I've recently switched to daily disposables (from monthly) for workouts, and it is the greatest thing ever. That's in the pool. The only thing to remember is that you pretty much have to wear goggles, or the contacts will be gone.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I've worn contacts since 1970. Started with hard lenses, then gas-perm and finally daily disposables for the last 5-6 years. As others have mentioned, the daily disposables are great because you don't have to deal with all the cleaning & soaking solutions. I buy them in bulk online.

It's not unusual to get some dirt and grit in my eyes on bike training rides and it's nice to be able to just take my lenses out and pitch them afterwards.

Never had a problem with them during races, but I do always pack a spare set in my race bag, just in case.

Mark

You are missing out. Definitely get them. I don't wear them except for cycling and OWS's as I like wearing glasses.

I have two kinds. Both cibavision dailies. Aqua comfort Plus are cheaper and I use them for shorter outdoor rides and OWS's. Total 1's are more expensive, but they are the bomb. Never dry out and are comfortable for long periods of time. I use them for long rides and all of my races.

I do not use any for my pool swims. I am -3.25 in both so I can't see crap without them or my glasses, but I can make out the black lane line.

I have found they will immediately wash out if you aren't wearing goggles.

I have always worn contacts for racing - no problems - whatsoever. But I prefer prescription sunglasses for daytime running and biking.

I've worn contacts for years, including 8+ years with year round swimming and water polo. No problems except sometimes they get stuck to my eye. Just keep some eye drops to loosen them up if that happens. I get irritated eyes and blurry vision after a long time on the bike sometimes, but I've never tried with my glasses instead so I don't know if that is a contact problem or not. I do wear sunglasses on the bike.

I keep my glasses stashed in transition in case I lose a contact in the swim but I have never ever lost one in a body of water or pool in over 15 years of wearing them.

+11

I am a Pro triathlete and practicing Doctor of Optometry- I get these comments all the time and love to offer my two cents. When it comes to contacts, 3 things come to mind: Eye health, comfort and vision. Number one is eye health. With the advent of 1 day contacts (https://coopervision.com/...ses/proclear-one-day) they have revolutionized the way doctors prescribe. I currently wear the Proclear 1 day lenses and won't ever go back to a 2- week or monthly lens. Whether you have near-sightness, far-sightness, astigmatism or need a multifocal lens for those 40 and over there are 1 day lenses to fit your needs. And remember- not all contacts are the same so make sure you go see your local eye care provider so as they fit you properly. As athletes we do everything we can to gain an advantage- why not be able to see the best we can? and in a healthy and convenient way. When swimming, one should not be wearing 2-week or monthly lenses as there is always a risk of an acanthameoba infection- http://www.aoa.org/...ditions/acanthamoeba. This is a risk in both swimming pools and in open water. I remember doing the NYC triathlon a few years back(yes..swimming in the Hudson river) and some water got in my goggles during the swim- all I could think about being an eye doc is that I was going to look like this! Fortunately I had piece of mind knowing I had my one day lenses and I tossed them after the race and put my glasses on the rest of the day. Anyhow- if anyone has any questions feel free to ask!

---

Steve Rosinski

Pro Triathlete - USA
Doctor Of Optometry
Steverosinski.com

I wear multi-focal one day disposables, https://coopervision.com/...r-one-day-multifocal, and I love them. I don't wear them every day but I love them for training and wear them most days of the week.

Lasik isn't right for me for a couple reasons, age being one of them. I am nearsighted so only wear glasses for distance. Taking glasses on and off is a pain in the ass so these multi-focals are perfect.

I have prescription sunglasses but those leave me lacking the ability to read since they fix far and make near blurry.

Plus, who wants to worry about losing a pair of $400 RX sunglasses in transition?

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I had this same thought several years ago. I wore glasses and prescription sunglasses on a daily basis but gave disposable contacts a try. For me, they are IRRITATING as hell. No matter what brand, or no matter what kind (24 hr, month ones, etc) they made my eyes dry, especially during activity, it got worse. Maybe it was just me, but it never worked out.

So, now, I just use prescription goggles, and prescription sunglasses for bike/run.

Chris,

I would recommend giving them a try again- as with any product, new technology has come out with new materials and new designs. You are not using the same cell phone you did 6 years ago are you? Same thing with CLs. Are there some people that just can't do contacts? Yes, but they are the minority. But that's just my professional opinion...Best of luck!

---

Steve Rosinski

Pro Triathlete - USA
Doctor Of Optometry
Steverosinski.com

I normally wear glasses except for outdoors activities (including training and tris) when I wear contacts. I'm in my mid 40's and recently discovered I could no longer read my Garmin while running or biking, so I had to get multi-focal lenses. That took some experimentation to find the right ones that gave me the best vision for both distance and reading, but eventually I got it right and I am glad I did. I really prefer racing and training in contacts and have had no problems with them in swim, bike or run.

I use mine during training and racing and have never had a problem. I would take an extra pair just in case.

Exactly the same here, except that I don't need a mirror.

---

-----
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
Which is probably why I was registering 59.67mi as I rolled into T2.

I've worn glasses all my life, heavy astigmatism, and tried contacts in 2003. The only lenses that would go to my prescription were the 'hard' variety. I never got on with them, scratchy, uncomfortable, combined with the phobia of poking myself in the eyes.

Move on a few years, and the technology has sufficiently moved on that I can wear monthly soft lenses, and I regularly buy a pack of three pairs, which lasts a good few months. I wear them whenever I can, as the lack of glasses is a massive benefit. I'd wear them full-time if my day job didn't involve computer screens and air conditioned offices - they tend to dry out rapidly in these environments.

I tried daily disposables a few months ago, and while the prescription is close, it's not quite there yet. I hope to be able to use dailies in the near future - the ease of throwing them away at the end of the day is much preferred to the faff of cleaning and storing.

As testament to comfort, I had my monthlies in for an entire long weekend whilst at a music festival, even overnight - at the end of the weekend my eyes were tired, but apart from that, no problems at all.

I'd say go for it - convenience far outweighs overcoming the fear of poking yourself in the eye.

Question for Rosirunner13:

Hi Dr Steve,

I'm a longtime contact lens wearer (-3.50), and have recently got back into windsurfing. Wearing goggles is not that practical and I can't do without vision correction. Normally I wear Coopervision Biofinity monthlies, but have been wearing Focus Dailies for windsurfing then binning them when I am finished. I'm still a bit worried about infection and have read a few Acanthamoeba horror stories. Is my current regime enough to minimize my chances of an eye infection?

Cheers, Andrew