Contact lenses
 

I have had glasses since I was in middle school and never used contacts. A few of my runner friends who wear contacts use glasses or goggles (or nothing) to run because they say that their eyes dry out when they run and the lenses fall out all the time. If I got contacts and wore them while road cycling, would they be likely to fall out? If I wore a pair of sunglasses to block the wind, would my eyes dry up? I would probably always be wearing sunglasses, just cause it would feel wierd not having them on my face. Thanks for input.

Everybody's different. I wear soft contacts, and have only lost one lens while cycling. I almost always wear glasses, especially on longer rides, but your eyes will likely dry out anyway. Once you get used to contacts, you'll probably know when they're drying out (they get uncomfortable). You might be able to just close one eye for 3 or 4 seconds while everything gets wet again. Works for me.

I can't speak for hard or semi-permeable lenses (or whatever they're called) though.

Cheers.

Before I had my eyes lasered I wore contacts while riding. Your eyes may dry out but a good pair of sunglasses will definitely help. I have Oakley Half Jackets.

On the other hand... my friend, who doesn't wear glasses/contacts still gets dry eyes while riding if he doesn't wear the sunglasses or if he wears his Nike sunglassess that are smaller than the half jackets.

So either way, I'd recommend contacts. They have evolved a lot since I first got them back in '91! They fit better and breathe better now and you can barely tell that they are in. At least coming from the orig rigid lenses than finally going to soft lenses.

Or just bring a small bottle of eye drops specifically for contact lenses. When they dry out, pull over, drop them in your eyes and continue riding.

Good luck!

I just got contact lenses two months ago and so far dryness hasn't been a huge problem here in the Mojave desert. On longer rides, I use a few drops of Refresh Liquigel to help keep them moist. You will definitely want sunglasses with contacts. I notice that I am much more sensitive to light with them in. Also it's sunny here 95% of the time. So far my lenses haven't fallen out. In fact they are sometimes very difficult to take out because they stick so well. I have the Frequency 55 Toric XR lenses. The XR is for extra expensive or extended range due to my astigmatism.

its not really much of an issue, as the others have said, they sometimes get dry after a while but you just need to close your eye for a second to cure the problem. Definately wear sun glasses though, they dry out pretty quickly without them.

I cycle in very dry weather (the Arizona desert) every day with contact lenses - 18 miles a day, plus more on the weekends. The lenses don't fall out, and they don't dry out. I use the day/night ones that one doesn't have to remove every night. You can sleep in them and basically keep them in for a month straight. (I take them out to wash them once a week).

When my contacts dry out, I blink repeatedly.

You shouldn't have a problem wearing contact lenses when riding, especially if you wear shades (and you should, for eye protection). I'm very short sighted and wear soft contact lenses whenever I ride. I also always ride with eyeshades. If you are worried about it also carry re-wetting eye drops. I carry them but never have to use them when riding (but I do use them when wearing contact lenses and not doing physical activity because in that scenario my eyes do get dry and the contacts start bothering me.

I switched from regular soft contacts to disposables last month. The disposables don't seem to dry out as much as the regulars. I still carry the smallest bottle of rewetting drops with me and wear sunglasses whenever possible.

i wear sunglasses, no problems since i started cycling years ago.

just dont be bad

I have worn soft contacts for 20+ years. They take time to get used to, but I would never go back to glasses. I've always had problems with them drying out when outdoors and always have shades on and drops in my car, breifcase, desk, etc.

Having said that, in the last few years, things have gotten WAYYYY better.

I personally can't wear half-jackets when I ride because they let in too much wind. I have sensitive eyes though, and I've heard a lot of others who are fine with half-jackets. I do own half-jackets and wore them for years at the beach, playing volleyball, running, etc and they were fine. You can swap lenses, which is great. But, riding produces a lot more wind and my eyes can't take it.

Next, I bought some wiley-x glasses that created a total seal. They worked pretty well for keeping my contacts from drying out, but I had to strap them on, which I hated, and they fogged up from no air getting in. One day I dropped them and the lenses scratched BAD, so they were dead.

I bought some rudy project ekynox next, and that is the solution for me. They're not a style I would wear when I'm not riding, but on the bike, they're perfect. You can buy multiple lenses, clear for darkness or woods, dark for heavy sun, red for racing, etc. And this means you can replace the lenses if you scratch them. They do let some wind in, but on a 5+ hour ride, I don't have any problem with my contacts getting too dry.

I've blown a lot of money on shades trying to find the right ones for the right situation. Having said that, they're my eyes, and all eyes are different when it comes to comfort and drying out, brightness, etc.

Good luck. I hope you find something you like.

After LASIK 20/20 no more contacts or glasses, YEA!

I'll pass, I dont want issues down the line.

I've been wearing contacts for 16yrs and cycling for about 18. I've never had a contact fly out of my eye due to wind, etc. Sure, I've had bugs or what not go into my eye and I've had to stop and fix it. Otherwise, I've never had any mishaps. I do wear sunglasses though ... shaded or clear ... at all times.

Soft lenses here, I find my eyes actually tend to water with wind in them, so no, no dryness. You might be the same? Sometimes I don't even wear sunglasses. (quite often actually.)

I wear the two week disposable lenses and have never had a problem wearing them on bike rides. It's great to have the peripheral vision that you don't get with glasses. I wear sunglasses since my eyes are sensitive to sunlight (maybe because they're light colored?- or the contacts, or both I dunno).

I was going through the same debate in my head and just got my contacts a week ago. They're working great and the Focus Night and Days are so comfortable that I don't notice them being in most of the time.

The ability to wear any sunglass you want without worrying about prescription lenses, inserts and all that junk makes it worth it.

To prevent your eyes from drying out, get a pair of sunglasses that provides a good seal above your eyes at the very least. They should be close to or touching your forehead all the way around as much as possible and be wraparounds.

Your eyes will still get a little dry due to air flowing through them elsewhere, so pay attention to how they feel and don't forget to blink. However, If you have the tight forehead seal, the wind won't be blasting right through between your glasses.

No issues for years of riding, got Lasik last year.

soft lenses here... I've had one flip out and land on the inside of my sunglasses before, that was fun :). I had issues with an old pair of oakley's that let the wind whip around inside, and I'd be constantly making sure my lenses were in place. I got a good pair of shades that wrap around and have had no issues, other than the one mentioned above (I think I had my lense in inside out though... d'oh! :D).

i wear acuvue advance and dont have problems with my eyes drying out while riding or them falling out. Contacts are way better than wearing glasses.

I finally got contacts at the age of 35, three years ago. I did it strictly for winter cycling because i was sick and tired of the fogging glasses and no good options. I have never looked back and wonder why i waited so long.

I wear mine even in below zero temps with no dry eyes. The only time i get dry eyes is from allergy med which dry up fluids in and about the head.

I wear RGP's and have worn contacts for 33 years. Always wear sunglasses (clear @ night); mine are cheap ones though. Never have a problem with drying out, but for about a week during peak spring pollen season I have some problems so I wear my glasses.

I've never been able to wear disposable contacts -- tried several times and lost lenses so frequently that I gave up in favor of prescription eyewear. A year and a half ago I got custom wavefront lasik and will join the bandwagon of people saying it was the best money they've ever spent. Now I don't have to worry about things like taking a decongestant (which was a sure sign of loosing a lens) or carrying an extra pair of sun/night prescription lenses, dealing with scratched prescriptions, etc.

I do the same plus yawn.

I've ridden many tens of thousands of thousands of miles without ever losing a contact lens ever.