contact lenses?

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techno
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contact lenses?

Post by techno »

does anyone use contact lenses?
should I?
if so what type?

I ask as I'm getting sick of wind blown streaming eyes using glasses, I can't afford the cost of prescription cycling glasses and too blind to ride with no ocular assistance!
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ScotRoutes
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by ScotRoutes »

I tried them and found I'd cry them out as soon as wind caught my eyes - even wearing glasses. I bought prescription Oakleys and have been using them for 10-12 years (though I'm on my 2nd set of lenses)
Scud
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Scud »

Since playing rugby at 18 i've used contacts, i have Focus Daily disposables, can be brought at tesco for £18 for the month for 30 pairs, and of course you don't have to wear them daily.

I am lucky i have always got on with them, i know some don't like them but i find them comfortable for 8-9 hours a day...

The only time i have had issues is when some dirt has got in, but i always carry a spare pair on bike and coming down hills pretty quick, they have dried out in eye and one has fallen out, other than that they've been fine.
techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

ScotRoutes wrote:I tried them and found I'd cry them out as soon as wind caught my eyes - even wearing glasses. I bought prescription Oakleys and have been using them for 10-12 years (though I'm on my 2nd set of lenses)
thanks scott, but that not the answer I was looking for :lol:
have you tried any other prescription shades?
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NorwayCalling
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by NorwayCalling »

I have been using daily disposable lenses for years and years....

I find when bike packing I sleep in the disposables and bin then in the morning. This avoids the waking up - find glasses - put gasses on which then instantly mist up... etc etc. I then just pop some more daily disposables in and away I go for another 24hrs.

no problem at all

You will get about 14 to 28 days worth of free contact lenses from your optometrist (as they are given 14 day Trail packs to give to new-to-lenses people or folk who want to change brands). Just remember there are around 40 different brands of lenses out there - all different in thickness/water content etc so you will be able to find a comfortable pair. this should not cost you a penny either.
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techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

Thanks Scud and Norway calling.
I'll have a look at free trials, there's a specsavers and vision express not far away.
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drain
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by drain »

Pretty similar experiences to scud and Norway (kind of hard to play rugby in specs...!) - I get mine from Daysoft online, about £13 for 28 days of dailies of their Silk variety. Have Camino-ed several times as well as UK bikepacking and they’re ideal. Unlike Norway I usually (but not always) take them out at night.
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

I wear monthly disposables. No problems riding, crying, drying that others have mentioned.

Personally, I'd get some proper advice from an optician about lenses and take it from there. By all means then go onto the cheap supplies. I figure I've only one set of eyes and they'd be hard to fix or replace :wink: :cool:

Worth noting that there are many different types of lenses which change their fit, comfort, durability, permeability etc etc. Certain conditions with the eye can also affect whether and which are suitable e.g. astigmatism. Also, your glasses prescription is not the same as your contact lens prescription (due to the different position relative to the eyeball i.e. lenses are on it, glasses are mounted off it).

Re: sleeping in them, AFAIK it's a gas permeability issue which can affect eye health. Dailys are not, surprisingly to me, the most gas permeable lenses. At least that's what my optician told me. Personally I'd not sleep in lenses unless I had to, but then I also prefer to hang and a hammock ridgeline is the perfect place to put your glasses :cool:
Last edited by Cheeky Monkey on Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Oli.vert
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Oli.vert »

I've been wondering this.

I have a pretty strong prescription and now needing reading glasses as well I've taken to using varifocal contact lenses for some activities. Not used them for cycling as yet and would wonder about putting them in with more or less unwashed hands in the morning. And needing some kind of something to keep the wind out of my eyes. One trouble with the varifocals is that they're tuned for reading distance - 40cm or so. If I need to inspect something close up I'm stuffed. At least with glasses on I can just push them down my nose or take them off.
techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

Cheers all, will check out options available locally and give some a try.
Possibly daily disposables.
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

I've been with Vision Express for years. Happy with their service.

Re: sleeping in lenses, there are types of lens which it is ok / they're designed to be slept in. I tried them but didn't get on with them, although waking up with 20/20 vision again was nice. Whether they'd work for you ......

