Portis

I have searched and read several threads on the subject. However, i still have questions.

1. Winter. Does anyone wear contacts in very cold weather? I am talking about 5-32 F.

2. Dry Eyes. IF you wear them do they dry your eyes out?

3. Allergies. My eyes go nuts watering in the Fall with allergies, despite medication. Any allergy suffering contact wearers?

4. Astigmatism. I have to get the "Toric" lenses i think since i have astigmatism. The last time i tried contacts was 1984. I hated them and never did wear them. Does anyone ride successfully with Toric lenses?

Any input would be appriciated.

PaulH

1 Sure, been doing so for 40 years. I don't consider 5-32 F degrees very cold. No problem while skiing in Canada at -30 F, however.

2 No

3 Can't answer that.

4 Can't answer that.

Mtn Mike

Soft contact lens technology has come a long way in the last few years. Many people that in the past could not comfortably wear contacts, can now be happy in them.

1 and 2. Depends on the physiology of your eyes. Generally speaking, the majority of patients can wear contacts in these conditions without any big problems. If you have chronic dry eyes, there are certain lens materials/ brands that will work better for you.

3. Same as above; there are certain lenses that are better for those with allergies and dry eye.

4. The technology in toric contact lenses has come a long way, even in the last several years, so don't rule them out. Still some of the newest lens materials out there, specifically those I was talking about in 1-3, may not yet be available in toric. ( edit: you might have to find a compromise between best vision, and best comfort...) However, you should check with your eye doctor to see what lens will suite you best given your prescription and your needs. If you could PM me your glasses RX, I could give you a rough idea. Good luck whatever you do

PWRDbyTRD

1. If it's cold it's warm...wear some form of eye protection, your eyes will dry out if you don't, atleast my experience.
2. My eyes dry out all the time, it's not the most comfortable thing but is bearable.
3. Watering=good at times, your eyes don't dry out and you can comfortably run your eyes with contacts in them, just don't push too far to either side
4. I have it too, and wear toric lenses...love em...wouldn't trade em for the world.

mirona

1. I am curious about this also because I got my contact lenses in March so I'm just now starting to see lower temps for the first time. Are contacts more likely to dry out faster in the colder weather?

2. My eyes don't really dry out unless I'm on a real long ride like a century. I guess if you didn't wear sunglasses they would dry out faster.

3. I have severe allergies and I rarely have a problem. If it's so bad I can't wear them, I have a pair of backup glasses.

4. I have a mild astigmatism and wear spherical soft lenses so I can't answer this one.

fitmiss

My eyes tend to be on the dry side and I have an astigmatism. I wear gas permeable lenses. They are better at treating astigmatism, generally provide crisper vision, the stuff in your eye does not stick to them as easily, and are less expensive. On the down side, they take a longer time than soft lenses to get used to and have to be cleaned every day, although this only takes a minute or two. I wore toric lenses and switched to the gas permeable 15 or more years ago. I wouldn't go back to soft but that is just my personal opinion.

I have some allergies and have little problem with my lenses. I have no notable problems in hot or cold weather.

kefin

I wear contacts whenever I'm doing some kind of outdoor activity -- hiking, backpacking, cycling, etc. It never gets real cold here in the San Francisco Bay Area so I don't know how the cold affects wearing contacts. I do get dry eyes from time to time, usually when I'm tired or didn't sleep enough. From time to time I carry on me a small bottle of "rewetting drops," which is in effect some very expensive eyedrops for your contacts. Usually after riding a couple of miles, my eyes adjust to the outside environment and I'm OK.

Re. toric lenses -- I have severe astigmatism and have to wear toric lenses. The thing about toric lenses is that they have to be rotated in a certain way in order for them to work. So they're weighted toward the bottom and should settle naturally in position when your eyes are properly hydrated. When you first put them on and your eyes are dry, it'll take them a few mintues to settle in.

I've found that not all toric lenses are made the same. I used to have these expensive Baush & Lombe lenses and they sucked. I could never see anything clearly or read anything upclose, and wearing those contacts always made me dizzy. Then I went to my local Costco where they have an in-house optometrist and the doctor said, "Those contacts you had don't work too well and you were probably getting only 60% of your vision with them. Here, try these..." He prescribed some "AcuVue" lenses for me and they felt like new eyes! The doctor added, "Unlike before, you should be able to wear these contacts all the time without feeling any problems." For the first time, I was able to see clearly and read text without squinting while wearing contacts. They were comfortable and I didn't have headaches anymore! So my point is, shop around and make sure your optometrist knows what he's talking about.

