Contact lenses & windsurfing
Dimitar Bojantchev
Hello group, my girlfriend uses contact lenses. I am trying to engage
her into some windsurfing this season. She's a sporty person, but her
primary concern is about her contact lenses. Any of you windsurfers
out there, using lenses? I'd appreciate greatly if someone else has
[had] encountered this problem. Possible solutions? Ideas? Or even if
it is determined that contact lenses and water sports do not mix...
Thanks,
Dimitar
--
===============================================================================
Dimitar Bojantchev dim...@netcom.com or dim...@best.com
Open Software Solutions, Inc. WWWeb http://www.best.com/~dimitar
===============================================================================
not supported
dimitar,
i've been windsurfing with lenses for a while with no problem. i've read several
articles in the windsurfing press about wearing lenses, all of which say that there
is no problem and that losing a lens is very rare. one british magazine had an
article by a top woman windsurfer who is also a doctor. she gave some good advice.
several top level british windsurfers use them, were asked by the magazine what
their experience was, and all said that the experience was good.
points to note were;-
(i) soft lenses only please - hard lenses fall out
(ii) keep your eyes closed when you wipe out head first into the water. even with
eyes open lenses usually stay in, but why tempt fate?
(iii) lenses are more comfortable on the sea than on fresh water (something about
the lack of salinity in fresh water - spray gets in your eye and the lenses can move
around a bit, though it still isn't much of a problem)
(iv) contact lenses are cheaper than glasses anyway (most of the time) so even if
you do lose a lens, so what??
(v) if you are sailing in water that is of dubious quality, it might be best to take
the lenses out after sailing and give them a good clean.
(vi) go for it.
my personal experience is that i continually trashed glasses while sailing. the
glasses fogged up, bounced around on my nose whan i was clattering through chop at
speed, and generally messed up the windsurfing experience. contact lenses are MUCH
NICER to wear. i'll take the tip on a good clean after sailing, but i still have
not heard of any particular problems. all the reactions i've heard have been good,
and my own experience is the same. i've gone head first through a few waves in my
time and so far i've always come out with my contact lenses still in while there are
several pairs of my glasses gradually becoming part of a sedimentary layer at the
bottom of the north sea.
get your girlfriend on the water.
regards from the netherlands
hugh
MclAlex
I've been windsurfing four years with contacts, and only lost a lens once.
I do close my eyes when I fall in, and lost the lens when I took a blast
of water to the face on a screaming reach. Now I wear strap on
non-prescription sunglasses, which all the eye doctors and cancer people
I've spoken with recommend anyway. But contacts are no reason not to
windsurf...most of my sailing friends wear them!
ta...@servtech.com
I've been wearing soft contact lenses the whole time I've been
windsurfing (since 1990). Never had a problem. The only time I
lost one was when a fin fell off my board and I dove down numerous
times looking for it in about 8' of water; even then I only lost
one of them.
Paul Sturges
In article <dimitarD...@netcom.com>, dim...@netcom.com (Dimitar
Bojantchev) wrote:
> Hello group, my girlfriend uses contact lenses. I am trying to engage
> her into some windsurfing this season. She's a sporty person, but her
> primary concern is about her contact lenses. Any of you windsurfers
> out there, using lenses? I'd appreciate greatly if someone else has
> [had] encountered this problem. Possible solutions? Ideas? Or even if
> it is determined that contact lenses and water sports do not mix...
>
I have been windsurfing with contact lenses (soft) for 10 years without
any problem. I always wear sungalsses, though, to keep out the spray and
to avoid drying the contacts out during fast reaches. Of course the sun
protection is nice,too. Use chums with the back anchored to the velcro
strap on the back of your wetsuit. That way you wont lose the sunglasses
when you do a major headplant. The only stipulation is you have to close
your eyes when you fall in the water.
Paul
Paul
Lee Lau
I use soft lenses both for kayaking in whitewater and for windsurfing
both in fresh and saltwater. Getting rinsed in holes and high-speed
crashes have so far, failed to dislodge the lenses. I have the most
problem with fresh-water paddling or sailing when I sometimes have to
blink once or twice to put the lenses back into focus.
------------------------
Lee T. Lau <lee...@wimsey.com> <l...@wedge.com> Phone: (604) 739-2110
On Mon, 6 May 1996, Dimitar Bojantchev wrote:
> Hello group, my girlfriend uses contact lenses. I am trying to engage
> her into some windsurfing this season. She's a sporty person, but her
> primary concern is about her contact lenses. Any of you windsurfers
> out there, using lenses? I'd appreciate greatly if someone else has
> [had] encountered this problem. Possible solutions? Ideas? Or even if
> it is determined that contact lenses and water sports do not mix...
