Congratulations, Mr. Bloom!

I cannot wear contacts and I cannot get Lasik, but I love my Tifosi Rx cycling sunglasses. They wrap around and keep stuff out of my eyes. They are Rx, so I can see.

The whole reason I got contacts to begin with was that 20+ years ago when I started racing bicycles, I needed my peripheral vision back.

Now I need reading glasses to even freakin' eat... but I wouldn't consider going back to glasses for my distance correction.

Interesting. After 20 years of no contacts myself (I only have one bad eye and never thought I needed it), I just got disposable contacts (1-day Acuvue Moist -- LOVE THEM) and new sunglasses (Tifosi).

I cannot believe the difference it makes in my riding. My depth perception was horrible, and, in retrospect, really impacted how confident I felt on the bike. Never mind how impossible it was to look over my left shoulder in traffic. I am going faster than I ever have, and enjoying being on the roads more than I ever have!

Blueberry, FWIW, after much experimentation on multi-hour rides I came to the following conclusion re: brands of disposables and drying:

Regular Acuvue: the worst
Acuvue Oasys: better
O2 Optix: da best, hands down

I did this experiment after suffering some severe but temporary vision damage after riding a double in the desert with the regular Acuvue.

But that's just my opinion. :D

It's a tradeoff, though, IME... the higher the water content, the shorter they last.

I have been wearing contacts since high school. Being athletic and wearing glasses did not mix. Plus I was around horses and having them swiped across my face a few times cured me of wearing them to the barn.

I wear acuview2 and I do get some problems with wind drying them out. I try to remember to put drops in before heading out but that is not always how it goes :rolleyes: I think the wrap around sun glasses help. I tried different contacts that were supposed to be "better" with more water content but when the sweat got in my eye, the contacts became foggy! This was not good.

I was told not to get Lasik. My doctor said in 2 years it would cause me to have to get reading glasses.

I love wearing contacts for riding and every day. My eye doctor is a mountain biker and totally passionate about getting her athletes (and everyone else) in the right contacts. We went through about 7 types, tried Acuvue, Oasis, some other two week pairs, finally won with dailies. I wear Ciba DAILIES AquaComfort Plus, a little more expense but allergy season doesn't bug my eyes. When I was in the two week type my eyes burned and hurt from allergies, I used allergy drops and expensive cleaner my doctor had luck with to no avail, I was in my glasses 50% of the time. The dailies also stay much moister which helps since I hate putting in eye drops. :)

I wear regular Acuvue lenses and have no problems with them. But then I don't ride in the desert.

A few years ago I started having problems with itchy eyes in the spring (unrelated to cycling) so I use Patanol drops in the morning until spring allergy season is over. You need to wait 15 minutes after putting the drops in before you put in your contacts, but I put the drops in when I first get up and then take a shower so it's more than 15 minutes before I'm ready for contact lenses.

I still sometimes have problems with a gritty feeling in my eyes when pollen counts are high, especially on a windy day, but I think the only solution for that would be to wear goggles that completely seal my eyes off from the air. Interestingly, I heard that this spring was worse than usual for pollen, but I'm having fewer problems with gritty eyes.

p.s. I used to have problems sometimes with the lenses being uncomfortable when I first put them in my eyes in the morning. I realized the problem was that I was getting fingerprints on them. Now I put saline solution on my fingers before touching the lenses and they feel great as soon as I put them in.

I wore contacts for the last 20 years. I had lasik last summer. On the Dr's rec, I bought some BIG, wrap-around sunglasses. I also have the Tifosi's and although I look a little silly, they are worth it. I also carry eye drops in my handlebar bag for long rides.

Just today I headed out in a hurry with my serengeti's and immediately got an eyeful of dirt and pollen.

My husband wears glasses and is too cheap to order prescription sunglasses. He even attempted to glue old lenses into a pair of sunglasses. I don't know how he does it!

[QUOTE=Mr. Bloom;509563]
Using riding glasses helps tremendously over my normal glasses particularly in eye watering downhills (my max speed yesterday was 44.8mph) and eyes seem better protected against red eye causing pollen.

[QUOTE]

If I ever got up to 44.8 mph I think I'd freak - glasses or no glasses. I'm having a panic attack just thinking about it.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

I love wearing contacts for riding and every day. My eye doctor is a mountain biker and totally passionate about getting her athletes (and everyone else) in the right contacts. We went through about 7 types, tried Acuvue, Oasis, some other two week pairs, finally won with dailies. I wear Ciba DAILIES AquaComfort Plus, a little more expense but allergy season doesn't bug my eyes. When I was in the two week type my eyes burned and hurt from allergies, I used allergy drops and expensive cleaner my doctor had luck with to no avail, I was in my glasses 50% of the time. The dailies also stay much moister which helps since I hate putting in eye drops. :)

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The Oasis were the ones that got foggy on me.

Very interesting about the daily ones. I think if I continue to have wind/dryness issues I will see about trying them!