Contact Lenses

[peejay]

Hi, I'm thinking of getting some contact lenses and have a couple of questions I hope you can answer:

I do a 10 mile commute into work and I normally have a shower when I arrive. Can you wear contact lenses in the shower or would I have to take them out and put them back in again?

Also, do they dry out when cycling?

PeeJay

 

[Piemaster]

I wear daily disposables. I shower with them in but do have to be careful not to rub them out if I get shampoo/soap in my eyes. A pat with a towel is better.
Never had a problem with them drying out. Actually quite the opposite problem as have lost one due to eyes streaming, and consequently rubbing them, when in cycling in cold and windy conditions. Some sort of cycling glasses would stop it.
Cycling was one of the reasons I started wearing contacts again after a break of a few years, one of the reasons being that I could then pick whatever sunglasses/eyewear I liked and much cheaper than prescription sunglassses.

 

[skudupnorth]

I wear mine all the time in alll weathers and including showers (warm and weather type ) My contacts are the monthly type which if i wanted i could even sleep in them but i don't.
They are great for cycling as you do not have to wipe them when it's raining and the constant breeze keeps them moist.
Hope that helps,i've been wearing them since year dot.

 

[swee'pea99]

Don't be a wooss - get lazered! You know it makes sense!

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I wear monthly contacts, never had a problem with them drying out. As Piemaster says, you do have to be careful not to rub them out of your eyes in the shower. A couple of times I've managed to make the lense get a bit crumpled in my eye after rinsing off my face, but it normally just takes a few blinks to set it right.

Contact lenses are really versatile, you can wear them for anything(except maybe skydiving or diving).

 

[peejay]

Thanks for the replies. Will give contacts a try. Just have to get use to poking myself in the eye now.

I think I will give the laser treatment a miss. Don't trust the people in the local Mall with that big laser gun

 

[Piemaster]

Oh, forgot to mention the big plus of not wearing glasses - no steaming up and as skudupnorth says no wiping them in the rain.

 

[potsy]

They'll be fine in the shower just remember to keep your eyes shut
I wore the monthly disposables for years,only gave them up due to the fact each pair gave slightly different vision so would have a month of crystal clear sight then next month bit mixed.This was mainly due to being the toric ones for astigmatism.
shouldn't dry out as your eyes constantly lubricate them every time you blink.
+1 on the laser treatment though,would have it done tomorrow if it was guaranteed to work.

 

[ianrauk]

I have worn daily disposables for a few years. You just have to be mindful of a few things. Once I got a really bad watery eye, and before I could stop the bike, the lens decided to say goodbye, another time a small fly got in my eye, as i tried to get the fly out, the lens cam with it and woosh wind took it off my finger and it was gone. So a good tip is to carry a spare pair with you. I always now wear cycling glasses.

 

[gavintc]

+1

 

[Tynan]

gas perms here, so years at a time, brill, no probs at all, have to wear cycle glasses though as anything in the eye is a major issue

 

[Brains]

I wear monthlies, so they go in on the 1st and come out on the 30th

I would suggest wearing cycling glasses

 

[violetnewt]

I wear gas perms too. They take a little longer to get used to than soft lenses but are better for your eyes and give crisper vision.

My optition deals with patient for whom laser treatment hasn't worked, and cautions patients to pay for a proper hospital eye clinic assessment before deciding if you're truly suitable for laser treatment. When it works, it works very well. But when it doesn't .....

I love my RGPs, been wearing them for 25 years. Not the same pair though, natch! I would still advise cycle glasses to avoid issues with wind, sun and bugs!

 

[Gary D]

gas perms here, so years at a time, brill, no probs at all, have to wear cycle glasses though as anything in the eye is a major issue

Totally agree. You don't know the meaning of the word "pain" until you get a speck of dust under a rigid lens

I always wear glasses as well - even clear ones in the dark - because of this problem.

Couldn't wear the floppy replaceable lenses as I have very dry eyes and they quickly caused itching becuase they dried out.

Gary.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I don't wear contacts any more, but did go through a selection a few years back. While I haven't used them for cycling, I would think that mine would dry out - based on what they did the rest of the time (especially if windy!).
One thing I noticed, my glasses have some kind of UV filter in them which the contacts either don't have or have less of; I become much more sensitive to sunlight with the contacts and need to resort to sunglasses fairly often.
And, of course, if you do get something underneath them (a speck of dust?) you're doomed. Carry eyedrops!
As for wearing in the shower, no problems - just don't open your eyes wide and stare right into the falling water, as then you might wash it off and down the drain! Unlikely, but possible...