>
Alan Ballow
Dimitar Bojantchev (dim...@netcom.com) wrote:
: Hello group, my girlfriend uses contact lenses. I am trying to engage
: her into some windsurfing this season. She's a sporty person, but her
: primary concern is about her contact lenses. Any of you windsurfers
: out there, using lenses? I'd appreciate greatly if someone else has
: [had] encountered this problem. Possible solutions? Ideas? Or even if
: it is determined that contact lenses and water sports do not mix...
What problem? Contacts are fine for sailing. I use contacts and
cheap sunglasses; lost lots of shades sailing but only lost contacts
at home in the hot tub after winter sailing. I do recall a story about
someone who dislodged a lens while sailing, put it in his mouth for
safekeeping and sailed in to shore. It seems your blink reflexes protect
the contacts as well as your eyes.
There was also a thread about the salinity of the ocean being
close to the salinity of your tears so the above may not apply to fresh
water. I dunno cause I've only sailed saltwater.
Alan Ballow
Isle of Palms, SC
MclAlex
Look into ultraviolet filtering contacts if you are on the water
much...your opthamologist will tell you your eyes will work much better
when you're old if you use uv protection now. They aren't much more
expensive...I've got disposable uv filtering lenses.
Ed Foster
In article <4mn6k5$6...@wwwserv1.shell.nl>, not supported
<h.e.b....@openmail.ept-do.siephag.simis.com> wrote:
> dimitar,
>
> i've been windsurfing with lenses for a while with no problem. i've
read several
> articles in the windsurfing press about wearing lenses, all of which say
that there
> is no problem and that losing a lens is very rare. one british magazine
had an
> article by a top woman windsurfer who is also a doctor. she gave some
good advice.
> several top level british windsurfers use them, were asked by the
magazine what
> their experience was, and all said that the experience was good.
>
> points to note were;-
>
> (i) soft lenses only please - hard lenses fall out
I've been windsurfing for 9 years with hard contacts and not had any problems.
> (ii) keep your eyes closed when you wipe out head first into the water.
even with
> eyes open lenses usually stay in, but why tempt fate?
Good advice
--
Ed Foster
erfo...@netcom.com
Heikki Winberg
>>>>> "Dimitar" == Dimitar Bojantchev <dim...@netcom.com> writes:
Dimitar> determined that contact lenses and water sports do not mix...
I have played waterpolo and windsurfed for several years with lenses and
so far I haven't had any problems with them. I can easily swim and dive
with my eyes open! I use soft lenses that have to be trashed after one
month's use. They are cheap and easy to use and take care of. Some of the
better lenses even have a UV-protection, which is healthy thing to have
especially doing watersports.
The only discomfort is that the when the lenses get wet the first
time they tend to move a little. That usually happens in the shower
or during the first wipeout. It doesn't feel nice and you have
to blink several times to settle them down. After that they stay
on very well. Only couple of times during intense waterpolo games
with lot of splashing, hitting, kicking, dumping and stuff one of
the lenses has moved up and I have found the lense far under the eyelid.
It is easy to get it back on by pulling it down with finger.
/heze
--
/heze
Dimitar Bojantchev
I just want to express my gratitude to all who answered my question
regarding the contact lenses. The information was quite consistent and
overwhelmingly convincing that the contact lenses do not preclude, or
even seriously impede, the windsurfing endeavor. I apologize for not
responding promptly to the many of the e-mails I received. I had to
leave on a business trip for several days.
Thanks again,
Jonathan M Richardson
I just wanted to add that a pal of mine has windsurfed with lenses for
many years without mishap. He wears some goggles when the wind comes
up.
-Jonathan.
USWA Member #US233
Boards: Seatrend 9'0" and 8'6", Mistral One Design
Sails: Waddell
Spars: Fiberspar
______________________________________________________________________
| Jonathan M. Richardson, Ph.D. | |
| (Senior Research Scientist) | Phone: (617) 547-1122 |
| Science Research Laboratory, Inc.| FAX: (617) 547-4104 |
| 15 Ward St. | Email: jt...@world.std.com |
| Somerville MA 02143 | |
______________________________________________________________________
Andreas Macke
Jonathan M Richardson wrote:
>
> I just wanted to add that a pal of mine has windsurfed with lenses for
> many years without mishap. He wears some goggles when the wind comes
> up.
>
> -Jonathan.
>
I'll second that. I've been wearing disposables for a while now
(extended wear, throw out every week or so), and they've worked great
for me. I have yet to lose a lens sailing. When doing serious B&J or
Gorge sailing, I've had them fold up in the corner of an eye before, but
that's about the worst that has happened. If I do lose one, it'll only
cost me 3 bucks or so.
Problem with these is that they don't correct any astigmatism, only
single vision type problems.
