 Poster: A snowHead
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Please excuse my preamble but some six months ago I lost an eye (thankfully only one) and as a result I have gone from always wearing glasses to sometimes using a contact lense in my good eye. This not only gives me an increased field of vision as compared to wearing glasses, but also hugely helps with the depth of vision. The eye that I lost was actually giving me mixed messages so, now, I find that I have a bit of a new freedom. I run the local coastal path daily and not only can I now see the terrain that used to trip me up but there is a huge advantage that rain and misting up glasses are no longer a problem.
I've been skiing for most of my 58 years and I'm really looking forward to a lot more. I also feel confident that my change in vision and lately improved depth of field will be a bonus but what I don't know is how contact lenses behave in the cold, wind and dryness (maybe) when skiing.
I ski with a pack so I'll pack, incase, glasses, spare contacts, precription sunglasses, drops and (should all else fail) a 5'8" blonde and busy nurse.
So, at last, the question is;
Does anyone have any suggestions and or advice, and or comments with regards skiing with contact lenses?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi
I wear my contact lenses all day and ski in them without giving them a thought. I am really short sighted so love the freedom they give compared to glasses or prescription sun glasses. I don't have any issues with fit or dryness and have never noticed any difference skiing in my contact lenses that I have in really hot dry countries or even waterskiing for example. Your goggles should keep out any wind and I guess carrying a spare and glasses in your pack will give some comfort "just in case". Hope you enjoy your skiing.
Wendy
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've been wearing soft contact lenses since I was in my twenties (I'm the same age as you). Never had any problems with skiing at all. Obviously you'll take plenty of spares. I actually think a bit of cold wind in the eyes actually helps, as the eyes water a little which keeps the lenses moist. I wear sunglasses rather than goggles.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Age 59. Been wearing hard contact lenses from being a teenager until about 4 years ago when I moved to soft lenses for medical reasons. I don't like goggles unless the weather is really so bad that I have to wear them. I have no issues with skiing with contact lenses. I find I don't like too much wind against my eyes and so tend to wear sunglasses.
I also have prescription sunglasses but the "plain" sunglasses plus contact lenses are better as they don't steam up when you walk into a bar / cafe.
Give it a go. It will be fine
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I skied with contacts for nearly 30 years and had no problems, although I always wore sunglasses and goggles in poor visbility. You'll be fine.
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Wow! Thank you Snowheads!! Only been a member here for a while but by the speed of response I could almost be tempted to a Bash. You people must be..... Well...
Okay'ish
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@esaw1, another long-term lens wearer (implanted lenses now, so no need for contacts) - no problem at all, but I did and do wear either sunnies or goggles to keep the wind out.
I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Hurtle, Thank you 
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Have used both the 30-day "Night & Day" (leave in) and single-use dailies. No issues.
Just make sure you have enough spares, as I suspect it would be very difficult to organise extras in a ski resort.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@ulmerhutte, I have replaced contact lenses in a ski resort (Meribel). There are opticians in most of the big valley supermarkets so it wouldn't be too hard to replace one after skiing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've skied wearing soft contact lenses for 30 years. Sunglasses that wrap around the side of the eyes a little may be best for minimising lens drying and cut out more glare.
I use the lenses with the highest water content and find them really good.
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Just make sure before you go that you are happy to wear the lenses for the length of time you would be out skiing, so maybe 8-9 hours. I wear mine with goggles and have never had a problem, though I do carry a spare pair in my bag (never needed them). I have to wear extra moisturising lenses otherwise I can only use them for an hour.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks Scarlet. I've started doing that already. Okay for twelve hours wich,to be honest, is probably as good as my legs would last for!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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When I go skiing, I switch from monthly to daily lenses. My rationale being that if I lose one lens, well, I would have thrown it out at the end of the day in any case. Also, despite my ability to burst into tears at the drop of a ski, apparently my tear ducts don't produce enough tears. Go figure. So I tend to wear goggles most of the time when skiing to avoid feeling dry eyed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The only time I wear contacts is when I ski. I can't stand them in day to day life, I find them quite uncomfortable and my eyes dry out quite fast.
