i’m tired of forgetting my prescription sunglasses, or worried about breaking/losing them, and they’re expensive to get multiple pairs
Thinking about making the jump to daily disposable contact lenses for workout purposes
Anything I need to look out for, be prepared for? Never worn contacts in my life.
This is mainly for cycling/running, but I imagine swimming with contacts is pretty normal for people that race with contact lenses, right?
I wear them all the time (monthly disposable) for all training and racing. I’ve never had an issue.
Get them. I can’t imagine racing in glasses. As long as you keep your goggles on, you will never notice you are wearing them. Completely a non-issue. It will take you a few weeks to acclimate to getting them in and out in the morning/evening (or less frequently depending on brand). Mine get dry sometimes in the evenings just sitting around, but never when active.
I’ve never had an issue swimming with contacts. I do keep an extra pair and a small mirror in transition just in case something happens and I lose one or both in the swim. I’ve been doing tris since the late 90s and have never needed to use my extra pair though.
Had an issue once in a bike race, losing a contact because of the wind (-6 both eyes, so basically, can’t see anything).
In tris, I just put a pair of spare contacts in my T1 bag just in case.
I’ve been racing and training in them for years and have never had a problem. They say not to swim with them, but I questioned my eye doctor on that and he said it was only if you were not wearing goggles. I still go surfing with them in and I don’t wear goggles then. It’s never been a problem. My eyes do sometimes get dry later in the afternoon but I have some rewetting drops that I use and I’m good to go until I take them out at night.
I wear them for racing but don’t usually wear them for training indoors. No sense wearing them on the treadmill and I have really light plastic Rx sunglasses so run in those. Cycling outside I’ll usually use the contact lenses. Swimming I don’t wear them, I can see the end of the pool and my Garmin Swim although if the is a written workout, I can’t see that.
I wear my Contacts for skiing and after this past weekend I can safely say that no amount of spinning or hitting solid objects (trees) with the back of your head will cause them to pop out.
I still go surfing with them in and I don’t wear goggles then. It’s never been a problem.
Oh wow, no idea you could do that.
My vision isnt that bad and i can get away with no glasses, swimming without glasses or prescription goggles is fine.
But this is kind of a no brainer it looks like.
thanks folks
I’ve been wearing contacts and swimming for almost 20 years without issue.
I can even open my eyes to a certain extent under water without them coming out.
As others have mentioned, I can’t imagine racing with glasses. Contacts are very easy.
jake
I wear contacts for all sports and have done so for approx 20 years. When not doing sports I wear my specs. No problems ever with contacts. That includes surfing.
I wear daily disposables. I started wearing them last year, before I struggled with corrected goggles and prescription sunglasses etc… I raced with them and never had any issues. Only once I had one move during swim practice because my goggle flooded.
I would go with single-use lenses because of bacteria in pools, open water etc… it has less time to grow if you change your lenses every day.
I’ve been wearing contacts since I can remember, and wear them 95% of the time. At first, you’re going to have to get used to touching your eye. You’ve just gotta do it, and not be scared. As a teen, I suffered for years because of struggling to get it in, when all I needed was more courage to just touch my stinkin’ eye. You’ll also have to get used to the air hitting them on the bike, the water getting in your goggles and moving them around, etc. It’s totally worth it. I use the 3-month disposable contacts for astigmatism.
I’ve been using contacts as many for years upon years. I’ve seen them go from the permanent “wash every day” to the modern daily disposables. Long gone are the days of caring for your contact lenses with solutions and cases etc. Get some good quality daily disposables and use them when you feel the Rx glasses are a hindrance. I typically do my low intensity training blind or in glasses where as high intensity/races are always done with contacts in. I also got a Giro Air Attack for the visor so I can wear my regular glasses under it and still have a darker lens for sunlight blocking. Saves me from tearing through the box of lenses in training.
Taking all that into consideration here is why people shouldn’t let water come into contact with their lenses. I found the below excerpt here if you want more details.
What you’re doing: You let tap/pool water come into contact with your contact lenses.
Why you should stop: Seems harmless enough, right? Wrong. That’s because tap water isn’t salty like tears are, so contact lenses tend to absorb the water and swell. The contact lens will then “hold” it, which is a problem because water – even water safe to drink – isn’t sterile and contains microorganisms. “If your lens swells, it changes how the lens fits on your eye and it will often make the lens tighten on the eye,” Thau says. This can then create microscopic breaks in your cornea that microorganisms can get into, potentially causing infection. That’s why it’s important not to shower or swim with your contact lenses in, she says (plus swimming in your contact lenses ups the chances of them coming out of your eye). In addition, you should never use water in place of solution for storing your contact lenses.
I’ve worn contacts for 25+ years with no issues until I started into triathlons. I have lost about 10 contacts during bike in training and racing. Because of this, I had Lasik 3 months ago and so far its been so much better than contacts. No issues at all.
Contacts aren’t a problem. You get used to them quickly. And this coming from someone that has to have at least one hard (gas permeable) in one eye. For most of the last 30 years, I had to have a gas permeable lens in both eyes due to a degenerative condition. As it stands now, the condition in my left eye is not as bad, so I can use a specialy lens that while still soft, is much thicker than the typical soft lens. It’s also weighted so that there’s a top and a bottom to the lens. In my right eye, I wear two lenses. One soft as a base or cushion, with the gas permeable lens on top.
No problem running with then lenses in. I also ride most of the time, but if it’s windy or dusty, I won’t. I also won’t wear them in group rides or races, as a dust particle can leave me temporarily blinded.
Swimming with goggles is no problem. But with my condition, the lenses (especially right eye) fall out more often than typical situation.
In other words, if you can wear daily disposables, there should be no problem.
Taking all this into consideration, I should be blind by now. But good info!
I wore contacts for 20+ years. I have always been very active, even prior to triathlon. I have never had any issues during a race or training for that matter. When I am swimming for fun I have on many occasions opened my eyes under water. Of course Dr. Eye would have a mild heart attack hearing that, but that’s another story. Just make sure you get a really good fit. Not all lenses are the same. I personally hate the dailies because of how flimsy they are. Good luck!
I got contact lenses (monthly disposables) in high school and started playing basketball and softball in them right away. I have played and competed in some type of sport for 16 years and I have never had a problem that I can remember. Sometimes after I swim at night my contacts feel dry, but I take my contact case and glasses to put on after I swim (I have a 45 minute drive home in the dark). I keep an extra contact in my transition bag, swim bag, bike bag, and purse just in case something happens and I need to pop a new one in. I have never considered competing or working out in my glasses. Good luck!
I’m blind without my spectacles but do all my training in contact lenses. I can’t imagine doing anything different as I avoid specs slipping down or getting covered in sweat. I find that my eyes get tired with them in for long periods, but I think that’s partly down to my astigmatism.
I find daily disposable contacts useful, as you don’t have to worry about cleaning them and can keep a few at home, a few in your bag, a few in your locker - easy.
I would recommend that you train in them a little before you race in them, just so you get used to them.
I love it when there are Slowtwitch threads that I can usefully comment in. I sure as heck can’t offer advice on swimming, biking or running.
Start reading this thread here: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=2932814#2932814
.