# question for those who wear prescription glasses/contacts...



## lab49232 (Sep 13, 2011)

Get a pair of contacts that at least help your vision even if it doesn't give you 20/20. There has to be a pair of contacts out there that will at least partially help. Not sure what is special about your astigmatism but I have it in both my eyes and wear contacts. I have never been able to find a good way to wear glasses while riding.


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## Handbanana (Dec 10, 2013)

I wear contacts. Can't imagine trying to wear glasses while riding. 

There was a similar thread recently here:

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/outerwear-accessories/147041-prescription-sports-goggles-snowboarding.html


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## RustyOregon (Sep 8, 2014)

When I started riding I would wear my glasses under my goggles, and of course, get the dreaded fog no matter what. I decided to get the Smith Knowledge OTG with the fan that helps eleminate moisture and fogged out glasses. They worked well for a bit, but as the day goes on, nothing stopped the glasses from fogging up and eventually my glasses broke due to pressure from the goggles, also note, that I ride in somewhat humid conditions in the PNW, a drier climate might help. I now wear contacts for astigmatism and couldn't be happier. No more foggy glasses.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

I have a weird astigmatism as well: odd angles that most toric contact manufacturers didn't seem to make. The problem isn't so much a vision correction problem, its a comfort and fit thing. If the angle isn't a close match to your eye, then they never stay in the correct orientation (or return to it after you blink) so it always feels like something is in your eye or they suddenly fall out or swim to the back of your eyeball.

For years, I could only use one brand and they always had to be special-ordered. The last 5 years though, more and more brands are coming out with wider ranges of angles and shapes: I can now use 4 different brands and they're all comfortable.

All I can say is: if you haven't been fitted lately, then try again as things have changed.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

I actually got LASIK primarily because I hated snowboarding with glasses. Wore glasses from 11 years old to 27 years old, and NEVER AGAIN!!! :cheer:

Before my wife also got LASIK, we got her a pair of Smith OTG goggles with a built in fan, they were pretty good at keeping the fog down, but nothing beats not having glasses at all under there.


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

poutanen said:


> I actually got LASIK primarily because I hated snowboarding with glasses. Wore glasses from 11 years old to 27 years old, and NEVER AGAIN!!! :cheer:
> 
> Before my wife also got LASIK, we got her a pair of Smith OTG goggles with a built in fan, they were pretty good at keeping the fog down, but nothing beats not having glasses at all under there.


Fear keeps me from LASIK... Guess if my vision gets to be a problem see I don't wear my glasses while snowboarding guess I'll man up....


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

SnowDogWax said:


> Fear keeps me from LASIK... Guess if my vision gets to be a problem see I don't wear my glasses while snowboarding guess I'll man up....


I think statistically speaking you're more likely to lose vision in your eyes due to an infection from contact use than you are from a failed LASIK procedure... At least that's what they told me... lol

I hate to be one of those guys that says "well it worked for me", but this is one thing I'd do again in a second. It takes about 10 minutes in total (maybe 15-30 seconds of actual laser time each eye) and you can see well almost right away afterwards.


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

poutanen said:


> I think statistically speaking you're more likely to lose vision in your eyes due to an infection from contact use than you are from a failed LASIK procedure... At least that's what they told me... lol
> 
> I hate to be one of those guys that says "well it worked for me", but this is one thing I'd do again in a second. It takes about 10 minutes in total (maybe 15-30 seconds of actual laser time each eye) and you can see well almost right away afterwards.


Hate my glasses.. never had any until 5yrs ago... tempting


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## FalseFlag (Mar 8, 2014)

poutanen said:


> I think statistically speaking you're more likely to lose vision in your eyes due to an infection from contact use than you are from a failed LASIK procedure... At least that's what they told me... lol
> 
> I hate to be one of those guys that says "well it worked for me", but this is one thing I'd do again in a second. It takes about 10 minutes in total (maybe 15-30 seconds of actual laser time each eye) and you can see well almost right away afterwards.