Strangely, I don't notice them when I ski, @telford_mike, is right about the fresh air keeping them nice and moist. The only time I have trouble is if I go indoors for a long time. I keep my glasses in my bag and chuck the daily lenses away before the apres begins!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have skied for many years with daily contacts. Great with goggles not always great with sunglasses.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I only really wear contacts when doing sport. Have always worn dailies with goggles while skiing. The only problem can be if you hit the apres too hard before you take them out...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I too wear HGP lenses for normal use but switch to daily disposables for the winter. Never had a problem with them skiing and also even touring in storms without goggles when your eyelashes end up covered in icicles.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Another contact lens wearer. Rarely have a problem. Very ocassionally they feel like they're curling up, I just pull over, lift goggles up, rub my eye and they're sorted. Sometimes I'll ski the rest of the Run with my goggles off to get my eyes streaming!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My only issue I've had with contacts when skiing is dry eyes, sometimes get that when I'm sailing in windy conditions too. The drops you are packing should deal with that.
RobJ
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@esaw1,
Another one who has worn contacts for umpteen years. Only ever had one come out while on piste - so a spare buried somewhere warm in your jacket wouldn't be a bad idea
Skitrack
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Daytime contact lenses are a bit 20th century.
Get night contact lenses, like EyeDream.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| esaw1 wrote: |
Please excuse my preamble but some six months ago I lost an eye (thankfully only one) and as a result I have gone from always wearing glasses to sometimes using a contact lense in my good eye. This not only gives me an increased field of vision as compared to wearing glasses, but also hugely helps with the depth of vision. The eye that I lost was actually giving me mixed messages so, now, I find that I have a bit of a new freedom. I run the local coastal path daily and not only can I now see the terrain that used to trip me up but there is a huge advantage that rain and misting up glasses are no longer a problem.
I've been skiing for most of my 58 years and I'm really looking forward to a lot more. I also feel confident that my change in vision and lately improved depth of field will be a bonus but what I don't know is how contact lenses behave in the cold, wind and dryness (maybe) when skiing.
I ski with a pack so I'll pack, incase, glasses, spare contacts, precription sunglasses, drops and (should all else fail) a 5'8" blonde and busy nurse.
So, at last, the question is;
Does anyone have any suggestions and or advice, and or comments with regards skiing with contact lenses? |
Hi,
lots of comments and suggestions on here about types of contacts , my only suggestion is that you need to be very careful with your hygene routines if you wear a contact lens, and also be very careful about how long you wear the lens for daily. As a "monocular" any issues you may have through lens wearing are going to have a major impact on your vision.
As an example , some years ago i had an issue with dry eye which led to some cells being lost of the surface of my eye, extremely painful and took some days under an eye patch to heal (loss of surface cells leads to a bulge in the surface which causes irritation of the eyelid) , this will not be an ideal option for you!
Most more modern lenses have a much higher water content than the type I was using. However, infection or damage to your eye will be much more significant than for most users.
I would discuss the issue with your optician to make sure you are giving your eye the care it needs!
atb
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| esaw1 wrote: |
Please excuse my preamble but some six months ago I lost an eye (thankfully only one) and as a result I have gone from always wearing glasses to sometimes using a contact lense in my good eye. This not only gives me an increased field of vision as compared to wearing glasses, but also hugely helps with the depth of vision. The eye that I lost was actually giving me mixed messages so, now, I find that I have a bit of a new freedom. I run the local coastal path daily and not only can I now see the terrain that used to trip me up but there is a huge advantage that rain and misting up glasses are no longer a problem.
I've been skiing for most of my 58 years and I'm really looking forward to a lot more. I also feel confident that my change in vision and lately improved depth of field will be a bonus but what I don't know is how contact lenses behave in the cold, wind and dryness (maybe) when skiing.
I ski with a pack so I'll pack, incase, glasses, spare contacts, precription sunglasses, drops and (should all else fail) a 5'8" blonde and busy nurse.
So, at last, the question is;
Does anyone have any suggestions and or advice, and or comments with regards skiing with contact lenses? |
Sorry to hear about the eye.
I can advise about the one eye, as my name suggests but people play all sorts of sports with contacts.
