contact lenses
 

do any of you guys have trouble commuting with contact lenses in cold weather?

On the way home from work tonight, I had to pull over 3 times in an attempt to keep them in my eyes. After the 3rd time i gave up and kept it in my mouth for the ride home. gross i know, but it was brand new and couldn't stand to just toss it.

i picked up some cheap-o clear safety glasses recently, hoping that would block the wind enough to keep them from drying out and then popping out when i blink. I'm thinking i need some more intense goggle type eyewear, but i'm hoping to avoid that. I dont live in a very bike friendly city, and i'm sorta afraid that rocking something like that will make me stand out so much as to attract unwanted attention.

what do y'all do to keep them in? this wasn't an issue when the temp was above 40f.

looks like ill start here for my first post...

yeah my contacts are really annoying in that way as well. Sometimes Ill wear my glasses but of course you look like a dork and they fog up. My solution; snowboarding goggles. I guess it depends on what lid you are wearing but you mostly just look like a boarder. I use those for the rain as well, since i ride sans front fender. Anyway the answer is; snowboarding goggles. Or bring "visine contants", your contact containers and glasses. Just in case you have to switch out.

Hard or soft contacts? I wear soft contacts and have never had any issues with them regardless of the temperature. The only time I have had trouble with them was on a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed. Thus I suggest you go to a motorcycle dealer and pick up a set of motorcycle sun glasses that have the removable lenses. Wear the clear lenses in the morning when it's dark, and whatever shade you prefer at night. They look just like a set of Oakley’s and have a foam insert on the inside of the lens frame that presses up against your eye socket effectively sealing out the majority of the outside air.

Hope this helps!

Bau

When I was wearing contacts I used disposable and carried a couple extra to put in when I got where I was going if I lost one. But my vision isn't so bad I can't ride without correction. A few years ago I switched back to prescription glasses just because, to me, they're less trouble and provide some level of eye protection, negating having to deal with both contacts and protective glasses.

I've had no problems with mine down into the teens and low 20s F as long as I have the bill of a cycling cap block the wind from getting to my eyes.

The bill of the cap also helps direct heat from my face and body back up into the exposed areas of my face that the balaclava doesn't cover.

Got mine at Wal-Mart for $15 and love them.

I gave up on contacts because of cycling. After almost dying while bombing down an urban thoroughfare with a slight incline and having both contacts fail (come free of where they're supposed to be) at the same time, I switched over to glasses. I tried many different kinds of cycling sunglasses, and nothing really helped. I generally only had a problem late at night when I had been wearing my contacts all day, but I'm out riding late often enough.

The only problem with glasses is when it's dark and raining it can be hard to see. Add in an industrial light from slightly overhead and oncoming headlights and there are times when I basically have to ride on faith.

I had these problems also, and never really did find a good short-term solution. I ended up getting Lasik (for lots of reasons, not just this). That has turned out to be a wonderful decision for me, though YMMV.

I wear soft contacts and have never had a particular problem.

If you take a contact out and it dries out, it is possible to rehydrate it. Had to do it once on a business trip where I dropped a contact outside of the storage case by accident and it dried up overnight. I carefully put it in the case and filled it with solution and the lens rehydrated and I was able to wear it (and it was comfortable too!). I don' recommend it, but it works in a pinch.

I have soft disposables, and don't really have much of a problem. I wear sunglasses sometimes, mostly to keep bugs out of my eyes (hit a bee once at 25mph+, it hurt, and I got stung!) and it helps a little bit with contacts drying out.

Other than that, it's not enough of a problem to worry about.

I use these and they've worked like a charm. When I left them at work one day, I didn't have to worry about it either.

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...91827c_300.jpg

It depends on your contacts and also on your eyes. With hard contacts, it's possible to get a much better fit, but they're also more sensitive to dust (that is, a speck of dust that really wouldn't bother you if you had soft contacts, will feel like a splinter of glass if you have hard contacts). I really rely on eye protection -- it's hard to ride without it. I've done it sometimes at night when I don't have clear lenses with me, and I can get away with it on a day when it's not too dusty, but when it's been dry and the cars are kicking up dust, it's hard Winter can be tough this way, too, if you have road salt and sand -- it accumulates on the road margins and gets blown around by cars and wind.

I have worn hard contacts for several years. I have a Performance brand sunglasses with interchangeable lenses, one of which is clear. I use that lens in the winter. I've never had problems in the winter with my hard contacts while using these clear glasses.

This spring the pollen was so thick that it was irritating my eyes as if it were dust. That was the first time I can recall having my contacts so irritated. I got that feeling biking and being outside for any extended period of time. Fortunately it only lasted a few weeks. I had to wear my glasses while commuting and then switch back to contacts once I got to work.

Goggles when it's really cold, wrap around yellow lens glasses for less extreme conditions.

thanks for the recomendations.

this morning both of my contacts came out, luckily i brought my stuff to put them away until i got to work. riding without them is really unsafe though. i'm definatley going to buy some of those motorcycle glasses and give that a shot.

I had the same problem that you were talking about. Never lost a lense, but my vision was much less than I desired because of the lenses float.
I finally bit the bullet and bought prescription sun glasses. They're available with different light condition tints, etc. This might be a suggestion that is too expensive, but I can only say that it was the best investment I've made in cycling in a long time.

Yes - It seems to be with the change in temp from going from inside to outside. I recommend taking them out before going home and giving them a little clean with solution. Also keep a spare set and case with you when commuting and use a helmet mirror, it's a great help getting a lens back in when out on the bike.