[corien]

I am a new boater and wear glasses. For mountainbiking and skiing I wear contacts, but for being in the water contacts are not working for me. So for the folks that wear glasses when boating, do you buy a seperate boating pair or do you just put a ribbon and go out with regular glasses?

thank you for your help.

corien

 

[kclowe]

Crien,
I tried glasses and could never get them to work. They always fogged up. I also wore contacts for my first four years boating. They were OK as long as I kept my eyes closed under water and kept a spare set in my pfd. Lost quite a few.
I finally got wise and had Lasik a couple of years ago and I really wish I had done it sooner. If it is an option, I would definitely go that route. Boating is a lifestyle in which you will spend a lot of time camping or crashing in your car. Contacts are more work than they are worth.
If you would like recommendations on a surgeon, feel free to PM me.

Happy Boating!
Kim

 

[gh]

i think accuvision II is the brand that works in water. I can look tonight if you want but after some research I found that this brand works well and will clear with just a blink. I have only lost one in the last 3 years and it was attached to my cheek so i just put it back in.

 

[yojimbo]

Daily wear Accuvue II - 15 days on the grand canyon and never lost one and only had one go off to the side once. And yes, I always open my eyes, even in muddy water, instinct, I guess. Cheap sunglasses cut down on some of the splashing and reduce the blinking.
I used to use the 2-week version but my eye dr. thought that that was gross and hooked me on the daily tossable ones. Cheaper than an eye infection.

 

[dvanhouten]

I've been boating for 10 years, with Acuvue Toric's and only lost one contact in that time. Always keep my eyes closed when upside down, and usually wear sunglasses to help protect my eyes from splashing water.

Contacts sliding around only bothers me when running class V, usually they recenter and/or clear up with one or two blinks.

I wouldn't want to rely on glasses as they can fog easily. Good luck figuring out a solution!

Doug

 

[COUNT]

Yeah, I paddle blind. The water on the glasses was more distracting than the benefit of having them. Never got the contacts to work right. Planning on surgery in the near future.

 

[corien]

thanks for all the replies. friends of mine told me i should get lasiks and swear by it. it is such a scary thought to have work done on my eyes, and i am sure every single person that has done the surgery has gone through the same fear. but since i have moved to colorado i am either in the water, the snow, or on a mountainbike, all sports that would benefit from lasik...do you notice how i am trying to convince myself ?

the contacts solution would be another route. i didn't even know there were contacts that are specifically water based.

again, thanks alot for the feedback.

 

[gh]

Yeah, I paddle blind.

explains alot.

 

[heliodorus04]

I have pretty bad prism in both eyes, in opposite directions, so contacts aren't an option for me, and lasik can't correct that.

So I'm forced into glasses.
For 4 years, I have worn one pair of RecSpecs with my prescription in them, and they've worked really really well. I had them tinted, and they are my regular sunglasses when I'm driving, biking, or just being cooler than everyone else.

I have very little problem with fogging except in early season, and the solution is to keep them wet by splashing water on them, or to pull them a little farther off your face. Once I get going downstream, air current tends to peel the fog away. It's never been enough to screw me up so long as I proactively dealt with the fogging by treating the lense, or waiting for my face to dry a bit.

I use either one or two safety straps on my glasses, and have never lost a pair.

 

[raftus]

If you get lasik a couple things to know:

1. Most people's eyes stabilize in their late 20's to about 30. You will need to get your previous prescriptions and make sure that your prescription is stable. If your prescription isn't stable you will need more lasik or glasses/contacts again. The lasik providers I have seen never did this for me, they mostly wanted my money and to schedule me ASAP.

2. You want the custom or wavefront lasik (where they map your cornea and provide a customized procedure) from a laser with a tracking system (the tracker reduces all sorts of ugly errors). I think that both of these are fairly standard now.

3. You will probably need reading glasses when you are about 40 or 45 and from then on.

You could also just get a raft instead, it would cost about the same amount of cash and I have no problems wearing glasses even on the hard stuff.

 

[Nathan]

I've worn my sunglasses a few times and while it was nice to be able to see they fogged up. I was told to take them to a scuba shop and get an anti-fog on them. Never did, but if my eyes get worse I may in the future.

 

[KSC]

benefit from lasik...do you notice how i am trying to convince myself ?

