CONTACTS vs. GLASSES

Colorado Cowboy · Aug 3, 2014

OregonJim said:
I had super vision until about 48.
I got glasses prior to last season and I realized what a pain in the back side they can be.
I had some real trouble last season in the rain.

Did I mention I'm on the "Wet" side of Oregon?

During my annual eye check I told the Doc (who happen to be a bow hunter) that I was thinking about contacts just for hunting. Not sure how this is going to work out I can't wear them at my desk (computer is blurry) and if using contacts now I can't wear my prescription Maui Jims

Anyways for those who you have done both, please let me know your thoughts.
I'd really like to know any drawbacks to contacts (cold, rain…. whatever).

Thanks

I have wore "extended wear" contacts for about 10 years now. I wear them 24 hrs a day for a month, then throw them away and put in a new set for the next month. I also use some cheap Walmart reading glasses and for the computer also. I love my contacts! As a competitive shooter, I think I see & shoot better with them. I can also wear non prescription, off the shelf sun glasses. They are very comfortable and give me not trouble at all.

RUTTIN · Aug 3, 2014

The only problem I have had with contacts is I wear the kind you take out every night, that can be a pain in the butt when you are backpacked in. The worst is when it is real cold out and they freeze in the solution, not good. I can't shoot my bow with glasses so the contacts are the only way to go for me. I am going to have to try the extended wear sounds like a lot better way to deal with contacts in the backcountry.

wisconsin_guy · Aug 3, 2014

I Agree with CC. I tend to even wear them longer than a month. Only thing ive worried about with wearing them while hunting is if a limb or something were to hit my face/eye and pop one out. I always make sure I have a spare one with me. As far as them freezing I just put the spare in my pants or shirt pocket, were there is enough body heat to keep it from freezing.

Colorado Cowboy · Aug 3, 2014

wisconsin_guy said:
I Agree with CC. I tend to even wear them longer than a month. Only thing ive worried about with wearing them while hunting is if a limb or something were to hit my face/eye and pop one out. I always make sure I have a spare one with me. As far as them freezing I just put the spare in my pants or shirt pocket, were there is enough body heat to keep it from freezing.

My eyes really are what tells me I need new ones. Sometimes its 3 1/2 weeks, sometimes 5 weeks. You are spot on with everything else.

magnum12 · Aug 3, 2014

Jim, I have had to deal with both for years now. For the most part it is not bad but it is a pain to take them out and then fight getting them back in when you're half awake. Where they really make the effort worth it is when it is cold and raining and not having to fight your glasses fogging up and cleaning water spots from the lenses. They are also nice when you are glassing as you are not fighting holding your bino's in just the right spot on your glasses so you can see well.

The biggest challenge for me is just getting used to wearing them again because like you, I sit in front of a computer all day long and cannot wear them. The biggest challenge really is getting used to sticking your finger in your eye and when you do start, make sure your hands are really clean because you do not want an eye infection ruining your hunt.

One suggestion is if the weather is hot, dry and the wind is blowing, it might be helpful to carry some eye drops as your eyes will dry out quickly, at least for me but when it's cold and wet, you will never know you are wearing them.

Againstthewind · Aug 3, 2014

There are a lot of good points here as usual. I think contacts in general are better than glasses because they seem to help with the peripheral vision for me better. They also don't have the glare like a scope in the sun, you don't have to wipe the sweat and rain and dirt off them all the time. Bringing glasses for a spare might be a good idea in case you do get some dirt behind them, the solution freezes up, or something else like that. I can't where the extended wear contacts because of pretty severe astigmatism, but after awhile you get pretty good at taking them in and out. It can still be kindof a pain backpacking or whatever, though.

Team Kabob · Aug 4, 2014

I bring glasses as back up. I use daily wear contacts. Freezing is an issue, so I will put them in a pocket of my base layer when out hunting if below freezing. At night they go in the sleeping bag with me. It's not fun putting ice slush or almost frozen solution on your eye to start the day!

libidilatimmy · Aug 4, 2014

I've dealt with this as well. I wear the daily use contacts that you take out every night. On a back country hunt, I'll start with a new pair and leave them in when I sleep so I'm not dealing with dirty hands taking them out and putting back in. I'm sure my eye doctor would scold me for this, but I figure the less I handle them the less chance I have of getting something foreign in my eyeballs. I always take a couple extra pair of new lenses with me as backup as well as have glasses along. Glasses are a pain compared to contacts when it comes to hunting conditions and you also will get WAY better depth perception with the corrective lenses being on your eye rather than an inch or so away.

NVBird'n'Big · Aug 4, 2014

I'm dealing with this right now. I use the 2 week lenses you take out every night. When camping a couple of weeks ago I took them out one night but not being able to get my hands super clean made it miserable taking them out and getting them back in. The next night I slept in them to avoid the pain but woke up in the morning with fuzzy goopy eyes which took a while and a lot of drops to recover. I'll be in the backcountry in 2 weeks and am still trying to figure it out. I have always worn my glasses hunting but love the freedom to wear sunglasses that my contacts give me. I will bring my glasses along and make a nightly decision on taking them out I guess. Nothing I really thought about when I switched to contacts but it is kind of stressing me out so close to the hunt.

Againstthewind · Aug 4, 2014

I have to have a spare pair of glasses in the truck because if I was to lose a lense or something, I couldn't even see past the end of the hood to drive.

So I bring a spare pair everywhere I go. You are pretty fortunate OregonJim to have had good vision for a long time. At least I have dog-like (selective) hearing, that helps.

firebeck · Aug 4, 2014

I use extended wear contacts but still take them out every night if I can. I don't hesitate to wear them all week hunting though. I haven't wore glasses in years. Contacts have never given me any issues other than when I try to wear a set to long. I have wore contacts for 15 years already and glasses for about 6 years before that. Wear backup glasses occasionally but can't handle em.

Fink · Aug 4, 2014

It's not glasses or contacts, but is Lasik an option? I had Lasik done nearly 15 years ago, and it's been one of the best decisions I ever made.

Umpqua Hunter · Aug 4, 2014

Fink said:
It's not glasses or contacts, but is Lasik an option? I had Lasik done nearly 15 years ago, and it's been one of the best decisions I ever made.

I would second that with a word of warning. I had LASIK done on my right eye in 2009 and it was amazing what it did to my vision, but since then my vision has basically returned to the same place it was before the surgery. If it lasts, it is incredible.

HuskyMusky · Aug 4, 2014

LASIK

I've decided I'm getting Lasik after this season!

contact guy here.

atrietch · Aug 5, 2014

I use the contacts you leave in for 30 days. Keep a bottle of drops with you and your good to go.
Only use them I'm the fall while I am constantly afield.

Fink · Aug 5, 2014

Umpqua Hunter said:
I would second that with a word of warning. I had LASIK done on my right eye in 2009 and it was amazing what it did to my vision, but since then my vision has basically returned to the same place it was before the surgery. If it lasts, it is incredible.

I think that's a common result for folks over the age of 40, and I'd certainly take that into consideration before I dropped the coin to have the procedure. I had my eyes done when I was 18, and at 32 my eyesight is every bit as good as when I had it done.

CONTACTS vs. GLASSES

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