I was also told the same thing about the "infection from contacts". I had wanted lasik for years and always scared myself outta it. Finally I had it with wearing glasses and goggles for snowboarding and paintball. In the end lasik has been the best thing. The 10 minutes in the office was well worth it. The only pain you experience is a few moments when it feels like sand is in your eye afterwards. And having better than 20/20 vision rocks. Since I got my eyes done 2 years ago my mom and 2 co workers have also had same procedure.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

Inserts with Rx lens. 3 of same kind of goggles w/ different tints. Just swap insert from goggle to goggle depending on light conditions.


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## Aykan (Sep 15, 2014)

Try one od theese. https://www.google.pl/search?q=spor...id-lge&sourceid=chrome-mobile&espv=1&ie=UTF-8


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I wear my contacts while riding. With as hot natured as I am, wearing glasses under goggles would be a disaster for me. They'd fog immediately.

If I couldn't wear contacts to ride, I'd look into getting prescription goggles and I'd carry my glasses with me in a hard case for backup.

I've thought about LASIK, but I've never had any issues wearing contacts so I've never really looked into it. I have another buddy who had LASIK done and he's constantly fighting dry eyes afterward. But, his LASIK was done about a decade ago and I'm sure the procedures have improved since then.


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## leesamgentry (Feb 6, 2014)

sheepstealer said:


> This is a question for those of you who have some kind of prescription eyewear (be it contacts or glasses). What do you wear when you ride?
> 
> Really I’m more interested in those that wear glasses, or those who can’t wear contacts. See, the thing is I can’t wear contacts. I have a type of stigmatism that contacts can’t fix, so I’ve been a glasses-wearer virtually all my life. For most of my life I never wore glasses when playing sports (namely, soccer, mountain biking and snowboarding), and just kind of dealt with it. Glasses were bothersome, got sweaty, etc.. As I’m getting older I’ve started to feel that I will eventually have to stop doing this. The eye strain has been getting tough.
> 
> ...


My son also has this problem, but he can actually wear contacts, he just doesn't like them. If you really can not wear contacts, then I would suggest prescription googles. It is possible to find these but they are not cheap. I supposed in the big sheme of geat purchases, seeing the way down the mountain is probably pretty important.


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## firstx1017 (Jan 10, 2011)

I hate to jump on the Lasik bandwagon - but I agree - this is something I definitely would do again. I wore glasses from 10-43 and finally after having over 20 people I know have the surgery I decided to have it done. I too had a bad astigmatism and have never really been able to see without glasses. It was very odd waking up and being able to see the alarm clock without squinting. It was the best thing I've ever had done! Granted, at 43 I was told I still would need cheater glasses when I got older - and at 54 now I do need cheaters to read and work on the computer - but I don't need them to drive or go to the movies or for any sports activities - that's what sold it for me. The place I went to actually let me make 12 monthly payments interest free which I thought was a great incentive also. He is the best eye surgeon around here that even the other eye doctors have Lasik done from him. Worth every penny! It's not common now it's not near as expensive as it used to be.:


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## frankz (Oct 15, 2014)

Prescription goggles from sport RX


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

One thing that keeps me from Lasik is the flaps will never heal meaning there can be possibilities they will flip over if direct hit to your eye.
I normally wear glasses. I wear contacts on snowboard days. They don't bother me and I clean them religiously so I have never gotten an infection.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

speedjason said:


> One thing that keeps me from Lasik is the flaps will never heal meaning there can be possibilities they will flip over if direct hit to your eye.
> I normally wear glasses. I wear contacts on snowboard days. They don't bother me and I clean them religiously so I have never gotten an infection.


Yeah, but the flaps aren't exactly gaping holes in your eye, there would have to be a direct hit to the edge of the flap, and as long as nothing was damaged, the flap would just close back up again.

Also, I don't think I'd like a direct hit to the eye at all (whether I'd had LASIK or not!)