Mmm, I hear ya. The bottom line seems to be that if you have surgery and no problems, then it's the best thing you've ever done. If you're one of the few that encounters nasty complications, then you're kicking yourself for the rest of your life. I've had the same dilemma.

I also use contacts and it's definitely true that some contacts do a lot better in water than others. I've had good luck with Acuvue Oasys. I've never lost a contact before, but contact malfunctions do happen where you'll get blurred vision until you blink it out. I find this to be especially a problem in bigger water and/or really gritty water. Also, although I don't entirely understand the mechanism, it seems if you acclimate your eyes to the water by splashing a little bit of water in them, it's less likely you'll have a contact malfunction. Above a drop, I often just hold my eyes open, splash a little water in them - they may go a little blurry - and then I blink it back to normal. That seems to cut down on the probability that a splash in the eyes will cause them to go blurry in the middle of the rapid.

Another thing that helps to minimize trouble is to wear a pair of normal wrap around glasses as well. If you put a croakie type thing on them, then if they start fogging you can just drop them down around your neck. It also provides some extra rock protection, just in case. And yeah, various anti-fog things help, but nothing will prevent fogging in the right weather conditions. Not the perfect solution, but another option. I also keep spare contacts in my pfd. To prevent further deterioration in your vision I suggest stop reading.

 

[Randaddy]

I have a family member that had lasik and played 2nd base for the Rockies 2 days later. It's amazing what doctor's with light sabers can do!

Just be glad that natural selection doesn't happen anymore!

 

[Snowhere]

I wear contacts and glasses, but stick to the glasses for kayaking. Being able to open my eyes under water is helpful in many ways. Seeing a large rock nearby so you delay opening up for your roll can save you from a smashed face or a dislocated shoulder. Not to mention being able to see the surface of the water. I use a photo-gray lens in a decent size, not too small. This way I have both eye protection and my lens darken if it is sunny, but lighten if I am in dark shadows. As for fogging, just get divers drops. That is what scuba divers use in their masks to keep them from fogging and it works great on my glasses. I never have fogging problems with it.

I would like to have Lasik too, but I am hesitant. Everyone I know that has had it, has had problems with their night vision. Almost all see halos around any lights and a few of them have given up driving at night because of it. If you read the fine print at the doctors office, 10% have problems with the surgery. It does not sound like much until you look at it as 1 out 10 people will have problems. I just figure I will give them some more years to perfect it some more.

 

[KimW]

I put off eye surgery for years due to finances. I had to have PRK instead of Lasik, and I did it last winter. What a difference seeing makes while kayaking!!! If you can do it, do it! No fogging glasses and no taking your hand off of the paddle to rub your contact back into place. Plus, for some reason I really enjoy opening my eyes under water when I roll. It has really made me enjoy my season more--go for it!

 

[corien]

ok. i made an appointment for a one hour consultation at a recommended surgeon in boulder on monday morning. i also checked out the rec spec glasses. i definitely will get a pair of those if i chicken out of the lasik surgery.

again, thanks for all the feedback guys.

 

[ski_kayak365]

If surgery doesn't work out, glasses are fine too. I've been wearing mine on the river for years, Class I-V+. You just learn to keep your head tucked and wear the proper helmets. I used to use a face mask for anything over class III or IV, now a FNA full face helmet. Fogging happens no matter what, you just get used to it, and splash water on your face. Just keep an extra pair in your drybag, and use crookies (ones with a piece of bright colored foam on them, if they fall off for somereason, they will come floating by.

 

[Airborne2504]

Lasik

I had Lasik last November, and I love it! Had mine done by Dr. Wright at the Wright Eye Center here in the Springs. Maybe I'm an exception, but the Night Vision is NOT as bad as most people make it out to be. The halo's and starbursts are no worse than when I used to wear glasses and contacts.

20/15 in my left, and 20/20 in my right eye. The constantly putting eye drops in your eyes for a few months got annoying, but eventually, after your eyes have healed some, you won't have to worry about eye drops anymore.

I've only been kayaking since April/May, and I have had no problems with my eyes; while in the boat, and as well as swimming.

If you go the surgery route, now would be a good time to do so, since the flows are fairly low in most places now, you really woulnd't be missing the "kayaking season", then you'd be good-to-go for when spring and summer hit.

Happy and Safe paddling!