Tim S
In article <Drv0E...@world.std.com>, jt...@world.std.com (Jonathan M Richardson) wrote:
>I just wanted to add that a pal of mine has windsurfed with lenses for
>many years without mishap. He wears some goggles when the wind comes
>up.
I started sailing in 1984 and haven't ever lost a (hard) lense while
windsurfing. I have the impression that soft lenses might be a little
more iffey, but I've never worn them.
Tim S Kirkland, Washington
ti...@psg.com http://www.wolfenet.com/~tims
Allan Mathews
ti...@psg.com (Tim S) wrote:
I not only sail with my contact lenses but also surf with them. I
started surfing with them about 7 years ago and haven't lost one yet.
That includes both bodysurfing and board riding. Its great to be able
to see the wave and/or swell coming for that jump. They give a much
clearer vision then glasses.
Ed Garcia
Contacts (soft) have worked great, except that: 1) In fresh water, give
your eyeball a gentle "squeeze" when water hits the lens/eyeball directly.
When that happens and your vision blurs, it will take forever for your
vision to clear if you don't help matters along. I even have to stop and
drop into the water to do this, as it's no fun to be ripping along with
half of your vision all blurred.
In salt water, this is not a problem as the tonicity of the water equals
that of your own tears, so there is no blurring.
I own a pair of Spex but find that they limit the field of vision and
just feel too restrictive.
2) Always take a spare lens! In 7 years of sailing I've lost only 2
lenses on the water.
Paul Crisp
Tim S wrote:
>
> In article <Drv0E...@world.std.com>, jt...@world.std.com (Jonathan M Richardson) wrote:
> >I just wanted to add that a pal of mine has windsurfed with lenses for
> >many years without mishap. He wears some goggles when the wind comes
> >up.
>
> I started sailing in 1984 and haven't ever lost a (hard) lense while
> windsurfing. I have the impression that soft lenses might be a little
> more iffey, but I've never worn them.
>
> Tim S Kirkland, Washington
> ti...@psg.com http://www.wolfenet.com/~tims
I know this isn't the right group, but it is the right subject.....
Anybody know how I can waterski in my (soft) lenses and still have them
when I get back to the pontoon?
I can swim (wearing goggles), sail and windsurf in them (well, if I could
windsurf, I could!) but skiing is a real problem. There is something
about hitting the water at lots of knots which just seems to wash them
out! Anyone know of any goggles, or other gizmo, which might keep them
secure without redesigning my face?
Paul Crisp
Coventry
UK
Kris Trahan
I always ski with my soft contacts in. I just keep my eyes shut until I'm on
top of the water. I've rarely had trouble with losing them. I also wear
disposable lenses (about $7 each), so if I should happen to lose one, it's not
a big deal. Even if you don't normally wear disposable lenses, you might buy a
box from your optometrist just for these type sports. Hope this helps.
Kris
Jeff T Brown
I have seen ads for perscrption googles in the back of waterski mag. It
was some place in redding Ca. FWIW my wife uses disposable contacts for
camping/waterskiing. If you lose one it is not a big deal. No fussing
w/ cleaning and the expense of all that stuff.
Now if they only made water prooof hearing aids.
Jeff (what?huh?) Brown
: I can swim (wearing goggles), sail and windsurf in them (well, if I could
David L. Barcomb
I waterski, kneeboard and wakeboard with contact lenses on. I have
never lost a contact lense and I crash hard in the ski course and crashed
a lot learning the barrell roll on a kneeboard. I did crash hard once
water skiing and could not find my contact lense. I went back to the house
and put a replacement lense in. About 6 hours later I felt pain in my eye
and looked in a mirror and found the contact lense I thought I had lost
folded in half and on top of the other contact lense I was wearing. I just
pulled the extra lense out and put it away. I now know to be patient if I
have a hard crash and climb in the boat to work the lense back into place (this
is a very rare, every couple of years, occurrence).
I do find that sometimes the spray from the boat (or ski or board) will
hit me in the eye and blur my vision for a few seconds but you get used to
this.
I always try to close my eyes when I crash and I wait until I can wipe
my eyes dry before I open my eyes. I also wear gloves with open finger tips
so that I can stick a finger tip in my eye to move a lense around if needed.
Dave Barcomb
BORDEN1000
In article <4ohnme$3...@canyon.sr.hp.com>, jef...@sr.hp.com (Jeff T Brown)
writes:
> There is something
>: about hitting the water at lots of knots which just seems to wash them
>: out!
Stop doing that ! !