If you're going to be taking lenses in and out then it's worth making sure your hands / fingers are clean. I take a bit of alcohol gel but wipes or various other bacterial killing cleaners probably as good. Make sure the gel has all evaporated before you poke your eye though!
Mbnut
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Mbnut »

Tried contacts 15 years ago... perhaps the best decision I ever made.

Freed me up to bike and play hockey etc with no worries.

As mentioned above, lots of different brands etc.

Strangely enough I like the slightly thicker, stiffer ones that allow slightly less air to the eye.

This is because they are more stable, when I went to the thinner ones I would have issues with wind etc.

It takes time yo get used to putting them in and taking them out but stick with it.... it'll be worth it in the end.
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

Mbnut wrote:It takes time yo get used to putting them in and taking them out but stick with it.... it'll be worth it in the end.
I'd forgotten that, it's been so long. What a PITA that was at first. Soon get it though.
techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

Cheeky Monkey wrote:I've been with Vision Express for years. Happy with their service.
ill try them and specsavers, see who's the most helpful.
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techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

Mbnut wrote:Tried contacts 15 years ago... perhaps the best decision I ever made.

Freed me up to bike and play hockey etc with no worries.

As mentioned above, lots of different brands etc.

Strangely enough I like the slightly thicker, stiffer ones that allow slightly less air to the eye.

This is because they are more stable, when I went to the thinner ones I would have issues with wind etc.

It takes time yo get used to putting them in and taking them out but stick with it.... it'll be worth it in the end.
good info, thanks.
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NorwayCalling
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by NorwayCalling »

Cheeky Monkey wrote:

Re: sleeping in them, AFAIK it's a gas permeability issue which can affect eye health. Dailys are not, surprisingly to me, the most gas permeable lenses. At least that's what my optician told me. Personally I'd not sleep in lenses unless I had to, but then I also prefer to hang and a hammock ridgeline is the perfect place to put your glasses :cool:
I was waiting for this. Yes you are correct that daily's are slightly less permeable than weekly (7 day) extended ware lenses (due to their relative thickness and "cheapness of manufacture". However its all about balance.

I am not suggesting making a habit of sleeping in them, but you must strongly consider the potentially more dangerous, risk of eye infection from taking them out. Unless your hands are 100% clean (and that's hard if you have just rigged up a bivi in a muddy, dark field) then the "gouging" effect off pulling the lens out, will be more hazardous than just leaving them in.

In the cold light of day, clean your hands and its a quick out and in - same time. This is by far the "cleanest" way of doing it.
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spectraken
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by spectraken »

I wear daily disposables for day rides, I prefer the better peripheral vision compared to wearing my specs. Means I can wear any sunglasses in the summer. Always keep my specs in a hard case in the backpack though. I've had a lense fall out once. For multiday bike packing trips, I prefer to wear my specs, too much faff to ensure I have spotless hands and sanitiser in your eyes also hurts too.

Would be interested to know if any of you have used extended wear lenses. How many days can you get away with keeping them in?
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

spectraken wrote:Would be interested to know if any of you have used extended wear lenses. How many days can you get away with keeping them in?
I wore them for weeks at a time when I tried them, was doing sports and riding etc but not bivying.

I found them OK for a while but then my eyes started getting frequently and then persistently uncomfortable / itchy. After a couple of months I decided to stop using them and revert to a high-permeability monthly. I think a significant factor was that I'm a sweaty beast, it pours off me, and all that around the eyes and the salt residue etc might have caused irritation.

Lens comfort is very individual. I'd talk to your optician and get a trial set.
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Farawayvisions
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Farawayvisions »

I've been wearing contact lenses since they cost as much as a house. (Back in 1979 you got one pair and they lasted about a year). Spent most of my teens on my hands and knees searching for the one that got away. (the lens that is)

I've broken every rule I was told about wearing them and I'm still able to see. My prescription is -3.75 and -3.5. I choose to use the same prescription in both eyes as it means I never have to worry about left and right. I wear daily disposables which I tend not to remove if I'm on an overnighter. My theory is that the risk of getting an infection in my eyes is lower by wearing them all night than it is when trying to put them in with filthy hands. I always travel with my spectacles in case something happened that would cause me to have to remove the lenses.
Howard
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Howard »