:injured:


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## radiomuse210 (Sep 5, 2014)

firstx1017 said:


> I hate to jump on the Lasik bandwagon - but I agree - this is something I definitely would do again. I wore glasses from 10-43 and finally after having over 20 people I know have the surgery I decided to have it done. I too had a bad astigmatism and have never really been able to see without glasses. It was very odd waking up and being able to see the alarm clock without squinting. It was the best thing I've ever had done! Granted, at 43 I was told I still would need cheater glasses when I got older - and at 54 now I do need cheaters to read and work on the computer - but I don't need them to drive or go to the movies or for any sports activities - that's what sold it for me. The place I went to actually let me make 12 monthly payments interest free which I thought was a great incentive also. He is the best eye surgeon around here that even the other eye doctors have Lasik done from him. Worth every penny! It's not common now it's not near as expensive as it used to be.:


I would LOVE to have Lasik and that 12 month payment plan would definitely be the deciding factor if I could find a surgeon that would allow that. I haven't put much research into it but once I get this car accident settlement over with, it may be an option. Still would be shooting for the payment plan - it's not like I'm on course for half a mill or anything.  It would be nice to do and not have to worry about going to and paying for eye doctor appts (i don't have eye insurance) and ordering contacts. I'm actually out of contacts now and have to save up a lil money to go the doctor. So seeing things far away is pretty terrible right now haha. I get tension headaches sometimes too since I haven't been wearing them - from squinting and such. 

To OP - i have astigmatism in one eye, but I'm still able to wear contacts. In fact the astigmatism is so minor, that the contacts I wear are both the same - I don't wear a contact for astigmatism in that eye. In the future I may have to, but they are more expensive so I'm going to hold out for as long as possible. I wear my contacts riding and overall I don't mind wearing contacts. I have to be careful if I rub my eye - I've had them curl up under my lid or tear which is obnoxious. And I keep them clean so I've never had a problem with infections. Even when I choose to ride without goggles, I don't find my eyes drying out. If I had to wear glasses, I would find a goggle that has room for glasses or invest in rx lenses. Though if I couldn't wear contacts, I would've been knee deep in Lasik research by this point. I despise wearing glasses.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

radiomuse210 said:


> I would LOVE to have Lasik and that 12 month payment plan would definitely be the deciding factor if I could find a surgeon that would allow that.


For what it's worth, in Canada it's usually about $1000-1500 per eye, all things depending. I paid extra to have the "lifetime warranty" which means that if my eyes regress (and they have) all future surgeries are included (which I've done). :jumping1:

I paid a total of about $3800 about 6 years ago, and in Canada it's a tax write off, so I got about $750 of that back.

Lots of clinics here offer some sort of payment plan, as it's considered an elective surgery.


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## MikeCL (Oct 13, 2012)

I wear glasses but I can't wear contacts because my eye just one take them.. I had them try and out some in and it just was not going to work out


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## onthefence (Dec 16, 2010)

I've always worn glasses while riding because I can't put contacts in. During my first season I used Scott Storm OTG goggles. Now I use Vonzipper Fishbowls. Both of them are great, and work even for my bigger glasses. A couple other options I've tried on are Electric EG2 or Oakley Canopy, which will work depending on how far your glasses frames stick out from your face.


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## TimelessDescent (Oct 26, 2014)

MikeCL said:


> I wear glasses but I can't wear contacts because my eye just one take them.. I had them try and out some in and it just was not going to work out



You would get used to contacts if you keep trying. It seems impossible at first, but its really not if you are persistent. You cant give up on them if you want to reap the benefits. I have worn contacts for years...so all I do is wash my hands and pop in my contacts effortlessly. It will take you awhile before you can do that, but you will get there and it is worth it.

I wear Air Optix Night and Day lenses. You can actually wear them continuously for 30 days straight without removing them when you sleep or anything. I have done this and I cant even tell they are in my eyes they are so comfortable. They are kinda spendy but well worth it IMO. I have the same prescription in both eyes so I just buy one box. Ive tried many brands and none come close.


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

After reading all these post... 2015 will either be my contact or LASIK year...


