Contacts and the wilderness

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
1,421
I've had contacts for less than a day. And glasses for less than a year. What do you take with you on trips to cover your vision needs?

Seems like extra of everything and a mirror. Anything else? Things to keep in mind? Tips or tricks?
 
I personally wear prescription goggles. Errr, when I am in the bush of coarse. lol Although once I broke my glasses, and since (at the time) I worked in a place where I had to wear eye protection, I just wore those. Yeah, people made jokes, but whatever. sigh
 
I've worn glasses since jr. high school (I'm 40 now) and wore contact lenses for a few years back in the 90s. I wouldn't mess with contacts out in the woods, unless it was just a day stroll. If you decided to bring them with you, I'd also pack your glasses in a hard case as a backup.

While I'd rather have perfect 20/20 vision, one nice thing about eye glasses is that they keep a lot of stuff from getting into your eyes. Contacts don't do that.
 
i don't have glasses but am far overdue to get some...I am pretty near sighted. Luckily in the bush here that doesn't make much difference, because you can't see farther than 20 feet away anyways...

But it is annoying to not be able to read signs and things, or tell who someone is from 50 feet away.

therefore, I can only hypthesize that I would have spare pair of glasses in my bag for just in case situations...breaking them, dropping them in a river, etc. I once tried putting contacts in and it didn't work...but I wasn't trying that hard. I think I would try to avoid contacts personally though and just wear my glasses like some people wear reading glasses...not all the time.
 
Dave_Markowitz said:
I've worn glasses since jr. high school (I'm 40 now) and wore contact lenses for a few years back in the 90s. I wouldn't mess with contacts out in the woods, unless it was just a day stroll. If you decided to bring them with you, I'd also pack your glasses in a hard case as a backup.

While I'd rather have perfect 20/20 vision, one nice thing about eye glasses is that they keep a lot of stuff from getting into your eyes. Contacts don't do that.
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Ditto here. I've had glasses since I was a kid, and alot of time I cursed them. But I have to admit there was times that I think they just may have saved me from loosing an eye. I read in a Field and Stream magazine once, that eye injuries from being poked with a branch was one of the most common injuries the U.S. Park Service EMT's treated, followed by severe cuts from miss used hatchets.

Wearing RX glasses with shatterproof lenses and transition tinting has been good. I'm never without eye protec tion or sunglasses. With a spare pair in a crushproof case in the pack, I feel good about my eye protection.
 
While wearing contacts or glasses I always have a spare pair of unopened contacts in my gear when I'm out doing anything outdoors. From cycling to backpacking. I've never needed them, but they're small enough to pack into the smallest gear bag or first aid kit. After wearing contacts for a while you won't need a mirror to put them in any more.
 
fzen said:
While wearing contacts or glasses I always have a spare pair of unopened contacts in my gear when I'm out doing anything outdoors. From cycling to backpacking. I've never needed them, but they're small enough to pack into the smallest gear bag or first aid kit. After wearing contacts for a while you won't need a mirror to put them in any more.
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Ditto that. I wore contacts om my recent long hiking trip. I used a bit of purell before putting them in (WELL before!!! dont mess that up trust me!!!:eek:) And had lightweight glasses for nighttime/ backup. Didnt have any problems. Doing your best with the hygiene is key it seems.:)
 
:thumbdn:I would not wear contacts if I were out for more than just the day.

If you get some plant matter under the lens you can end up with a rip-roaring sight-threating infection!!!:eek::eek::eek:
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People have lost their sight and their eyes in just a couple of days. I know that this is rare and that most people will get away with contacts in the woods. But I would not want to increase the risk to my very valuable vision.
 
Sharp Eye said:
:thumbdn:I would not wear contacts if I were out for more than just the day.

If you get some plant matter under the lens you can end up with a rip-roaring sight-threating infection!!!:eek::eek::eek:
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People have lost their sight and their eyes in just a couple of days. I know that this is rare and that most people will get away with contacts in the woods. But I would not want to increase the risk to my very valuable vision.
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At the risk of sounding rude...........why not have just taken them out? If i get something in my eye I take my contacts out and clean them and switch to glasses...................................:confused:
 
I have worn contacts into the outdoors for at least 20 years, as they are so much more convenient than glasses. I usually go with extended wear since my hands are never really clean when outside. With extended wear, I don't really need a big bottle of saline or cleaners. Just a small bottle of saline & wetting solution. If they get dirty or don't feel right, I just toss & replace. I always carry spares.

You will need to deal with smoke, dirt even freezing temps, none of which feel good. It's up to you how much convenience you need.

Contacts give you peripheral vision, which I've always needed for rough ground orienteering and for climbing, but my final solution was to get lasik surgery.
 
Runsalone said:
At the risk of sounding rude...........why not have just taken them out? If i get something in my eye I take my contacts out and clean them and switch to glasses...................................:confused:
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Runsalone,
There are 2 answers to your very sensible question:
1. Too many contact wearers are not as practical as you are. They will tolerate discomfort until things get worse.
2. Once there is a scratch in the surface of the eye, just taking out the lenses may not be enough. If you are days from medical attention, you are better off not wearing contacts.
In either case, when things do go bad, they can become vision threatening quickly. Why risk your vision? Even more so in a survival situation.
Ira
 
I've worn glasses for 53 years and like others have posted, they have saved my eyes more than once.

Doc
 
Bradford Angier warns not to travel by night in the bush due to the potential of having a dead branch poke your eye out. I personally would just side step this and wear polycarbonate prescription goggles (or get the Rx inserts). You can strap them to your head and they have wide peripheral vision.
 
my vision isnt terrible but still requires glasses or contacts. glasses are easy to take on and off which is good because i dont need constant vision correction. contacts arent so easy, oncce you put them in you have to go through some trouble too get them out( more trouble than with glasses at least) so i would say if you have to choos between two, go with the glasses, even for a dayhike because you never know if you are going to get lost or somthing and be out there for more than a day.

in a pinch you could possibly start a fire with glasses, which is a function conatacts do not have.
 
I wear both glasses or contacts, my rx glasses look like reg. glasses but are considered safety glasses , the lenses are polyc. &will trans. in the sun. they look good & protect my eyes. If I'm just going for a short stroll in the woods I wear my contacts w/ my Oakley's but any longer I wear my glasses !
 
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