Really interesting thread. I too wore contact lenses from back in the day and was told daily lens couldn’t be made for my prescription. So I’m embarrassed to say I broke all the rules on length of wear and hygiene until an optician refused to take me on as a patient because of the health of my eyes. So unfortunately my experience is not the same as Farawayvisions. I mended my ways and have had to go through the transition from always wearing lenses on the bike to having to wear glasses for overnight trips. Not least because my varifocal lenses were at their limit and reading glasses would be needed too. So has anybody got any advice on prescription riding glasses. I noticed Oakleys got a thumbs up early on. I had a Rudy Project set that was awful. Currently got an unbranded cheaper version via optician but the peripheral view isn’t great. Sorry if this is taking thread in different direction.
techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

Howard wrote:Really interesting thread. I too wore contact lenses from back in the day and was told daily lens couldn’t be made for my prescription. So I’m embarrassed to say I broke all the rules on length of wear and hygiene until an optician refused to take me on as a patient because of the health of my eyes. So unfortunately my experience is not the same as Farawayvisions. I mended my ways and have had to go through the transition from always wearing lenses on the bike to having to wear glasses for overnight trips. Not least because my varifocal lenses were at their limit and reading glasses would be needed too. So has anybody got any advice on prescription riding glasses. I noticed Oakleys got a thumbs up early on. I had a Rudy Project set that was awful. Currently got an unbranded cheaper version via optician but the peripheral view isn’t great. Sorry if this is taking thread in different direction.
No tis fine :-bd Met a guy on moor gravel forever wearing some adidas prescription sports glasses that he rated:
http://www.rxsport.co.uk/categories/Pre ... unglasses/#
The specs he was wearing aren't on there but the inserts at the bottom of the page are the same.
spectraken
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by spectraken »

Cheeky Monkey wrote:

Lens comfort is very individual. I'd talk to your optician and get a trial set.
Thanks for the info, I will do that. I have an astigmatism so I'm sure that complicates things a touch too
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Wilkyboy
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by Wilkyboy »

While I think about it, here's one data point from WRT weekend. For WRT I wore my usual one-day disposables. I put them in on Saturday morning before setting off from home for the four-hour drive over to BBT. I normally wear glasses during the week, as I stare at code most of the day (yawn), so my eyes are usually well oxygenated (or something).

When I got to taking-my-lenses-out time at my Saturday bivvy, I couldn't be arsed with the rigamarole of trying to get my hands clean, so I just went to bed. I woke in the morning with crusty eyes — some water on a tissue mopped that away, may have been an anti-bac wipe. I carried on.

At my Sunday bivvy, I was absolutely knackered, having HAB'ed up the side of a mountain, only to find a perfectly serviceable road went straight up the other side :roll: I couldn't be arsed with the rigamarole of trying to get my hands clean, so I just went to bed. Again, I woke in the morning with crusty eyes — some water on a tissue mopped that away, may have been an anti-bac wipe. I carried on.

I got back to BBT and my eyes were fine, although I'd managed to leave my legs out on a hillside somewhere behind me. I drove home with my lenses still in, so I could drive with sunnies on — damn that was some fine weather we had! :-bd

I took my lenses out about 7pm Monday — something like 60 hours and two sleeps after they went in and my eyes felt fine. I then gave my eyes a few days off before putting lenses in again.

I think this is strongly contra-indicated, but it worked for me on that one weekend. YMMV :cool:
techno
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Re: contact lenses?

Post by techno »

Thought I'd post this here. This is not my advice by the way it's from the crane bro's Journey to the centre of the earth https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/pics/do ... es.pdf?v=4:

Contact lenses: hard plastic. We each had one spare pair, both of which were
carried in the same tiny plastic clip-case pared down to minimal size. We did
not lose any lenses on the trip but Dick did snap one of his in half while it was
wrapped up in his salopettes which he was using as a pillow at night. Dick's
method of storing his lenses at night was to roll them into a small strip cut off
the edge of a handkerchief. Nick's were stored overnight in half a proper
plastic screw-top lens-container (the other half of the container was forfeited
in Hetauda as a replacement pedal-cap on Dick's bike). Each morning we
licked/sucked our contact lenses for half a minute to cleanse them - saliva is a
mild antiseptic, the inner surfaces of the mouth are soft and sensitive and do
not scratch the lenses as can happen when rubbing with fingers."
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