Contacts during a Tri

[kelownagirl]

As you may or may not know I had PRK laser eye surgery a few months ago and I am now wearing a contact lens in my right eye (and may possibly wear one in my left soon for biking). Anyway, I really feel I need them for biking, especially on fast downhills so I definitely want to wear them during my tri. My eye doctor says I shouldn't wear them when swimming, even with goggles. OBVIOUSLY, I don't want to mess around with contacts in transition and glasses are out of the question so I figure I'll just wear them swimming that one time (and maybe a test swim or two beforehand). My goggles fit really well and never get water in them so I think I'll be ok.

Anyone else wear contacts with swim goggles??

[lph]

I've worn contacts for years, swimming with and without goggles, so I can't really see what your dr means Water can flush them out, but what's more annoying is that if you get water on them they tend to "glue" themselves to your eyeball for a short while.

[Bron]

I wear contacts with swimming goggle when I do tris (I don't usually bother for training in the pool).

My two worries were losing one, so I always have my glasses in my transition bag, just in case, and the other worry was about dirty water so I use daily disposable lenses which can then be thrown away straight after the race - I'm probably being hyperparanoid there especially as most of the lakes here are drinking water quality.

I also notice the glued-to-the-eyeball problem - might be a good idea to have some saline eyedrops handy for after the race.

The only time I have lost one in the water was while sailing and considering the number of capsizes we used to have, losing one lens over the course of a summer was pretty good going.

[HillSlugger]

I always wear for contacts (gas permeable) when I swim. My goggles never have leaked so I've never had a problem. I am paranoid about getting them knocked off during a tri swim and losing my contacts but it hasn't happened so far (knock on wood).

[Urlea]

I wear my contacts when I train and when I race. So far I haven't even come close to losing them.

Like Lph mentioned, contacts tend to glue themselves onto your eyeball. If you've ever worn your contacts while taking a shower try moving them around afterward, they are stuck.

For me, I'd rather run the risk of losing them in the swim portion then not wear them at all. I'm pretty blind without them so I would be a hazard to others.

[Veronica]

I wear mine when I swim too. I use daily disposables and yeah, that glued to your eyeball thing can be pretty painful.

Another thing to add to my transition bag - extra contacts and a mirror, 'cause I can't find my eyes without one.

V.

[kat_h]

My husband wears contacts under his goggles. It's actually the only time he wears contacts. He's never had any problems, even going down the waterslides at West Edmonton Mall.

[alpinerabbit]

How else could I survive swimming, blind as a bat?

Never have been cautioned against it, a friend even windsurfed and never lost one.

[Grog]

I wear mine all the time without a second thought (although for my two tris I had my glasses in my transition area just in case, 'cause I'm really half blind!).

I was kicked in the face during my first tri and lost my goggles. I don't recall contact problems though.

[kelownagirl]

Thanks for the responses, ladies. I thought he was being a bit overly-cautious although MAYBE it has something to do with the continued healing of my eyes. I don't need my contacts when I swim but I will wear them on race day so I can see when I ride.

And ok, your stories about being kicked etc are freaking me out. I'm going to have my own nice clear piece of smooth water when I swim aren't I?

[alpinerabbit]

You know, I see the point about recovery from laser surgery.

If you do not need them for the swim, why not get the type of Sunglasses with the correction inserts. They are popular so seem to work well. Even whatshisface, Bobby Julich rides with them. Pricey though.

[Trigress]

I wear contacts in triathlons. My goggles leak, but I'm not too bothered. However, if this is part of the healing process after eye surgery I think I'd listen to the doctor... And you are most certainly going to meet a foot or an arm out there, I've never not been kicked or hit, but fortunately I've never had the goggles kicked in my eyes, the nearest has been my chin. It's waiting to happen though!

[ginny]

I wear contacts when I swim. I was also going to get laser surgery before my tri, and the whole healing thing got me thinking that I should probably wait until after the race... thanks for bringing this up

[RoadBunner]

Okay, I'm going to chime in here (puts on optometrist hat)...

You should NOT swim in contact lenses. My recommendation would be for someone who does a lot of swimming to get prescription goggles. Okay, I know that isn't always practical (especially for tris when you need to bike/run after) so if you HAVE to wear your contacts I'd get some daily disposables that you can chuck immediately after the event. Also, be sure to wear goggles to minimize the contact with the water.

Water (especially fresh water, hot tubs, pools) has a lot of nasty bugs in it that can get into your contacts and cause really, really bad eye infections. I emphasize the REALLY BAD part of that statement.

Kelownagirl, if you'd just had PRK and the front of your cornea hasn't fully healed yet, you might have little abrasions on your cornea which are portals of entry for these bugs. I'd call your eye doc up and be honest that you have this event and would like to wear CL's during the swim. See what he says. Maybe your eyes are healed enough that he'd reluctantly agree for a one time deal (get a pair of daily disposables). Maybe your eyes aren't healed enough and he's the one who would know.

[Over50Newbie]

During triathlons, I wear prescription goggles when I swim (-800 prescription) so, as you can tell, I am very, very nearsighted).

Then I put my glasses on during T1 for the bike and run.

This has worked beautifully for me every time. The nice thing about prescription goggles is that you can see whether you are in the water or out of the water.

Lynette