BTW, I also wear disposable contacts. I've found them to be much better than the permanent ones because with the disposables, you only wear them for a couple of weeks and throw them away and put on a new pair. That's much better than wearing the same pair for a year because old contacts do get scratched up and they may damage your cornea.

Good luck!

-Kevin

bnet1

I've successfully worn contact lenses for fourty years up until this spring. I'm severely myopic with astigmatism. I started with hard lenses and went to gas permeables about 15 years ago due to low oxygenation (dry eyes) of the cornea. The absolute worst thing other than dust that I've experienced was having my eyes get too dry then blinking and having the lenses pop out. Just recently I was diagnosed with the start of cataracts. At my doctor's advice I had cataract surgery and ocular implants. Due to the years of contact lens wearing the corneas were wearing out and post surgery contact lenses were out of the question. My vision is corrected for distance and I wear glasses for close up. I can truthfully say I do not miss the contact lenses. I would strongly recommend this type of surgery for anyone with severe myopia and macular degeneration whether or not they have cataracts. I was an active and happy contact lens wearer for many years. They should work fine for you too.

'bent Brian

erraticrider

1. Winter. Does anyone wear contacts in very cold weather? I am talking about 5-32 F.

Yes, no problem

2. Dry Eyes. IF you wear them do they dry your eyes out?

Not a problem

3. Allergies. My eyes go nuts watering in the Fall with allergies, despite medication. Any allergy suffering contact wearers?

Its in the spring for me. Can get by

4. Astigmatism. I have to get the "Toric" lenses i think since i have astigmatism. The last time i tried contacts was 1984. I hated them and never did wear them. Does anyone ride successfully with Toric lenses?

Very serious astigmatism and correction (sph. -13.00; cyl. +2.25; Axis 175); Contacts are the only way to live.

Mueslix

I wear my contacts pretty much all the time, especially when I'm doing an athletic activity. The only problem I've had with drying out is when I have them in too long, but that usually means 24hrs+ (basically, what you're not supposed to do). You can feel it when they get dry, which is easily remedied with wetting drops.

My problem is that my eyes water a lot if I go fast enough, for which I wore wraparound sunglasses this summer. But now that it's fall in New England(where temperatures dip to what you'd be riding in), and cold air is hitting my eyes, I feel like I need to get goggles (especially for riding at night/ in the dark), but I can't find a decent pair.

I'm nearsighted, I dont' know if things would be different for someone with astigmatism.

Sparrow

I've just started wearing contact lenses, primarily because of cycling. I'm extremely nearsighted, with astigmatism in both eyes, and wearing the Toric disposable lenses. Other than a few seconds of "settling in" when I first put them in I'm finding them very comfortable. Rode to work yesterday at 29F with no problem. Less problem, in fact, than if I'd been wearing glasses because my glasses would have steamed up so much I would have had trouble seeing where I was going.

I did have a problem with the eyes drying out with or without eye protection ... talked to the eyedoc about it and he recommended taking flax oil capsules to help with that. Said that many of his patients had reported that flax oil helped the eyes produce moisture. Sounded a bit hooey but I thought I'd try it out anyway ... after all, he's the doc. *shrug* Funnily enough it does seem to have made a noticeable difference. No dryness at all the last couple of rides.

DanFromDetroit

1. Winter. Does anyone wear contacts in very cold weather? I am talking about 5-32 F.
I wear contacts in very cold weather. Get some clear sunglasses. You will need to experiment some to find the right pair, so try several of the cheaper models first. The wrap-around ones seem to fog up the worst.

2. Dry Eyes. IF you wear them do they dry your eyes out?
This is much more of a problem for me in the winter because of forced air heat in buildings. Once outside it is not much of a problem.

If things get really terrible, I remove, soak in cleaning/storage fluid, and reinsert. It's hardly ever that bad though.

Allergies. My eyes go nuts watering in the Fall with allergies, despite medication. Any allergy suffering contact wearers?

Yes. Terrible hayfever/pollen sensitivity. Doesn't seem to matter if I have contacts in or not, I still suffer about the same.

Astigmatism. I have to get the "Toric" lenses i think since i have astigmatism. The last time i tried contacts was 1984. I hated them and never did wear them. Does anyone ride successfully with Toric lenses?

I wear toric lenses. they work wonderfully. For many years, I was told that no contacts would work for me. A few years back, I decided to look again because I was taking a jiujitsu class and I was spending alot of time being tossed into the air or being thrown on the floor. My glasses would fly even farther than I would. It got to be a pain to keep up with them. I found that modern toric lenses correct my vision even better than my glasses were able to.

I am very happy with the contacts.

I have the sort you remove and store each evening and throw away about every 30-60 days.

Dan