Contact lens- another try. Talk to me

Ok tried it a few years ago and on the trail it felt great but one eye started to itch alittle so I gave up.

What should I use/try/wear?

I use daylies with clear glasses or goggles to keep the wind off the eyes. Just ask specsavers for a free trial

I use acuvue moist, are they good? Don’t know, they’re fine for me though. I’ve had some Crystal ones which were cheaper but I found fiddlier to fit, they seemed much the same once in.

Agree with ticsmon, get a fitting done and then whatever they give you on trial. If you’re only wearing them for riding then a box of dailies goes a long way

I use lenses all the time, not just for riding in.

Theres no point me telling you the type of lenses I use as they are very specialist for a very specific eye condition I have, but my advice is to put a crud catcher type mudguard on the downtube , and one of those neoprene things between the fork crown and bridge.

Without both of these things (or a pair of goggles , which i find just steam up if you’re climbing ) , you will get grit in your eyes, which is massively painful if you’re wearing contact lenses.

I’m in the process of trying Gas Permeable lenses. I have a strong stigmatism so need torric lens if I use dailies. By going GP they aren’t weighted I believe so should be better for biking.

I’ve not actually ridden with them yet as I only got them last Friday. The only problem so far is they irritate a bit due to them being hard but I’ll get used to them with time.

The guys in Vision Express at the Trafford Centre were really helpful. Could be worth popping in for their free trial??

Dave

(wandering off the topic but) I used to use a toric lens in one eye, I was never that happy with it so since I have the same prescription in the other eye but without the toric, decided to just use that in both to try. It does leave a defect in my vision but it’s never been troublesome at all so I got my optician to switch me to plain

(wandering off the topic but) I used to use a toric lens in one eye, I was never that happy with it so since I have the same prescription in the other eye but without the toric, decided to just use that in both to try. It does leave a defect in my vision but it’s never been troublesome at all so I got my optician to switch me to plain

I did exactly the same. Right eye slightly more short-sighted than the left, and also has slight astigmatism. Used lefts in both eyes and it was perfectly fine. Not perfect, but no significant loss over over the toric, and I don’t have to bother keeping track of lefts and rights, any two are a pair. And they’re half the price of the torics.

Daily disposables, worn for sports and going out if I don’t fancy glasses for whatever reason. -1.75 and -2. I’ve got the wettest ones you can get, because I’ve got dry eyes and I’m I’m not wearing them for long periods every day

I use monthly torics, as i’ve got really bad astigmatism in both eyes. I wear some Oakley riding glasses/sunnies (other makes will be be fine though i’m sure!!) and have mucky nutz bender fenders on my MTB’s. Works perfectly.

All glasses steam up at some point though so the mud guard is probably more important.

dailies dry out quickly especially when riding. used to loose them all the time.

wear the 30day ones now and never had a problem. I can wear them in overnight but tend to take them out.

The extended wear (ie, leave in all day and night for a month) lenses are much, much more comfortable as they do not dry out.

The range of comments above show that it’s a case of finding it what suits you.

I’ve worn contacts for 27 years and have tried most types except hard lenses. I’ve used daily disposables from Daysoft (Mail order and £12 for 30 pairs) for years now and find them excellent.

Free trial from one of the high street chains is the way forward as you need to get a proper prescription and find out what’s best for you.

OP forget the internet advice go and see a good optician, indipendant multiple, whoever you are happy with, have a chat to the optometrist about what you want to use the lenses for and what was wrong last time you tried, after they have had a good look at your eyes and possibly done some trials they should then be able to advise the best alternatives for you, any other advice on here (otherthan the mudguards bit) is useless.

I use dailys when I ride, just in the right eye. They are for distance and if I wear two my close up stuff (maps/mechanicals,etc) suffer.Been using them for a couple of years with no problems. Sometimes they feel a little irritating when I put them in but soon forget about them on a ride. Normally wear Oakley Radarlock Path’s with them. Had a free trial first as I didn’t know how I would cope.

I’ve just switch from Accuvue Dailies to Accuvue True eye and tried a few other brands of daily contact lenses along the way.

A good Contact Lens consultation should provide you with a load of samples for you to try in various conditions – I ended up reducing the diameter of mine so they were less likely to move/wash out when cold wind etc makes your eyes water!

Worth persevering with!! Starting to wear contact lenses in my early 30’s was a revelation in terms of participating in outdoor hobbies & activities – rather than being the speccy-***t with -3.0 & -3.5 vision!

A good lubricant will help! Something with 0.4% sodium hyaluronate (no weaker than 0.4%).

Put a drop in each lens before putting them in your eyes. Then carry the resealable vial with you, so you can put a further drop in each eye later on, preferably before any discomfort starts. You don’t need to remove the lens to do this, just use it like normal eyedrops.

As others have said, go and get a trial at your local opticians.
I have had mine since I was 16, I was desperate to get rid of the glasses, it seemed when growing up all available frames were in endorsed by Sid Little.
The moment I tried them my life was forever changed, I no longer got beaten up, or called specks four eyes (although I still only had two eyes, I was simply wearing glasses as well, idiots!), and the ladies… They flocked to me once the glasses went, the amount of children that were sired as a result was amazing (although this is more likely down to poor practice of contraception that any ‘Fanny Magnet’ effect caused by the wearing of contact lenses).
So to summarise, get on with it, you are a grown man (I assume?).
However, one very serious warning, when servicing Candy floss machines, do not allow the lense fall into the mixture, the red tinge created by this can cause distractions whilst driving.

they are very specialist for a very specific eye condition I have

Keratoconus

I have this

IME lenses are uncomfortable but you get used to them
Dirt under them is a mare so make sure you dont get dirt or dust in your eyes

The later rarely being an issue in the UK

You can’t abandon your glasses!!!! It… it just won’t be the same! 😥

Free trial at Specsavers.
See how it goes.
If you only want to wear on the odd day, dailies are are the best.
Less likely to pick up an infection, easy to take spares on a ride if you get mud your eye.

I use gas permiables for general life and ridding they to my mind give clearer vision better all day comfort and I find easier to get in and out. They take a lot longer to get used to ,hurt like buggery if you get grit in your eye , wander off in the eye Ball or pop out if you get a knock on the eye. I have never had an issue ridding not even in my many crashes. I always wear sunglasses on the bike clear lenses in the dark. I also use dailys for camping and beach holidays and swimming . they are less FAFF no cleaning less grit discomfort . but harder to get in and out , vision can blur and while comfortable to get used to you by the end of the day they do dry your eyes out.