Racing with glasses/contacts

[jplracing]

It looks like the time has come for me to get glasses and/or contacts.

I remember there being a discussion a while back on the pros and cons of wearing glasses or contacts while racing and of course I can't find it.

During that conversation I remember hearing that contacts will pop out while racing..is this true?

For those of you that are sight impaired, what are your opinions of wearing contacts while riding/racing?

What solutions have you come up with that helped (contacts or glasses)?

Thanks for the help

Joe

[jmaher]

I wear contacts. Tried glasses once and they slipped down and bounced around. That however may be a function of the style. I always have a spare set of lenses, regular solution, wetting solution and my glasses just in case. But I've had no problems with my contacts.

Joe

[The GECCO]

I raced with glasses for a couple seasons....

LASIK

/thread

[JimWilson29]

I use these now when I ride and they don't move or slip under my helmet-

http://activegearreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Rudy-Project-Rydon.jpg

http://www.sportsoptical.com/ is located here in Denver and makes custom prescription lenses.

[GM Man]

I have been riding for years with glasses and they fit very snugly under my helmet with no issues. I do think Lasik is the way to go!

[sheispoison]

I've always worn contacts. Only had one fall out in 4 seasons. Tried the glasses, but too much lense vibration from the helmet, so that didn't work for me. Wetting drops before you go out on the track will make the contacts work fine.
Carl

[ZiaThunder]

I've never had an issue with my contact lenses popping out while racing or just riding.

[nobasin]

tried contacts, but i tend to blink less when racing and i'd blink them out of my eyes because they'd get overly dry (even with wetting them right before i went out) and it would create a very bad/dangerous distraction.

what works for me is i use my regular glasses and i secure them to my face with a breath right strip across the bridge of my nose (vertically). that way my glasses stay put and don't slide down my face during braking or when i sweat, and they don't move around or vibrate at all in my helmet. works great, but it's a bit opti-grab looking for those of you old enough to get that reference. it is important to wipe the bridge of your nose with a bit of alcohol to get rid of the oils on your skin right before you put the strip on and that way it sticks for the duration of an endurance race even if you are sweating like crazy.

mike-

[McLovin]

I will try glasses this year. I could never get the prescription to work as good as it does with glasses. This is because of funky A-stig and toric lens fitting problems I have. I also didn't like the dust kicking up into my eyes with the contacts in. Does anyone tint their glasses? Or, just use a clear face sheild and a clear eye glass (if you use glasses)? I see photos of moto gp guys and it apprears no one uses face sheild tinting....most likely to see shadows, contours, and other things that tinting may hide. ??

[giovannir6]

Contacts but dont open the vents on your lid. Sometimes we focus too hard and forget to blink and the lenses dry out and next time you blink - gonzo. Also, never just crack the visor. I've had eyeballs (contacts) get sucked right off my eye at high speeds. I'm damn near legally blind and can say that glasses give you much better vision but the contacts give you much better range of vision. Meaning if you're trying to look through a corner its easier with contacts. Glasses also fog if you're a mouth breather like me. Hope this helps. 8)

[jmaher]

The other problem I had was that I sweat alot and dripped a lot on my glasses. +1 to the wetting solution idea for contacts.

Joe

[joe859]

When I started racing, I wore glasses and and they worked OK, but my vision was always better with contacts. But my eyes would dry out and the contacts were very iffy. So I did lasik and that works for me, but know that lasik is a compromise. Especially if you're older. It is not the miracle that the commercials make it out to be. With that said, I give a big thumbs up to Jim's suggestion of Sports Optical. Bret Hunter is a pioneer with modern sports optics, and if you go talk to him about racing and what you need, he can set you up. You need to have a current prescription to help decide which lenses and frames will work for you. >lightweight wraparounds<

[Moto-Mania]

Here's a third option: Intraocular lens implants.
I had one done in my right eye due to a cataract and it works great.

[Mforza]

Or you can ductape your glasses to your face :D
That's what I do :D

[DOUBLE A]

http://www.ravisiongear.com/frame.html

Just saw this...

[JimWilson29]

http://www.ravisiongear.com/frame.html

Just saw this...

They don't make prescription glasses so you would still need someone to make lenses for them.

[Young Luke]

Hey Joe,

Last year I wore my contacts one day at HPR and decided I would never wear my contacts racing again. I was coming in hot to turn 4, hadn't blinked since probably turn 2, and when I blinked getting on the brakes into 4, one of the lenses was dry and came halfway out and was all jacked up under my eyelid. Pretty freaky experience.

After that, I wore my glasses. At PPIR, they would fog up getting ready to race, on the grid, and afterwards, but airflow through my helmet kept them clear while racing. Timmay talked about how LASIK solved these things for him and I thought about it ever since.

I just got LASIK at 20/20 Institute last Thurs and can't wait to hit the track without ANY of those worries ever again. Luckily I was able to take advantage of my of my work FSA and used money from last year as well as this year to help pay for it.

If LASIK isn't an option, glasses all they way.