I have skied, windsurfed, jetskied and been scuba diving with my
disposable lenses with great success. If you are going into the water
with your eyes OPEN, well.......I don't think modern science can help your
contact lenses.... Have the fit of your lenses checked....that will
contribute to the problem. I have tried astigmatic lenses...they were
very difficult to get out...perhaps if you have an astigmatism, these
would work
Good luck
BL
Carl Witthoft
In article <31A4FB...@anet-dfw.com> Andreas Macke <and...@anet-dfw.com> writes:
>> I just wanted to add that a pal of mine has windsurfed with lenses for
>> many years without mishap. He wears some goggles when the wind comes
>> up.
>(extended wear, throw out every week or so), and they've worked great
>for me. I have yet to lose a lens sailing. When doing serious B&J or
For anyone who's interested, here's some techie info indirectly from
an opthalmolgist. Soft contacts, being hydrophilic (water-absorbing),
will swell up when water (opposed to saline tears) splashes into the
eye. This makes the lens adhere more tightly to the eye, so the
chance of a lens coming off is pretty low. There's some risk from
a sudden splash&blink combination, and it's not smart :=) to swim
with your eyes open underwater, but otherwise contacts are a decent
bet while sailing.
--
Carl Witthoft @ Adaptive Optics Associates
ca...@aoainc.com 54 CambridgePark Drive, Cambridge,MA 02140 617-864-0201
Ever since I was a young boy, I played the silver ball. I still do.
Chris Spragg
>I know this isn't the right group, but it is the right subject.....
>Anybody know how I can waterski in my (soft) lenses and still have them
>when I get back to the pontoon?
>I can swim (wearing goggles), sail and windsurf in them (well, if I could
>windsurf, I could!) but skiing is a real problem. There is something
>about hitting the water at lots of knots which just seems to wash them
>out! Anyone know of any goggles, or other gizmo, which might keep them
>secure without redesigning my face?
>Paul Crisp
>Coventry
>UK
I have been using the Spex goggles for about a year for skiing with
soft contacts. They greatly reduce the need for blinking every time I
cross the wake due to spray in my face.
The dark lenses also reduce eye strain from the bright sun.
I'd say I'm quite happy with them except the price. I paid $59 which
I think is very high in comparison to snow skiing and motorcycle
goggles. The Spex do float and they are quite tough.
My wife also wears and likes them.
Debbie Smith
I always waterski and windsurf in my contacts, and I've never lost any.
Yesterday, I was riding on the windsurfer while my friend was sailing it
(easy on those giant old Bics, and surprisingly fun). I fell off, and I
think because I went down differently from normal, I opened my eyes
underwater. My contacts didn't budge! I'm sure they were stuck because
of all the splash I'd had, but I never dreamed they'd stay on through
actual eye opening under water. So I'd agree with Carl that a
splash&blink combination is the only real danger.
Debbie
Dekan, James D.
I slalom ski, deepwater start, and I wear goggles called SPEX. I've
seen them advertised in the back of Waterski magazine, and I think you
can order them from either Overtons, Ski Ltd, or Bart's. They are made
from some kind of foamlike frame and the lens is loosely attached with
little pegs. They aren't waterproof but they keep the splash out of
your eyes.
Jim Dekan
Austin, Texas
In article <31ACC1...@csv.warwick.ac.uk>, Paul Crisp <xu...@csv.warwick.ac.uk> writes...
>Tim S wrote:
>>
>> In article <Drv0E...@world.std.com>, jt...@world.std.com (Jonathan M Richardson) wrote:
>> >I just wanted to add that a pal of mine has windsurfed with lenses for
>> >many years without mishap. He wears some goggles when the wind comes
>> >up.
>>
>> I started sailing in 1984 and haven't ever lost a (hard) lense while
>> windsurfing. I have the impression that soft lenses might be a little
>> more iffey, but I've never worn them.
>>
>> Tim S Kirkland, Washington
>> ti...@psg.com http://www.wolfenet.com/~tims
>
Bldoster
I've been sailing with soft contacts for 5 months now and don't even thing
twice about losing them. I got the 2 week disposable kind that cost about
$9 a pair so I really don't care if I do lose a few. As of yet, I
haven't lost any in mostly flatwater sailing. I just got contacts after
sailing off and on for several years without my glasses and the contacts
have added much enjoyment to my sailing sessions. Now I can see those
gusts coming before I get catapulted and I can tell who's about to
overtake me as I continue to slog along on a transition board in
shortboard weather.
Brian Doster
Tallahassee/Shell Point, FL
Mistral Tarifa
bruce white
My opthamologist recommended taking soft contacts out IMMEDIATELY
after sailing, to reduce irritation/infection possibilities.
Bruce
Benton Jackson
That seems like a great idea. Lake, river, or ocean water
is not exactly sterile saline solution.
--
Benton Jackson, Goat Rider at Fenris Wolf Electronic Games
ben...@fenriswolf.com
http://www2.bitstream.net/~benton