[Closed] Riding with contact lenses

Been perfect for me for 30 years.

Tend to wear cycling glasses as well to keep mud, flies and wind away

Been wearing them for years with no real issues apart from needing reading glasses to read anything.

Contacts are okay until you get something in an eye on a technical descent...

Riding glasses worn just in case mud and grit gets in. Always carry a couple of spares too.

Very viable. I use dailies for an astigmatism and they work very well. I only use them for sports and occasionally for work so a pack of 30 is 30 odd quid and lasts me a few months from spec savers or lenstore.

You can put glasses, sunglasses or Google's over to your heart's content.

generally fine, I have only a few issues, managed to tear one on a ride and that was uncomfortable. Due to how crap my eyes are If the contacts move, which they do, it can be a little blurry.

Mine are only very mild, but I find them 100 times better than any glasses I've tried.

I've also not had to wear any protective glasses with mine either due to having a decent front mud guard. Can't remember the last time something flicked up into my eye!

Been using contacts for the last 6 years or so without issues. Took a bit of time to find the right brand/shape so that they didn't vibrate on really rough stuff but once that was sorted it's been fine. I do wear clear glasses too to stop mud and water getting in my eyes, they stop my eyes watering up on fast descents too. I carry a spare pair of lenses in my pack in case they fall out or I get some dirt in the eye and need to pop a lense out, only ever had to get them out once in all that time when I faceplanted into a very muddy puddle!

Plenty of places do free trials so you've got nothing to lose.

I've used them for riding and racing for about 30 years too, only had issues a couple of times in all that time. Generally use cycling glasses to keep worst of muck out but if you do get something in your eye, just requires a bit more blinking.

The only trouble I have (being very short sighted) is multi day / overnight stuff where I'd usually take them out. Bit of a pain when wild camping putting lenses in, in a field! Thinking of getting some sports prescription glasses just for this purpose as planning a 4-day trip this summer.

As above, used to use them regularly and as long as you wear eye protection you should be fine.

Yep, like others here I've been wearing contacts in the bike for decades now and never had any problems, but I always have cycling shades on as well to keep the bugs and crap out of my eyes.

In the last few years I have needed some cheap +1.00 reading glasses as well when wearing the contacts though,but I guess that's just old age setting in.

I did try multifocus contacts for a while but didn't get on with them. Close-up vision was never quite close enough and long distance just slightly too far away.

As above, you should be fine with lenses - although they do take a little getting used to. I don't trust myself with a pair of decent prescription riding glasses, so I throw on a cheap of sunglasses or yellow lensed eye protectors just in case.

Been riding in contacts since 1991, and always used Oakley's on top as getting even small bugs or dirt knacks. Hate riding in seeing geggs.

Since getting a Crud XL have I not needed any eye protection when it's wet or muddy. Only really need them for the bugs now.

Been wearing contacts for more than 30 years, but i wear them so i can wear cycling glasses because I’m a tart.
Occasionally, if it gets dark while I’m out i may have to remove the oakleys to actually see.
Never had any problems.

Nearly always wear cycling glasses over them. Only problem I’ve ever had was stupidity-induced half an hour before the start of Bontrager 24/12 when I accidentally wetted them with peroxide soaking solution before putting them in. I can recommend never doing that it’s *¥&@ing painful. I must have lost much more fluid out of my eyes than in sweat in the first few laps whilst squinting through my swollen red eyes and specs. Me and Mrs Devbrix did manage third place in mixed pairs though!

Contacts are okay until you get something in an eye on a technical descent…

Pro tip - if you get something in one eye DO NOT carry on down the technical descent with that eye closed, no matter how well you think you know it. Because if you then get something in the other eye and that starts streaming tears and blurring your vision you may hit a tree stump, stopping the front wheel dead and smashing your head into the ground like a pile driver. Ask me how I know this.

Been wearing hard/gas permeable lenses since 1985; never had any issues with any sporting event other than rugby. Different to soft; one pair last for years (think my dad had one paid for 20 years) and provide a clearer vision whilst being better for your eyes.

They're a lot more expensive (about 70 quid each), and take longer to get used to though.

I am pretty short sighted, so always wear eye protectors when on the bike, as (for instance) cycling through a small swarm of insects can be a pain otherwise!

I wear contacts for longer rides, always with riding specs over the top to stop mud. However, riding for an hour after work, I'll wear glasses. If its at all muddy I wear prescription safety glasses, they don't look great but its better than wasting a pair of lenses.

