glasses/contacts

[Wistrick]

I have worn contacts in the past, but never to ride in. I wear a full face helmet and glasses are a big pain. Should I consider getting contacts again for riding??

[Clint]

That's really a personal decision. Factors are cost, comfort, and safety. I was able to slide glasses into the opening on the helmet. They practically floated there, with no weight on the bridge. Contacts eliminate the hassle, but they can start to dry out and irritate the eyes after a long day. It's your call.

[GregR1]

contacts have PERFECT peripheral vision, since the lens covers the entire 'seeing' portion of the eye and it also moves with your eye. they also don't fog up on cold days like glasses do. they tend not to shatter or slam against your nose bridge when you fall over or shift your helmet around. aside from the dryness which can happen after about 12 hours of constant wearing (for me), they're perfect. getting a tiny bug or some dust in the eye sucks either way, and they tend to 'collect' near the edge of the eyelid so it's just as easy to take it out whether you're wearing glasses or contacts.

glasses have a few small benefits, though: no dry eyes, less cleaning items to carry, no extra costs (if you already have them). that's pretty well all i can think of, really. their benefits are more in the 'convenience' side than 'functional' side.

helmets? if you wear contacts, you can wear any helmet - just pop it on and go. with glasses, you have to find a helmet that makes it easy to put your glasses on and that doesn't shift them around - not all helmets have an empty spot with no padding to make this easy.

personally, i wear glasses at home and in the office 99% of time, and i wear contacts when i ride the bike 100% of the time. if my eyes need a rest after 10 or 12 hours of riding, my body likely needs it too. if i need an extra 2 or 3 hours of comfort, just put in some contact-lens-safe eye drops.

[h00k247]

I where contacts exclusively when I ride. The only issue that I have is that they get a little dry from time to time.

[mel]

I like wearing contacts much more than glasses. My glasses tend to move around in my helmet, and that's not comfortable. But the drying out does get uncomfortable too.

[GregR1]

how long can you guys / girls wear contacts before they dry out and feel uncomfortable? i can usually wear mine for 10 hours before dryness even begins to set in.

[mel]

Originally Posted by GregR1

how long can you guys / girls wear contacts before they dry out and feel uncomfortable? i can usually wear mine for 10 hours before dryness even begins to set in.

10 hours sounds about right. I usually wear them for a bit longer, but eye drops help a lot.

[Wistrick]

Well sounds like contacts might be in my future again. I wish I could get laser surgery but doc says it won't correct my vision all the way to 20/20 so might as well spend the $3000 on the ride

[LCA_koolaid37]

I have never worn contacts, but I absolutely abhor putting stuff into my eyes. I mean, using Visine becomes a chore in trying to subdue the eyelid response.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by LCA_koolaid37

I have never worn contacts, but I absolutely abhor putting stuff into my eyes. I mean, using Visine becomes a chore in trying to subdue the eyelid response.

much easier if you aim the eye dropper at your stretched-out lower eye lid, rather than trying to dump a drop from above directly onto your eyeball.

[Merlin2000]

I did LASIK 5 months ago, about a month before I bought my M50. I spent roughly $4500, it was worth every penny.

A lot of places have a 1+ yr financing option.

[Scribbles]

I wore contacts from age 12 on. My uncle is an opthalmologist, so he put me in contacts as soon as he could. I wore extended-wear contacts for over 15 years before I had my lasik surgery. The last two years I wore contacts, I wore monthly extended-wear lenses. I was correctable to 20/20 in the extended-wear lenses. I got very spoiled having the contacts in my eyes all the time (contacts act like a bandage over the eye surface). I had no idea that I suffered from dry eyes for years until I had my lasik. I am actually allergic to my own tears.

I wear Panoptx sunglasses when riding, and when I have the top down on the convertible. They help prevent much of the eye irritation from the wind. I also use a prescription eyedrop called FreshKote. If you want to go the contact route, I would look into sunglasses with an air-dam like Panoptx, or look into some drops to help with the dry eye.

[h00k247]

Originally Posted by mel

10 hours sounds about right. I usually wear them for a bit longer, but eye drops help a lot.

I have gone a few days without taking mine out. Not recommended though.

[GregR1]

for dryness, i just put in a drop or two of saline solution. cheap and plentiful. i also use it for rinsing lenses and i put a drop inside the lens before placing it on my eye. helps keep things comfy.

[battypup]

I use contacts all the time on the bike. With the full face I've never had dry eye problem. Even with the lid up and sunglasses on it hasn't been a problem. I like the contacts for the ease and sunglasses option. Just my opinion.

[MTVolusia]

I have always worn contacts for everything, I purchased a good pair of sunglasses that fit tiht to the face to keep my eyes from drying out and keep the errant bug out. I also have a windshield on my bike also. I believe contacts offer more positives than negatives. Good luck with whichever you choose.

[jgreth]

I can't ride my bike too long with contacts unless I have my sunglasses on. My eyes are very sensitive to the air so if I do night-time riding ( which is a lot ) I wear my glasses. During the day I wear contacts since I always ride with my sunglasses on.

The few times that I've had to ride at night with my contacts in, I don't enjoy it since air goes through my helmet regardless of how much I close the vents. It's not a top of the line helmet so that may have something to do with it.

[Brad_M50]

I wear one day disposable contacts and they tend to dry out after about 14-16 hours unless I am on the bike. I have had a hard time finding the right goggles/glasses for riding. I finally found a good pair from Harley. But I still have too many problems with my contacts especially during allergy season. So I am getting the laser surgery done in October. It is just over 2000 here

[jwalcik]

Ever since I moved back to Texas, I haven't been able to wear contacts (bothers my eyes too much). I wear a Nolan modular helmet that I can get on and off with my glasses on, and has a built-in sun shield. Those were my two requirements when I went helmet shopping. The two I found that fit that criteria were the Nolan N-102 that I ended up buying and the Caberg Justisimo.

[parabians]

I put on my FF helmet, then fit my glasses in the helmet. I've thought about contacts a bunch, used to wear them in the 80's. Totally convinced they'd be comfortable, but I don't want allergies kicking off conjunctivitus or the contacts drying out. One less thing to worry about.