Ok, so I have done all of my triathlons to date wearing my contacts throughout each event.
So far I have not had any problems, but I do get concerned about the open water swim and the contacts getting flushed out, or potentially trapping something that might give me an eye infection. I especially thought about this during my last tri when during the swim I got kicked in the eye for the first time.
So, I’m considering getting a set of prescription goggle and sun glasses and need some advice.
If you have prescription goggles or sun glasses, what kind are they?
Do you like them?
What don’t you like about them?
What brand / model goggles or glasses would you recommend?u
How does one go about getting them?
I wear TYR prescription goggles (over the counter); you just need your minus number (get from your OD). Speedo has them too. I wear Rudy Project sunglasses with the inserts. I use the inserts when I do tris. When I just ride, I wear contacts and the Rudy’s. They both work fine for me.
You didn’t ask this question so my answer is consistent with Slowtwitch.protocol :} Assuming you wear soft contacts, you are not going to lose them. Fresh water glues them down on your eyes worse than superglue.
Welcome to the short sighted ST exclusive club! I have tried both options, and after loosing one contact lense at IM France (soft contact lenses, clearly not glued enough to my eye …), I have opted for prescription goggles (speedo, bought on the internet) and prescription sun glasses (carrera).
I have used Speedo “prescription” goggles for 5+ years, I’m pretty happy with them. They seem harder to find these days, so the last ones I bought were Keifer brand, and they’re good, too. I have a pair of tinted and a pair of clear ones, the Keifer ones are slightly less tinted than the Speedos were. The only downside is I look a little dorky keeping the goggles on until I get into T1. I like the fit of both the Speedos and Keifers–they are fairly large (which is good when you’re running up the beach with them), but depending on your preference in goggles they may be on the big side.
Swim goggles usually aren’t truly “prescription,” they come in 0.5 diopter increments. You can either have your eye doc translate your prescription to a spherical number, or if a swim shop near you has corrective goggles in stock, just try them on and see what works best.
I wear Smith Moab HP glasses with a prescription insert on the bike. Theywork pretty well, but like most bike & sport glasses, bi-focals aren’t available. No problem while I’m riding, but sometimes if I have to stop and work on the bike up close there’s a little squinting required. I like that I can change the sun glass lenses separtely, the Smiths come with grey, clear, and yellow lenses. The only thing I don’t like about them is that sometimes sweat drips between the sunglass lens and the prescription insert, and it’s hard to wipe off on the fly. Usually during races I’m focused enough on riding that I don’t notice it, however.
My wife ordered the glasses for me through Performance Bike. You get a copy of your prescription from your doc, and fax it to them. Takes about 2 weeks for the prescription inserts. They’re pretty cheap, about $125 for glasses + prescription insert a couple of years ago. There are plenty of more expense choices out there, and a few cheaper ones.
I wear my regular glasses on the run, they’re photochromic, and do a pretty good job of adjusting to changing light conditions. I’m thinking about getting a non-bifocal pair for running, as sometimes an unfamiliar set of stairs present a problem looking down through the “up-close” part of the lens. Usually not a problem, but a couple of trails I run on have stairs that are un-evenly spaced and of varying heights, so you really have to watch your step.
Aquasphere is now making the ‘Eagle’ that is available in corrective lenses. I’m trying to get a hold of some.
I currently have Lane 4, but they give me a headache after 45 min or an hour.
Thei View work well and are quite comfy, but since I love my Kaimans I’m inclined toward trying the Eagles.
I wear some 7-year-old Speedo prescription goggles for the swim (and am another person who looks dorky while wearing goggles to T1), and I have clip-on sunglasses for my regular glasses.
ETA: My goggles are so old that the designation on the box is simply “Optical Goggle,” and they cost $31. I think it’s great that this type of product has become so popular that different kinds of prescription goggles are available and the price has dropped!