glasses or contacts?

[DrBee]

I am considering getting contacts. I've been wearing glasses for about 6 years now, but I've never really embraced them. My current pair is somewhat mishapen - I have a 2 yr old son...need I say more...

Anyway - I have been tossing the idea around about getting contacts and my husband brought up that now that I'm used to glasses that the wind in my eyes while riding might be wierd/unpleasant. I have gotten used to the protection the glasses offer - especially from bugs during the early morning rides in the summer.

Any thoughts???

[DeniseGoldberg]

I used to wear contacts (before Lasik, that is). I always rode with my contacts + sunglasses. Wearing contacts fixes the vision problems, but wearing sunglasses (tinted lenses or clear depending on the light, of course) is a safety measure for your eyes. It's too easy to have something fly into an unprotected eye when you're riding to go out without glasses of some sort.

So if contacts feel like the right solution for you - give them a try. But get yourself some good sunglasses too. I like Smith sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. I believe other manufacturers offer interchangeable lenses too, which is great for shifting light conditions.

--- Denise

[Veronica]

I wear contacts and generally wear sunglasses with them. Once it's dark, though, the glasses come off. I have lost a contact on a couple of occassions. I wear disposables so now I just make sure I have extra pairs in my saddle bag.

V.

[short cut sally]

I also wear glasses, but wear contacts while out riding. I don't have prescription sun glasses and when I wear my contacts I can do so. I also get more protection from my sunglasses as they wrap around more than my prescription glasses do. I purchased sunglasses with the interchangable colored lenses for different riding times/conditions. I think they were on sale at Performance last year for around $25-$30, and they were smaller framed more for a woman. After wearing glasses, (prescription or otherwise) it's hard to ride without them, for what was said about debris and bugs. Good luck in whatever you decide. shelly

[Kimmyt]

I don't wear glasses or contacts while riding, but I dislike bugs in my eyes as much as anyone. I started wearing safety glasses when I ride, and they work great! Especially because the ones I borrowed from work are shaped like Oakleys but with clear lenses. I have another pair that I use that come in a tinted sunglass like color, and I think they are made by a company that makes shooting glasses. You should check out the gun section of your local outdoor supplier, they might have some affordable and even semi-fashionable (also functional if you look for the kind that wrap around your face) clear eyewear that you can wear when you're riding to keep the wind from drying out your contacts and keep bugs from your eyes.

K.

[Robbin_G]

Lasik!!

I had Lasik about 6-8 weeks ago and then bought a pair of Native Eyewear sport glasses with interchangeable lenses. I love it!

[LauraPaura]

Hi Robbin_G

Lasik!!

I had Lasik about 6-8 weeks ago and then bought a pair of Native Eyewear sport glasses with interchangeable lenses. I love it!

Can I ask hoe did it go and how much was it alltogether? I've been thinking about this myself for a long time now since I have really bad eyesight (-10 in right eye = almost blind ) but have still been scared if something goes wrong and if it hurts and so on. So I'd appreciate every comment on this.

And to fishdr

I strongly recommend contacts if you feel comfortable with then. I've been using contacts for over ten years now and I have never regretted. Some people feel uncomfortable with them though so try out before you buy an expensive pair (like my poor friend did..).

Laura P

[uk elephant]

I definitely recommend contacts if you can get used to them. I find that when wearing glasses I have very limited field of vision, especially on a bike. I end up looking over the top of the glasses or to the side of them and then not seeing clearly. With contacts you have your full field of vision, even periferal vision intact. If you are worried about bugs/dust in your eyes, wear a pair of sunglasses. And always bring a little bottle of saline solution to flush out dust if you do get something in your eyes. That is my solution anyway.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Hi Robbin_G
Can I ask how did it go and how much was it alltogether? I've been thinking about this myself for a long time now since I have really bad eyesight (-10 in right eye = almost blind ) but have still been scared if something goes wrong and if it hurts and so on. So I'd appreciate every comment on this.

Laura P

I had Lasik back in 2000, and I've been very happy with it. That said, my post-Lasik vision is not quite 20/20. It's good in that since at 53 I still don't need reading glasses where with 20/20 vision I would need them. I have glasses that I use for driving at night, but I don't need them other than that. (At the time, I checked into a second procedure to get to 20/20 - but my eyes wouldn't support a second surgery. In spite of that I'm still very happy with the results. My pre-Lasik vision wasn't as bad as yours, but in the overall scheme of things it was pretty bad - around a -6.5 in both eyes.)

I was pretty freaked out because I couldn't see clearly immediately after the procedure. It took a couple of hours of closed eyes at home (I think I actually slept) and then my vision was very clear. I've talked to some folks who said their vision was perfectly clear immediately after the procedure and to others that had a similar experience to mine. At the time I had my procedure there weren't the profileration of Lasik centers; the doc I went to had been doing Lasik since the beginning and she also trains other docs in Lasik procedures. I'm a little conservative when it comes to doing things like this; I suspect I would make the same choice of physician today even though the costs were higher.

--- Denise

[Nanci]

Hi, no matter what you do to your eyes, (Lasik or contacts) it's still nice to have glasses when you're riding for sun, wind, bugs, stuff that gets flung up off the road, branches, etc.

I wore glasses since 6th grade, until I got contacts as soon as soft contacts became available. I was the worst contact abuser in history, and never took them out. I had Lasik surgery on my -6 diopter eyes in 2000. Like Denise, I didn't have perfect vision the second after the surgery, and freaked out. But by morning, it was 20/40, which is _legal_ to drive, if you don't want to see the street signs or anything :-) It gradually improved over the course of a few months, and even more every year, and it now 20/15, plus I can read all the 20/13 characters that aren't round (C,G,O). I'm 47, though, and the eye doc told me if I had Lasik I would need reading glasses five years sooner than I would have without it, and I am feeling like right now I can't read teeny tiny print, but still read books, computer screens, etc. just fine. I just don't want to go back to even reading glasses until the last possible second, since it is like a miracle to not have to wear glasses or contacts now, and I've almost blanked it out of my mind that I ever had to...

A friend of mine at work went in to get screened for Lasik, and found out that she had some sort of eye disease that she wouldn't have known about until it got really bad, if she hadn't had that work up done. (They advised her not to have Lasik.)

Nanci

[SadieKate]

I know . . . let's start a thread on who is the most nearsighted!!! Maybe there is a correlation between calf size and poor eyesight?

Sadie "shrinking arms" Kate

[Adventure Girl]

I know . . . let's start a thread on who is the most nearsighted!!! Maybe there is a correlation between calf size and poor eyesight?

If I'm not the MOST nearsighted, I'm sure I'm close! (Right eye contact power is -13.5)

My glasses are super thick and heavy! I would not be able to ride with them. The contacts work great for me except when it is windy or dusty. I always carry little tubes of saline with me just in case.

[DrBee]

Wow! What great responses! I get the hint - get sunglasses/interchangeable lenses and get the contacts. I am most definitely not a good candidate for Lasik. My eyes may be, however they would have to strap me down and knock me out in order to do surgery on eyes. I'm too much of a wimp. I don't have any qualms (sp?) about putting contacts in, though. Odd, I guess.

I will keep in mind to carry saline and the case with me.

Thanks so much for your advice! I'll let you know how it goes - I'm going to the eye doctor next week.

[SadieKate]

Nope, I'm the same way. I only have the two eyes and nobody's doing nothing to 'em.

I'm only a measly -7 contact power. Wimpy calves, wimpy eyes.