triathletes who wear contacts/glasses

[Snicklefritz]

I've been doing cycling events and duathlon mostly but will be getting into the pool in a couple weeks
to work on my technique. I'd like to see if I can pull off some sprint tri's. Anyways, I am wondering what
people do about contacts/glasses. Would I be better off wearing contacts and making sure I have the goggles on tight? or would it be better to wear prescription goggles? As far as cycling goes, sometimes
I wear glasses, sometimes contacts. Same deal when I run. I don't have any major preferences.

[bburrito]

While I have yet to do a tri, I have done a few swim/run dus with the San Diego Tri club and had no problems wearing my contact lenses. Just make sure your goggles fit correctly. I also surf and last year I remember only losing one contact in the water despite not wearing goggles. For me swimming is not the problem. Its riding. As soon as I hit around 23-24 mph on downhills the moisure in my eyes can't keep up and it starts peeling it off the side and my eyes start getting dry. For me, wearing sunglasses or even clear glasses is a necessity but I am still wearing contacts. As long as your goggles fit comfortable and are watertight without affecting your ability to blink, you should be ok.

[Psydotek]

Well, i find i don't need anything while swimming. I'm nearsighted but i actually see clearly underwater while wearing goggles. Large orange course bouys also are pretty easy to spot without corrective lenses. :)

I put on my Wiley-X SG1 glasses/goggles during T1 though.

[slynkie]

I can't wear contacts; I picked up a pair of Speedo "prescription" goggles at a local shop for $19.99, they work great. If your eyes are different 'scripts, this is probably not an option.

[cjbruin]

I go 100% contacts. The majority of goggles make me feel like they are going to pop my lenses out of my eyes but the ones from AquaSphere are pretty good.

[pschirm]

I did my first tri this past summer and I wore my contacts throughout the race. I do agree with a previous poster though that sunglasses or clear glasses are a must when cycling to keep your eyes from drying out. I'm sure that whichever way you choose to go, as long as it is comfortable will work fine for you.

[thehammerdog]

I have tried both ways and will usually lose or break the glasses, so cheap daily wear contacts is for me.

[flip18436572]

I use contacts for all three types of exercise and don't have a problem. Most definitely wear glasses while not in the water as my eyes dry out easily. I haven't had any problems with my cheap goggles for swimming either.

[Rahzel]

I wear contacts, and I guess I never even thought about this issue, as it was never really a problem. I wear cheapo Speedo goggles on the swim and then switch to some Nashbar NoFrame sunglasses for the bike and run. My contacts never have a problem on the swim, and it takes several hours for them to dry up on the bike with those glasses!

[qliedtke]

For me, the ideal solution is to use prescription goggles for the swim and prescription sport sunglasses for the bike and run; however, this is obviously the most expensive. I also agree with previous posters about eyes getting dry on the bike.

The cheapest route would be to use clear goggles that give you a nice seal around the eyes (test before you buy) and just use clear sunglasses. For what it's worth, I completed 3 sprint tris and 1 olympic tri last year wearing contacts under my goggles and never had a problem.

[rb12]

I wear contacts/glasses and have competed in many tris. My girl, who is an optometrist, shuns the fact that I do the swim in contacts, but for me that works best. I have no problem swimming in contacts with the goggles. in transition 1, I just put on sport sunglasses that wrap around (oakleys, rudys, etc.) and that sufficiently keeps teh wind out of my eyes for the bike.

you could get prescription all around, but that can get pricey.

the only other thought is, don't train in the pool with goggles and contacts, or at least that is my method. in the pool, I just go blind, so to speak, with my goggles on. there is not much to hit in the pool and i can see the big blue stripe at the bottom just fine. by not doing all the training swims with contacts, your optometrist will shun you less :p :)

[MaxBender]

I have a relatively low power prescription, so I just skip the lenses and go.

Note: Not recommended if you must rely on radar to get around without your glasses.

[chrisuletz]

I can't wear contacts... Last year I did 3 triathlons just with the regular goggles. But I prefer to see better, just got the Speedo prescription glasses and they're great!
You can also get prescription cycling sunglasses... Oakley makes some nice ones but freakin expensive.

[msu2001la]

I can't see my hands without contacts or glasses.
I've been swimming for several months now (in a pool) with goggles + contacts and not had any problems.

I'm not sure why this would even be a problem, unless your goggles don't fit correctly. For what it's worth, I'm just using some cheapo Speedo goggles.

[nscrbug]

I'm a newbie at this triathlon stuff (doing my first sprint this June). I've been wearing contacts for most of my adult life. I'm currently using a pair of TYR goggles that are just okay (some leaking and some fogging)...but I just purchased a pair of Aquasphere Kaiman goggles and am anxious to test them out this weekend in the pool. Also just got myself a pair of Tifosi Gavia sunglasses for running/biking. I ride a motorcycle, so I understand the importance and necessity of keeping the wind and debris out of my eyes, when riding and wearing contacts.

[caloso]

Did many, many tris with contacts and goggles. The only problem was when I got kicked in the head during a swim and my goggles got skewed. One side filled with water and I was worried I'd lose the contact lens but it managed to stay in.

[andygates]

I wear contacts 24/7. For the swim I use a goggle with a really good seal - those teeny hard-edged Speedo Swedish work brilliantly for me. I've survived de-goggling incidents by foot, big wave and klutz.

I think the goggle/contact anxiety is one that people have before they Just Do It :)