One thing that is interesting about goggles is, you would expect those full face wrap around ski goggles to offer a better field of view. However, when I tested loads I found that they have too much foam inside and it restricts the field of view (FOV) EG Dragon APX and Nike (same unit). I found that a framed pair EG Dragon Rogue provided far more FOV. Not totally on topic but hope it is useful.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
Daytime contact lenses are a bit 20th century.
Get night contact lenses, like EyeDream. |
But he needs them to see in the day time whilst skiing, and Inguess doesn't need to see much whilst asleep.
I'd actually counter your suggestion that for good eye health a daily disposable is probably best. Much less risk of any infection and they have good high water content ones
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
Daytime contact lenses are a bit 20th century.
Get night contact lenses, like EyeDream. |
I only wear contacts for sport. I wear my glasses the rest of the time, covers up how terrible my bags are and how tired I look!
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@snowornever, Valid points for which many thanks. In fact all is and has been discussed at length with the specialist and my optometrist. Using a contact was a decision made only after weighing up the pros and cons and the major factor I have to watch out for is, as you said, hygiene.
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You know it makes sense.
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I do carry one of those small phials of eyedrops for lenses in my pocket as I sometimes find when I go from warm to freezing cold, my lense (I only wear one) sticks to my eye.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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+1 for contacts that you can keep in at night. I use Biofinity torics month lenses for a year now and I almost forget to change them.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I only wear one contact lense in my (good, but very shirt sighted eye). Never had a problem skiing, in all temps/conditions, I usually wear Oakley Race wrap around sunglasses. I have monthly use lenses and take them out after skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I ski with daily disposables in the only problem as my age has crept up it the need for reading glasses if I want to see a menu.
Always carry 2 sets spares and I wear goggles. Last year i found a credit card size magnifying lens so i don't need to keep the glasses with me all the time
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@joneski,
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i found a credit card size magnifying lens so i don't need to keep the glasses with me all the time
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+1
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have one of those too... get them from China on ebay for 99p
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@esaw1, Well done - you seem to have adapted well to having only one eye. I've found contacts great for skiing - but I always have some 'Blinks' in my pocket to keep them moist. Dry eyes are uncomfortable at altitude
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@genepi,
+1
Always use lenses for non work related activity but always carry a 10ml eye drops in case the eye drys a little, nothing worse than a dry lense. Having said that it will never put me off wearing lenses.
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I haven't read all responses but my experience seems to differ from most. I've been skiing 4 years and got glasses last year, skied with contacts a couple of weeks ago for the first time. I have an astigmatism so the contacts aren't bang on and are weighted to avoid rotation so maybe not a typical lens user. That said, I found that I lost a lens pretty much every day and during runs the lens would rotate so my vision would blur (plenty of blinking required to get it back). I think the lenses dried and came out (soft dailies) so the last couple of days I skied without. Had goggles on for all of it.
HTH
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Hmmm I wonder if the fit is right for your eyes. I have an astigmatism too, I use Acuvue moist daily for Astig. And they have always been fine but different brands suit different eyes.
My only issue is reading the piste map clearly, as my glasses are varifocal but the contacts don't deal with the long sighted bit, only my short sightedness, but I can just about manage at arms length.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| t44tomo wrote: |
Hmmm I wonder if the fit is right for your eyes. I have an astigmatism too, I use Acuvue moist daily for Astig. And they have always been fine but different brands suit different eyes.
My only issue is reading the piste map clearly, as my glasses are varifocal but the contacts don't deal with the long sighted bit, only my short sightedness, but I can just about manage at arms length. |
I've got some new goggles for this season and a new helmet (last one came to the end of it's life). The combination seem to give significant more wind through the goggle so it could just be the stuff i'm using channelling the wind across my eyes. I think i'm on Acuvue, but my vision isn't so bad that i can't operate without anything in, i can still legally drive without lenses / glasses (just)
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I've used HGP lenses since my teens and before I started skiing. I originally used to wear goggles all the time (whilst skiing) on a rather lame theory that if I fell over and a lens came out it might get caught in the goggles. In practice I've never had a lens come out whilst skiing and I soon switched to wearing sun glasses over the lenses and goggles just when the occasion demanded. I get very few problems with my lenses generally, but get even fewer when skiing, which I put down to the cleaner air and less dust in the environment. Of course HGPs don't dry out so no drops required.
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