contact lenses and cycling..my ongoing experience!
trevtherev
Posts: 372
This is really a follow up to a post i did some weeks ago ( i can't find the original thread) and I hope it will lead to some lively debate and perhaps some tips and help.
So lets start at the beginning....At 53 I am short sighted and have specs for a number of years for driving and watching telly (if i can be bothered!) I don't usually wear outside driving because I can see but obviously everything not withing 10ft or so is out of focus...so I get by. If I was to wear glasses all day everything would be nice and clear but I would then have to remove them every time I needed to read as I don't need glasses for reading ( That in itself is a slight exaggeration as I do have slight reading element in my prescription but not enough to make me want to buy reading glasses...ie I can read books, have trouble with small print, and can use the computer ok but sometimes there is glare on the screen...however again can be helped if i take lots of breaks....are we all clear so far
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I have cycled to work for the last 3.5 years and have noticed in winter that espec in the evenings my eyesight is not great...of course cycling is akin to driving..so no surprises there. Having had a recent eye test my eyesight has got worse ...well it wont get better but my prescription is still quite light. I came to the conclusion that I should have specs on my bike but came to the equal conclusion very quickly that the only real option was contact lenses, how can you possibly ride a bike with specs when it is raining Contact lenses would then mean I could wear whatever shades I wanted in the summer...and so my long quest into contact lenses began and the solution whilst not perfect is prob the best for me! do you agree?
If I had contact lenses in both eyes then I would need reading specs with me all day as I have already said i am short sighted. My first problem faced with contact lenses was could I put them in as I am squeamish ....it would appear I can but it takes a lot of perseverance as I have a very strong eye muscle!! (so I am told) that attempts to close on putting the contact lens in...however I persevere and usually get the lens in place....removing is no problem I get the lens out in seconds. I first tried varifocal contacts...they were useless and to avoid having to use specs with my lenses I was told the best way was to only have a lens in one eye. Further investigation proved that my strongest eye, the left eye had a stigmatism and I needed a toric lens, I used that for 10 days but found it uncomfortable at times so I was offered a spherical lens. The spherical lens is much more comfortable than the toric but prob not quite as good or sharp to view with. So in conclusion the answer for me is prob to use the spherical lens in my left eye as I can use for both driving and reading...are there any other solutions? I do find it rather odd to use ie when I look down to read with the lens in the left eye and no lens in the right...but after weeks of research and trial I appear to have a solution of sorts whilst not perfect is the best i can hope for....or have i missed something? Where is the best place to buy lenses online rather than from ****savers?
I hope this has not bored you too much but I am sure i am not alone out there....
So lets start at the beginning....At 53 I am short sighted and have specs for a number of years for driving and watching telly (if i can be bothered!) I don't usually wear outside driving because I can see but obviously everything not withing 10ft or so is out of focus...so I get by. If I was to wear glasses all day everything would be nice and clear but I would then have to remove them every time I needed to read as I don't need glasses for reading ( That in itself is a slight exaggeration as I do have slight reading element in my prescription but not enough to make me want to buy reading glasses...ie I can read books, have trouble with small print, and can use the computer ok but sometimes there is glare on the screen...however again can be helped if i take lots of breaks....are we all clear so far
)I have cycled to work for the last 3.5 years and have noticed in winter that espec in the evenings my eyesight is not great...of course cycling is akin to driving..so no surprises there. Having had a recent eye test my eyesight has got worse ...well it wont get better but my prescription is still quite light. I came to the conclusion that I should have specs on my bike but came to the equal conclusion very quickly that the only real option was contact lenses, how can you possibly ride a bike with specs when it is raining Contact lenses would then mean I could wear whatever shades I wanted in the summer...and so my long quest into contact lenses began and the solution whilst not perfect is prob the best for me! do you agree?
If I had contact lenses in both eyes then I would need reading specs with me all day as I have already said i am short sighted. My first problem faced with contact lenses was could I put them in as I am squeamish ....it would appear I can but it takes a lot of perseverance as I have a very strong eye muscle!! (so I am told) that attempts to close on putting the contact lens in...however I persevere and usually get the lens in place....removing is no problem I get the lens out in seconds. I first tried varifocal contacts...they were useless and to avoid having to use specs with my lenses I was told the best way was to only have a lens in one eye. Further investigation proved that my strongest eye, the left eye had a stigmatism and I needed a toric lens, I used that for 10 days but found it uncomfortable at times so I was offered a spherical lens. The spherical lens is much more comfortable than the toric but prob not quite as good or sharp to view with. So in conclusion the answer for me is prob to use the spherical lens in my left eye as I can use for both driving and reading...are there any other solutions? I do find it rather odd to use ie when I look down to read with the lens in the left eye and no lens in the right...but after weeks of research and trial I appear to have a solution of sorts whilst not perfect is the best i can hope for....or have i missed something? Where is the best place to buy lenses online rather than from ****savers?
I hope this has not bored you too much but I am sure i am not alone out there....
"Cycling is like a church - many attend, but few understand."
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevtherev ... 338579801/
www.runningfree.co.uk
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Comments
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I recommend always wearing eye protection when riding, yes they can get fogged and blurry when riding in the rain, but so do your eyes (blurry anyway). Getting an insect in your doesn't do you any good at all.
coming from an mtb background I think it is shear lunacy not to use eye protection when riding, the mud and grit thrown up, the low branches, insects etc.
If you are wearing shades in the summer what's the issue, get a prescription insert.
I use optilabs rapide with varifocal yellow lenses for all year round, day and night riding.--
Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails0 -
trevtherev wrote:Further investigation proved that my strongest eye, the left eye had a stigmatism and I needed a toric lens, I used that for 10 days but found it uncomfortable at times so I was offered a spherical lens.
I have astigmatism in both eyes, with it more marked in the right. I tried contacts and stuck with them for a year or so until they drove me completely nutty with rage. I find that if my prescription is out by even an angle, I notice it pretty easily. Toric contacts spin off axis by more than that very easily, so I found I was often trying to adjust them manually (ie sticking my finger in my eye to rotate them back on axis - never worked very well either).
For cycling 80% vision (I found was enough), so contacts were OK for that. It was working and reading that they were unsuitable for.
Deciding to get rid was the best decision for me. I use Rudy Projects with a prescription insert. V happy bunny.0