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## MikeCL (Oct 13, 2012)

TimelessDescent said:


> You would get used to contacts if you keep trying. It seems impossible at first, but its really not if you are persistent. You cant give up on them if you want to reap the benefits. I have worn contacts for years...so all I do is wash my hands and pop in my contacts effortlessly. It will take you awhile before you can do that, but you will get there and it is worth it.
> 
> I wear Air Optix Night and Day lenses. You can actually wear them continuously for 30 days straight without removing them when you sleep or anything. I have done this and I cant even tell they are in my eyes they are so comfortable. They are kinda spendy but well worth it IMO. I have the same prescription in both eyes so I just buy one box. Ive tried many brands and none come close.


The more I think about the environment i work in sometimes I feel happy I did not op for contacts..


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## onthefence (Dec 16, 2010)

Regarding Lasik, a co-worker I know who got Lasik had a really bad time with it. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but the doctor must have done something wrong and she had to go back in multiple times to get it corrected. Some days she couldnt see out of one eye or had to wear a patch to keep it closed. Apparently her vision will never be anything close to perfect. It was giving her such a hard time after a while that she eventually swore it off and regrets ever going though with it to this day. She also says that Lasik eventually 'wears off' during your lifetime, and that if you get Lasik you will have go to back in once or twice to get it re-done every 10-20 years or something?? Again, unsure on her words exactly, but this isn't the only bad Lasik experience I've heard of by word of mouth.


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## corneilli (Nov 26, 2012)

I just board without glasses/contacts. Guess it depends on how bad your eyes are. I have -2 in each eye. Maybe try to walk around the whole day without glasses? When I put my glasses of in the evening I can see less then I would when I went without them for the whole day. I kinda just stopped wearing them, your eyes will adapt. I only wear them for classes and long car rides.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

onthefence said:


> She also says that Lasik eventually 'wears off' during your lifetime, and that if you get Lasik you will have go to back in once or twice to get it re-done every 10-20 years or something?? Again, unsure on her words exactly, but this isn't the only bad Lasik experience I've heard of by word of mouth.


It doesn't "wear off" but your eyes may continue changing. Much the same as needing new glasses every 5 years or so. I've had the surgery twice now in total (because my eyes were changing a lot still when I first had it). If your eyes have stopped changing then you should never need the surgery again.

Much like other bad experiences, I think you hear from those that have a negative experience much more than those that were positive.

I used to wear contacts daily, and then my eyes started "rejecting them". It got so bad that after half an hour my eyes would be bloodshot and quite painful. So I went back to glasses until I could get LASIK. Since the surgery I've had no troubles, and Calgary is a very dry climate (and I work in construction, and the dust can cause further dryness issues). I use drops probably once a month for mild dryness.


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## Bertieman (Jan 19, 2014)

My mom had lasik to see far, then ended up needing glasses to see close. 

My uncle had lasik in 1 eye and said within a year his sight is diminishing.

I'm still not convinced it's worth my time


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Bertieman said:


> My mom had lasik to see far, then ended up needing glasses to see close.
> 
> My uncle had lasik in 1 eye and said within a year his sight is diminishing.
> 
> I'm still not convinced it's worth my time


Yeah, the part of your eye that focus' on distance, and the part that focus' up close are two different parts. Most people need reading glasses anyway as they get older, LASIK just tends to make you notice it.

Try wearing your distance glasses and look at your hand, now take your glasses off and see how much more you can see? My glasses are permanent now...

What do you mean about your uncles sight diminishing? Did they botch the surgery? If his eyes are still changing, that's understandable, but I'd be pretty upset if I had a botched surgery. For anyone that does decide to get LASIK, buy the lifetime warranty.


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## Bertieman (Jan 19, 2014)

poutanen said:


> Most people need reading glasses anyway as they get older


I literally just got back from my eye doctor and he told me this haha. 

My uncle said the eye he had lasik on is already going back to the way it was previously.

Do you know where to get prescription goggles? I have my prescription in-hand.


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