I'm sure you can get some glasses that will suit riding...get a style with adjustable nose pads that the optician can adjust to your nose, non-designer arms that bend down behind your ears slightly, and don't get ones that are too narrow...you need a bit of height in the lenses so you don't need to hold your head up to see under the frames.

I'm a bit like @spooky_b329 - If I'm riding to the pub, I'll wear glasses, but for longer rides and rides in the sunshine, I'll wear lenses. I only wear them for riding and, as a glasses wearer for 45 years, really like the freedom of lenses (and the chance to wear some cool shades with appropriate coloured lenses for the weather after never being able to as a glasses wearer)

They transformed my riding. I sweat a lot and for most of the time I could barely see to ride through the steam, sweat or rain (or all three). So when I got contacts it was an incredible moment.

I wear extended wear lenses all the time, rarely glasses, and I am hugely thankful for it. I wear riding shades more than I normally would to keep the sun out, but not all the time. I actually don't find it much worse getting stuff in my eye with contacts than without. It's not a huge deal really.

I do however pay a lot of attention to mud protection - most of the time I use a Crud Catcher and one of those thin plastic fork bridge mounted ones, and I run the same combo on my rigid bike too. It keeps all the spray out of my face and eyes.

Under molgrips’ influence, I got contacts after many years of not wearing them, and haven’t looked back. I will wear my normal glasses if I am just going for a short jaunt, but my contacts with proper cycling glasses over top for anything more than, say, 45 minutes.

Love them.

Contacts and riding glasses works for me.

Same as others been riding in contacts for years and all good. Also as others said getting something in your eyes with contacts is seriously painful comparable to childbirth i image. Goggles or sunglasses are a must i think.

As others have said they work really well with eyewear of choice over the top. I order them from the Internet as they are way cheaper than the high street for the same brand and type

Just a couple of times I've had one come loose when riding, maybe a couple more times I've had issues with an eye just going watery which causes loads of distortion. But that's out of hundreds of times.

Put it another way I finally got some prescription riding glasses this year after over a decade of not bothering because I have contacts.

Contacts are great, been wearing different types for 30+ years and only uncomfortable if I get some grit or a loose eyelash in my eye! Wear cycling specs when biking, no issues, and also carry a spare pair of lenses. Recommend the type you sleep in, excellent if you're camping...

yep, full time contacts wearer, and riding in specs really seems like a backwards step now. I do try to ride with some sort of protection over them, but I've never had an accident or anything go hideously wrong when I haven't

Totally off topic I know, but after 30 odd years of wearing glasses and contacts have just had eyes Lasered. -7.5 to perfect vision. It is amazing. Sorry.

Disappointed no Dennis Taylor references.

Lens wearer here for 20 years. Definitely wear eye protection. Having got a bug or crud out of your eye without disturbing the lens might seem like a small victory out & about, but the infection risk is huge - don't bother carrying spare lenses, you can't clean your hands well enough to swap to a new lens safely.

Conjunctivitis isn't fun.

benjamins11

Totally off topic I know, but after 30 odd years of wearing glasses and contacts have just had eyes Lasered......

Been thinking about it many years a contact lens wearer but last few years needed reading glasses to check map/phone and don't use as much been wondering if laser will sort....as to contacts dont get sunscreen in eyes! Also blink a bit on long downhills though I'm prone to dry eyes....OP glasses slipping forward no problems currently but in past and for quite some years wore a surf style specs retainer to keep in place

Contacts are okay until you get something in an eye on a technical descent…

I've always found contacts keep the dirt out of the important bits of your eye, so it's easier to carry on riding.
Main reason I wear contacts is cos I ride a bike

I've had contacts over 30 years now and couldn't live without them. I have an astigmatism which my lenses correct meaning I have better vision in contacts than I do with glasses. Like the others have already said I always wear sunglasses/clear glasses when riding just to prevent any mud hitting my eyes. Definitely give it a try.

I prefer contacts for riding as my glasses can affect sideways vision at speed (rare occurrence for me tbf). I wear normal cycling glasses over them. I generally wear glasses for everyday wear

Only wear contacts for cycling. Glasses all other times. Been using them for over 20 years now.

I normally wear some form of eye protection when cycling, but don't find it necessary. I can happily ride without them, even in very muddy conditions like during cyclocross races, despite getting mud in the eye they have never been an issue

What everyone else has said. Optician in the village wears them for racing semi-pro cyclocross…

Part of the reason I have Oakley Jawbreakers in photochromic, as they cover a much wider range of lighting without needing to be removed, so I can get eye protection more often.

