Contact lenses?

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 BusyLizzie 24 Aug 2017
I am on holiday in Shropshire, and doing more off-road running than usual around Wenlock Edge. It is a lovely area with unexpected ups and downs, but my navigation was not what it should have been and I ended up more lost than usual and a bit more lost than I wanted to be. I did have a map with me but even so...

I ended up with a house and garden between me and the road that was going to get me back to civilisation. Three cheers for the owner, who was in the garden and very kindly permitted me to climb over his barbed-wire fence, gave me his hand to climb down his rockery, called off his enthusiastic dog, offered me tea and showed me where I was on the map (which was nowhere near where I thought I was).

I think part of the problem was that I wasn't wearing my glasses. I don't, where possible, for longer runs so that they do not float around my nose in a puddle of sweat. But I really can't see very well, which is a disaster on steep paths and also may not be all that good for actually seeing where I am going. I may have gone wrong by just missing a stile or a footpath sign.

Is it time for contact lenses? Or will they just float out of my eyes in a puddle of sweat, or fall out in fields and get lost etc?

Grateful for your views.
 galpinos 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I'm about -4.5 in both eyes. Don't know what I'd do without contact lenses. Use them most days (daily disposables). The only time I knock them out if if I give my eyes a really big rub and they are aleary very dry (i.e. after a long day at the beach etc). Never lost them on a run (two day MMs, HPM etc).
 The Potato 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:
i dont know if the power is relevant (-3.75 -3.25) i cant do much without my glasses or lenses. Unless you get a freak gust of wind then contacts stay put Ive not had one fall out even fell running and MTBiking The main issue with them is that they get dry, not a problem for a few hours but if Im doing something over 12h then I either wear glasses or wear contacts then swap to glasses later. I also have dry or soothing eye drops to use after I take them out if Ive worn them for a day.

Well worth using IMO
Post edited at 14:32
 Pawthos 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:
Hi Lizzie, I wear contact lenses for running and for climbing, so I can promise that they don't fall out. If memory serves, the old fashioned hard lenses that my mum used to wear were easily dislodged, but this hasn't happened to me in 30 years of wearing soft lenses.

Edit - I'm a short sighted contributor to this discussion (-6.5 -7.25) I think things can be more tricky if you're long sighted.
Post edited at 14:37
 Welsh Kate 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I moved to contact lenses for outdoor activities after my glasses steamed up and froze in the Brecon Beacons leaving me temporarily blinded. Not fun!

Contact lenses were a revelation. It was like going back to perfect vision and so exciting to have a world without those rims in the way! They only come out if you get nutted really hard. Daily disposables are fab for outdoors stuff because if you do lose one, just stick another in.

Give them a try! And persevere if you don't like them at first!
 David Riley 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Yes. They won't fall out unless you push them out or they dry up. I've even managed to keep them in swimming underwater with my eyes half open. But it doesn't matter anyway if you have daily disposable. I always wear them for running.
OP BusyLizzie 24 Aug 2017
In reply to galpinos and all:

Thank you all very much, this is very encouraging.

 Matt Vigg 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I've worn contact lenses for about 25 years (-7.5 in both eyes so do I win?) and confirm what everyone else is saying, never once thought they'd fall out when running or cycling. One did once fall out in winter up high somewhere in the Ogwen valley after rubbing my eye, and it was quite tricky in places getting down (lots of snow and hard to focus). I also once jumped into a swimming pool at the start of a six week holiday in India and both lenses fell out, to my amazement a friend had found them both within about 2 minutes!
 David Riley 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Problem with contact lenses is needing to also carry glasses to see map / menu / phone. Which I can normally see without.
kmhphoto 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I wore contact lenses for a number of years but always found putting them in a frustrating experience. I would highly recommend corrective surgery as its a quick and painless procedure and the results are amazing. Unfortunately the way the procedure is priced is ridiculous as they base it on how much correction is required.
 Ridge 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:
I prefer contact lenses for running due to glasses steaming up, misting with rain, sliding down my nose etc.

I'm also at the age where as well as being short sighted my eyes can't focus on maps etc without peering over my glasses or going down the varifocal route.

Best compromise I've found, (without going to the expense of varifocal contact lenses), is to wear just one contact lense in my dominant eye when running. Therefore I have corrected vision for distance and uncorrected for maps, garmin, phone etc.

Your brain rapidly sorts things out and blanks out any conflicting images. This option might be worth a try.
Post edited at 15:15
 Yanis Nayu 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I use daily disposables for cycling, but use them about 3 times and clean them (as you would for monthlies). Much better than glasses, although I did blink one out in a race once, which was a bit disconcerting.
OP BusyLizzie 24 Aug 2017
In reply to Ridge:

Lots of brilliant replies here, thank you all.

I have only one functioning eye - the left eye just sees blur and is un-correctable, so the left lens of my glasses doesn't do anything. So I think I'd be looking at one contact lens for distance, and adding glasses for reading/piano/screen work.

Anyhow, will talk to the hop-tician.
Very many thanks to all xx
 DancingOnRock 24 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Stick with it for a fortnight. It's a struggle and frustrating getting them in but my daughter who is really squeemish has got the hang of it.

I've been wearing them for 30 years. You can buy them for one day use if you just want them for occasional events but by the sounds of it you'd be so much better off with them all the time.
 DancingOnRock 24 Aug 2017
In reply to kmhphoto:

I think if you've only got one functioning eye, laser surgery would be far too risky. Accidents can and do happen. They only do one eye at a time for this reason. Plus you'd be blind for the days following while the eye that's had the surgery done recovers.

 tobyk 25 Aug 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:
I use monthly contact lenses made out of silicon hydrogel and cost me £18 a month. They are simply amazing, can't feel them in, you can sleep in them and it's pretty much like viewing life in HD. My optician said some people wear them continuously for the whole month, I got to 4days then got a bit freaked out - but they still felt fine!
The only downside is you can't really swim with them in, as there is a risk of getting an eye infection, but I have daily disposables for this.
I personally find with daily disposables you get dry achy eyes after about 8hours or so, but with monthlies as they are much better quality I never have this problem.
Another added bonus is they have UV filters, so I don't actually have to wear sun glasses as my eyes are protected!
Avoid any cheap lenses like 'daysoft' they're cheap but wreck your eyes
OP BusyLizzie 25 Aug 2017
In reply to DancingOnRock:

Oh goodness me yes, nothing would induce me to try laser surgery for precisely that reason. I can't do anything to put my right eye at risk.
 plyometrics 25 Aug 2017
In reply to DancingOnRock:

Agreed. Hated the thought of it. Took me ages to get them in. Now, I absolutely love them for running. Would highly recommend to anyone needing to correct their vision without using glasses.

As someone else suggested, the only frustration I have is them drying out sometimes.
 hang_about 25 Aug 2017
In reply to David Riley:

> Problem with contact lenses is needing to also carry glasses to see map / menu / phone. Which I can normally see without.

I'm trying some bifocal contact lenses today to see if this helps. I'm short-sighted but as I've aged the accommodation needed to read text whilst wearing corrective lenses decreases. Result is that without glasses/contacts I can see fine but once in I struggle. This is a real pain for map reading etc. I swapped to varifocal lenses for my glasses which work very well (took me a few hours to get used to them). I'll report back on how I get on with the varifocal contacts.

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