Originally Posted by
particleman42
I've worn glasses for many years but after a few rainy winters of bike commuting I'm starting to get tired of not being able to see very well when it is dark & raining. Fogged up glasses is no longer an issue, I simply pull my glasses down to the edge of my nose when I have to stop at traffic lights, then push them back when I get to go. What bothers me the most is the 10,000 tiny drops of water, each with a glare from car and street lights.
Have any of you switched to contacts just because of the issues of riding in the rain?
No. I got contact lenses before I got into cycling because I was tired of dealing with glasses in general.
Were you bothered by the rain now hitting your eyes?
I typically ride with eye protection (sunglasses with interchangeable lenses), but if it is raining, I sometimes take them off. To answer your question, like with most people, the eye lashes protect your eyes from a raindrop directly hitting, so no, I am not bothered in the slightest with rain against my face.
One thing you have to worry about though is dust. This is why I wear eye protection most of the time. Dust can really bother the eyes and can get under the contact lense and really cause some trouble. I also sometimes have problems with the lenses drying out. Usually this is after having sat at a computer all day and I am riding home. My eyes are dry to start with from the computer work, and the wind makes it worse. After a mile or so though, the waterworks catch up and I don't have a problem thereafter for the duration of the ride.
Was it worth it?
Contacts are worth it for me in cycling. It allows me to have full clarity all the way to the periphery of my vision and it lets me use sunglasses without the need for some sort of Rx lense or inserts. And, as you have noted, in the rain and mist (we have enough of that here in the PNW), I have the freedom of taking off all the eyewear and not being blind.
Did you eventually switch back to glasses?
If I make a switch away from contact lenses, it'll be to laser surgery. I actually dislike contacts - they are a hassle and they are omnipresent in my life, but I dislike them less than glasses. So, better of two evils, I guess.