Riding with contacts or glasses

hershey

hershey

PR Elite
Ok, let all the old man jokes out and get the jokes rolling!

Ive noticed a dramatic decrease in my far sight vision recently and need to get it corrected. My question is what are every ones experiences with contacts or glasses riding? What should I try for or stay away from? Im not into the lasik deal just yet, they just got bad recently and I dont want to have them get worse and need it done too soon again.

Ive heard that contacts are a pain with riding because of dust/ dirt getting in your eyes, Also heard that glasses are a pain with fogging and being cumbersome with goggles.

Thanks in advance!
 
Been wearing contacts for years. As long as you keep the inside of your goggles clean you are pretty good to go. Don't leave them laying around when you are taking a break because dust will get in. Just have to get in the habit of bagging them or throwing them in vehicle when you aren't using them. I always keep a bottle of eye drops with me though just in case.
 
Ditto what Elliott said. I wear hard lenses and only had problems when I didn't keep my goggles clean inside, or if the lenses got dry. Glasses were worse for me, even when they had the ones with notches for the stems.
 
I have been riding in contacts for 20 years. I only notice them when I first get on the track, I think it has to do with the air coming in the vents on my goggles, but after a couple blinks and some roost, I forget they're there. The only other thing is the sweat in our eyes sometimes sucks. Just keep an extra pair and solution in the truck, and some visine, GTG.

2 week soft throw aways btw.
 
I have contacts and the only problem I have is sometimes they dry up when out on the track. Mostly just because I forget to blink probably. Other than that they are not bad if you keep the inside of your goggles clean and what not.
 
I've been riding in contacts for about 10 years and I tried glasses a handful of times. I would definitely choose contacts over glasses. Glasses seemed to bounce around a little under my goggles and fog up. Worst thing about contacts is what everyone else said. I also have the 2 week throw aways
 
BriarcliffMx said:
I have been riding in contacts for 20 years. I only notice them when I first get on the track, I think it has to do with the air coming in the vents on my goggles, but after a couple blinks and some roost, I forget they're there. The only other thing is the sweat in our eyes sometimes sucks. Just keep an extra pair and solution in the truck, and some visine, GTG.

2 week soft throw aways btw.
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Exactly. Just keep solution in your truck to clean if they get to bothering you. I have more issues when I have sun screen on, then start sweating a lot, once and a while I have to pull out and clean from a little burning. Usually no issues.
 
I can't wear contacts due to dry eyes. I've worn my glasses under scott 87 goggles for years. Tried a few others but like these the best. Rockstar and I picked up some anti everything stuff at the bike show years ago. Helps with fogging on glasses. But I haven't a clue what it was or where it went.
 
hershey said:
Ive heard that contacts are a pain with riding because of dust/ dirt getting in your eyes
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Just keep the dust/dirt out of your goggles and your good. Tends to be a good rule regardless if you are wearing contacts, glasses, or nothing at all I hear...

I have the daily throw away contacts. Acuvue True Eyes because of drier eyes. Gets me a fresh set everyday...or every moto if I need them. Kind of costly at about $75 for 90 lenses (x2 for both eyes), but worth the vision to me. On a typical wear, I get a couple days out of them with an overnight in saline. Don't tell my eye doctor that though... Get a pair of glasses as well to give your eyes a break when you can.
 
you guys are all lucky i guess... or im doing it wrong, lol.. I started wearing contacts about 2 years ago. I 75% of the time cannot ride in them. I've tried and sometimes I make it 1 lap, sometimes I make it 3 sessions, and maybe once or twice I've gone the whole day in them.

I have astigmatism so the contacts are weighted and must line up perfectly for my vision to be correct, otherwise its a mess. I dont know if my eyes dry out or if they move or something.. They dont get too blurry but its like my depth perception gets thrown way off.. makes it very hard to judge things. it always feels like I'm sitting up on a 10 ft tall bike. its hard to explain.

So i decided to go the lasik route, about $3400..going to do it as soon as my contacts all get used up, probably in 3 months. Went in for consultation already. Comes with free adjusments,although they claim only about 10% of patients ever need them and those that do were people that got it when they were 20. I'm 29 now so I figure my eyes should mostly be done changing for a while.

for now i just take my contacts out to ride. Also take them out to jet ski, snowboard, ride motorcycle, etc.. they are basically just a pain in the ass for 90% of the stuff I do. Hell i sit down and play a video game for 20 minutes and my eyes hurt and i cant see because they are so dried up.
 
Thanks for reminding me to make an eye appointment today. Been in contacts 20 years, I'm over it. I've never heard a bad story about lasik. Funny story I crashed bad during a race once and both my contacts fell out. Track medic wouldn't let me go cuz I was walking like I was drunk. Good times
 
I wore contacts 24/7 for 10 years or so.. until my eyes got to the point where I couldn't keep contacts in for longer than an hour or two without severe irritation. Then I switched to glasses 90% of the time and contacts to ride or do other things that glasses got in the way of. Putting contacts in at the track in a dusty van got pretty old though.

Went the lasik route a few years ago.. game changer!!!!!
 
Funny this is posted today. I just got back from the eye doctor for computer/reading glasses.

I'm very much in the same boat as Bill480 --- had glasses since 4th grade and switched to contacts in middle school. Got to the point in my late 20's that I couldn't wear contacts for more than an hour or two. Sometimes I was pulling my contacts out between motos because my eyes were so irritated.

I still remember the first time I rode after Lasik --- Scenic Highlands in Spring 2000. It was unbelievable being able to see while riding without my eyes itching and burning!

But I will say that I went a long time using contacts daily without issue. Just keep solutions and all that crap with you.

I've gone 16 years after Lasik with perfect vision, now need reading glasses.
 
I will check with the eye doctor, Im just worried that since my eyes have taken a dive over the past few months that they will continue to get worse.

Thanks for all the comments, I will try the contact. I will see what the eye doctor has in mind, if there are better options with permanent repairs Im all for it!
 
Must be that time of year! My appointment is this Wednesday.

I had 20/15 vision for almost 45 years. Then after 45, the small print on stuff started to get hard to read....then it became impossible. Other than that I had no vision issues. Bought dime store cheaters and avoided the eye Doc.

After a few years, I noticed driving at night really started to strain my eyes so I went for an exam. Went straight to bi-focals for convenience. They help the most for night driving and reading small print. I have no problems seeing my computer and anything at a distance without glasses thankfully. It would suck to have to battle wearing glasses while riding.
 
Funny reading all of this. I posted a similar thread a couple years back when I was stewing on getting Lasik. Still haven't done it yet. Nancy and I both would like to get it done. I have always rode and raced with my contacts. Like Jeremy says, once the breeze across the eyes begins, they'll drag the eyelid a little until my eyes adjust or I get a little sweat going. But this even happens to me when I'm running or exercising at home.

I have to wear a forehead sweatband or I'll lose them for sure. And I have lost a contact while riding and racing before, but typically only occurs if the track becomes a dustbowl.

The biggest thing that has hit Nancy and I is the change in our near vision that occurs once you enter your mid 40's. WOW has that been an irritating issue! And from what I understand is Laser vision correction can't compensate for that. I have friends and coworkers that have had Lasik but still have to carry readers.

If you've never worn contacts before Dave, it may take you a bit to adjust to them. It takes a while to get used to sticking your finger in your eye.
 
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