As a fairly inexperienced paddler, I have a question for you fellow kayakers with less than perfect eyesight. Do you wear glasses or contact lenses when on the water? Any comments on rolling with one vs. the other? I have never seen this topic discussed or addresses, so I am quite interested in your responses.

js

I do not wear glasses or contacts... *knock wood

However the paddlers I know, they often choose contacts.

But, you cant open your eyes under water wearing contacts, or you might lose them.

I wear contacts but keep a pair of glasses in my dry bag incase I have an accident. I don't roll so I can't give you any advice there but I do like to take a swim and use swimming goggles without any problems.

I gave up contacts years ago... too "fiddly" and my astigmatism was getting quite significant. I carry a spare (old) set of glasses on a froggy (safety strap) and have snorkelled with them around my neck (to put on when I take the prescription mask off...masks don't seem to work out of water) and taken classes in kayak reentries while wearing them with no problems.

I've been wearing contact lenses since the early 80's. I close my eyes underwater, and have learned to roll with my eyes closed. I carry a spare pair in my PFD, so far I haven't needed them. I suspect if I do lose one, it'll be in surf.

I do own a pair of swim goggles, purchased with the intent of wearing them to learn rolling, but I forgot them the night I made my first rolls. I've not chosen to wear them yet, but I always have the option if I think it'll help me tune up my roll.

I also carry a mini pair of reading glasses in the PFD, purchased from http://www.i4ulenses.com/index.htm, since I'm now old enough to need them to read with my contacts. I guess I'd be in bifocals if I wore glasses, huh?

I wear 30 day disposables. They stay put and the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. I roll with my eyes closed, but did open them once and the contacts didn't flush out. Sometimes after rolling many times my vision can get a little blurry. I'm not sure if the contacts are spinning or a little water gets behind them. It always clears up in a few minutes. The advantages are they never fog, they don't get spotted, you retain peripheral vision and you can wear off the shelf sunglasses. I carry a spare set of glasses in my emergency kit, but I've never needed them.

Are your eyes to bad for LASIK? I know it is expensive, but you'll never hassle again with glasses(except for readers when you are older). I think that was one of the best investments my Wife has ever made for herself.

Before Lasik surgery, I used to wear contacts when-ever I could while paddling. I always bought the once-per-year ones so I was paranoid about losing them, but never did. I recall opening my eyes a few times while rolling and immediately remembering about the contacts, but I never lost any. I'm sure I probably would have eventually if I'd made a habit of opening my eyes underwater...

I hated wearing glasses while paddling, for all the water spots. I could never see properly. But 3+ years after having Lasik surgery, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it was the best way to go. If it's an option for you, I'd seriously consider it.

When paddling I prefer contacts. I've lost sun glasses while rolling so I'm afraid of loosing the prescription glasses. Also when rolling, I keep my eyes closed until I'm upright.

I did dive into the water while waterskiing with a friend and didn't have a problem with the soft contacts flushing out of my eyes.

I roll with my eyes closed but have opened them underwater and not had a problem with contacts.

I've also rolled with glasses...forgot I was wearing them...lost them on the first roll.

If I wear glasses now, I make sure they have a strap to stay on.

I've worn soft contacts since the mid-70's. I used to swim underwater with my eyes open all the time and never lost a single lense. Lenses have changed a lot over in that time, gotten thinner, lighter, etc. and they don't stay put as well for me now as they used to. My vision has changed with age and I am more dependent upon correction than I once was. I don't open my eyes under water any more, not sure if they would stay put or not.

I have always taken glasses along on kayak trips so that I could take my lenses out to sleep. The problem is that getting lenses back in some mornings with dirty fingers and dry eyes is a challenge for me. I either get it or I don't and I hate paddling with glasses.

Last summer I crawled into my tent on the first night of a three week trip totally beat. I forgot to take them out. In the morning I woke up and realized that I had slept with them and I had a good day. I didn't take them out for 3 weeks. Even though they are monthly wear type I had never been very successful with sleeping in them a single night. Last summer no big deal.

Right now I am leaning towards Mark's suggestion of Lasiks.

As a sea kayaker I have always just worn my glasses. I have the temples adjusted quite tight, so they stay on my head even when upside down (as extensively tested in a pool, where retrieval is possible), however for extra security, I always wear a strap when on open water. Yes, you get water drops but really its no different than walking around in the rain without an umbrella.

For whitewater kayaking I wear contacts (dailys) and carry a spare pair in my PFD pocket. I always roll with my eyes closed, but occasionally in times of panic open them. I have yet to lose a contact by doing this. However, when paddling through rapids with lots of water splashing in my face often one of my contacts becomes "unsettled" and my vision from that eye becomes burry. Once I get in an eddy and blink abit and move my eye around it seems to come right. In a year of paddling, I have managed to lose a contact twice and have found one sitting on my eye lashes a couple more times. In all those cases I was very happy to have a spare pair in my pocket.