I've been wearing contact for 20 or more years, they are great for peripheral vision (over shoulder checks for wheel buzzers or homicidal van drivers). No problems on the bike with added eye-protection as I am able to get branches hit my face with monotonous regularity off-road.

Contacts are okay until you get something in an eye on a technical descent…

I’ve always found contacts keep the dirt out of the important bits of your eye, so it’s easier to carry on riding.

+1

I've been using them for 25 years with no problems at all. I don't wear goggles or riding glasses. Not sure why having something in your eye is more of a problem with contacts, or more painful as a few people have suggested. Sunscreen feels the same in my eye whether I'm wearing glasses or contacts.

Be careful after chopping chilis!

Only ever ride with contacts. Many rides without riding glasses but increasingly will have eye protection. I bought a pair of alley cats and they're the best all conditions glasses I've had.
Keep a spare set of lenses in van in case I need a change and a spare set in bag with a pocket packet of wipes in case. Gritty eyes are sore.

Thanks for all the replies. I was out today trying to judge my sight. So when I can I shall book an appointment.
So then shades. I have the same problem as in frames sliding down. Back in the early 80's I wore what I guess were original Oakleys? almost ski goggles without the foam. Never been able to wear shades since.

You may find sports glasses have progressed a bit since the 80s!

Yes you can spend loads on Oakleys or whatever, or as I do, buy clear or tinted safety glasses from Screwfix for a tenner or so. Impact resistant, UV resistant, optically correct for working (or biking). And no great shakes if you lose / sit on them. And they look just like all other sports glasses except the enormous ones the pros think are fashionable.

Soft rubber arm and nose grippers mean they dont slip, even on my sweaty, odd-shaped proboscis.

I have an astigmatism which my lenses correct meaning I have better vision in contacts than I do with glasses

Your glasses should correct astigmatism very accurately, as the lenses are fixed in the correct orientation (axis).

Contact lenses are a bit more trial and error, the lens is thicker at the bottom to keep it in the correct orientation, but they will sometimes rotate naturally due to your eye/blink action, so the optician will measure this and adjust the axis to compensate.

For example, the axis for my glasses is L=7 and R=100, but my contacts are 20 and 90, and when I first wore contacts it took several tweaks to my contacts prescription to get reliably good astigmatism correction.

Just to further complicate things, if you tend to get dry eyes, or its windy, or your aircon in the car is aimed at your face, the contacts can dry slightly and cling to your eye, this stops them self centring and therefore rotate out of position. I went through 2 or 3 brands of contacts until I got some constant wear/sleep in lenses, however things didn't settle down until I stopped wearing them daily. I'll wear them odd days and can do a week on holiday (daytime only), but if I wear them for much longer the dry eyes, discomfort and poor astigmatism correction creeps back.

I’ve been riding with contact lenses for around 10 years. They do sometimes move around on my eye - generally the right eye for some reason.

Things can get blurry, but furious blinking usually centres the lens. 😃

With my prescription I have the left eye set for reading and close up work and the right eye for distance. This means that trails are more 2D than 3D so I have a supply of distance lenses for my left eye for riding. Makes a world of difference to my Strava times but it means you can't read a map or phone very well.

I've been using contacts for about 25 years - nearly aways wear some riding glasses to keep the gunk out. No issues there until I started to go longsighted and lost close focus. I now find the contacts can be a pain if I have to do some trail side maintenance. My optician has suggested carrying a cheap off the shelf set of reading glasses! I'm thinking of getting a dedicated set of riding glasses so I can take them off to deal with close work.

No issues there until I started to go longsighted and lost close focus. I now find the contacts can be a pain if I have to do some trail side maintenance. My optician has suggested carrying a cheap off the shelf set of reading glasses! I’m thinking of getting a dedicated set of riding glasses so I can take them off to deal with close work.

My optician - who used to ride with the same group as me - suggested using a near-sight lens in one eye and a far-sight lens in the other. For me, this means that my right eye is unchanged, and my left (weaker) eye's contact lens is slightly less powerful than I should need. It doesn't affect my distance vision noticably, and allows me to read my phone, or menu sized print for example. I used to keep a box of daily, full strength contact lenses for those occasions where I thought I'd need all the vision I could get (night riding, for example), but I rarely use them any more.