One trip white water trip I managed to forget to put my contacts in and didn't have any spares with me. I wore my glasses with a strap fashioned out of duct tape and a shoe lace and it worked fine. However, due to the temperature difference between the water and air/my body, everytime I rolled they became quite foggy.

To conclude, if you are paddling in normal conditions where you aren't expecting to spend heaps of time upside down glasses are fine with a strap (provided the water drops don't drive you crazy). Contacts are better if you are going to be playing in surf, but there is a small risk of losing a lens. In the end its a matter of what you feel comforable with and what works for you.

I wear contacts and need them (-6.00). I prefer them on the water to glasses because they don't get waterspotted or fall of as easily. They are also a lot cheaper than glasses so if I lose one I dont mind as much.

I am really leary of lasik. Seeing as I am now 42 and plan on living another 40 years, i want to be sure that i wont spend the last decade blind due to some unforseen long term problem with lasik.... and in general I think that cutting (scalpel or laser) is a last resort. as long as contacts keep working I plan on sticking with them.

Either prescription sunglasses or contacts work well for me. I usually use the sunglasses on mornings where I'm too lazy to fiddle with my contacts They also make a good backup in case I ever lose my contacts while on the water, which I haven't yet. I imagine that trying to put contacts in while in a boat might be a little bit difficult, which is why I always carry the glasses.

My Wife was too, afraid for the worst. She got it done Christmas 2006 and has never looked back. She got it with a lifetime warranty, so that if her eyes need correction again they have to do it for free!

Dr King, here on the Island has an excellent reputation.

Thats three years. What about in 20? 30? 40? They have not been doing these procedures for all that long.

what if they cannot fix it? what if some long term issue comes up that is not currently known about? You only get two eyeballs for the rest of your life. I don't care what the warranty- I care about my eyesight 40 years from now. Maybe when I am old enough that I do not expect to live longer than the existing data at that time I would consider it- even then I would say that a medical condition easily corrected with a non-surgical device is is not a good surgery risk.

Thanks for all the great input folks!

It seems like either option is quite viable. My vision is too bad for LASIK, -10.00 or thereabouts. I have paddled with both, and have done an intro to rolling class practicing rolls with glasses, straps, and a Tilley hat on. I use daily wear soft lenses sometimes for some sports (boating, snowboarding, snorkeling). I alternate between being annoyed at the water spots and lack of peripheral vision with glasses, with having less consistently crisp vision and uncomfortable eyes in the later part of the day/evening with contacts. Also, at age 50, with glasses I can still read without bifocals, but have significant trouble doing so with contacts. So currently I favor glasses (with a spare in PFD for any longer trips or if not relatively near a shore) but will probably continue to experiment.

Thanks again,

js

I think I am legally blind without corrective lenses but fortunately, easily corrected to normal vision. I am old enough to need "reading glasses" but because I am nearsighted, (very) I have perfect focus as close as 4" from my nose (this is great for scrutinizing the details on a chart). I have used a few variations of glasses vs contacts including one contact for near vision to read the chart and another for distance which works pretty well.

For day or weekend trips; I think that whatever works for you is fine; If going on a longer trip; say weeks long then a bit more thought is indicated: I recently spent a month paddling around Vancouver Island and after some thought and experience with several options, glasses were the only viable solution for this trip.

Contacts:
Contacts are convenient, you can use non-prescription sunglasses, they don't fog up or limit vision in the rain, you usually come up with vision intact after getting dumped in the surf. However... there is significantly increased risk of getting eye/corneal scratches and/or infections. This is a real concern as hygiene (clean hands, smooth fingernails) is more difficult on expeditions and could end the trip or worse, you end up with an infection that can't be properly treated for some period of time. The water quality where you are paddling is something to keep in mind as well; dirty water? wear your glasses.

Glasses:
Glasses create no increased risk of eye/cornea problems, provide protection for the macula against UV light whether clear or tinted, there is no need to carry more stuff (cleaning solutions etc) and... you have built-in protective eye wear if you are trying to start your campfire with a flint and steel.... Glasses are a pain, period. Having to switch between regular glasses and sunglasses is a drag but you get used to it and work out your systems.

For expeditions, especially if you will be in remote areas for any period of time, I don't think contacts are a good idea. As previously posted in this thread, you only get one pair of eyeballs. A corneal/ocular infection can lead to permanent loss of vision so it comes under the heading of medical emergencies.

As a side note: The latest lens implants (used for lens replacement due to cataracts usually) actually allow accommodation (change in lens shape to vary focal length) so folks can chuck their reading glasses in the dustbin after getting cataract surgery. Something to look forward to.

Jon

My husband and I have been paddling for about 2 years now. I wore glasses and he contact lenses.. neither of us happy about it. 18 months ago I had Lasik and 12 months ago he had the same procedure we were 47 and 50 respectively...would do it again in a heartbeat! Lifetime warranty. The only issue now is shopping for the nicest sunglasses!