Contacts in a Survival Situation

safetyman

safetyman

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So I was thinking to myself last night before I went to sleep, what if me and my girl went hiking and for some crazy reason we got off trail and were genuinely lost and in a survival situation? I know most, if not all, of you guys have thought of this situation before but, oddly, all I could think about was my girl's contacts. What if we get stuck out in the middle of nowhere and she has contacts? Every night I see her take them out, squirt some cleaner on them, and place them in a weird-looking holder. If she forgets to do that, she complains in the morning about how her eyes hurt, which makes sense because they look red and blood shot. So, my question is, do any of you who use contacts bring 'backup' when you head out, perhaps a pair of glasses, a monocle, or an extra set?
 
I have left my contacts in for weeks at a time with no problems and yes I know you should not do that.

I should add that mine are the acuvue oasis and at the time were the best available, they are made to stay moist longer and allow more oxygen to reach the eye.
 
safetyman said:
So I was thinking to myself last night before I went to sleep, what if me and my girl went hiking and for some crazy reason we got off trail and were genuinely lost and in a survival situation? I know most, if not all, of you guys have thought of this situation before but, oddly, all I could think about was my girl's contacts. What if we get stuck out in the middle of nowhere and she has contacts? Every night I see her take them out, squirt some cleaner on them, and place them in a weird-looking holder. If she forgets to do that, she complains in the morning about how her eyes hurt, which makes sense because they look red and blood shot. So, my question is, do any of you who use contacts bring 'backup' when you head out, perhaps a pair of glasses, a monocle, or an extra set?
Click to expand...

ooo, never dealt personally with it, but a friend of mine used contacts all the time, you can now get long term ones that are good for months I think, I forgot all the info about them, but I'll look it up for you.
 
A friend of mine uses disposable contacts, and usually carries a couple of extra. Also has a pair of glasses in a hard protective case.
 
When I wore contacts I would just keep a pair of disposables or my old prescription glasses in my backpack in case something happened to the lenses I was wearing at the time.

Edit: Basically what Millhouse said (didn't refresh before I posted)
 
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Looks like I should encourage her to carry an extra set...but what about cleaning them?
 
I can fit a small travel/sample size bottle of solution in my eyeglasses case, so it's pretty small. That could be an option maybe. You can find small squirt bottles in the travel sections of some stores, too, and just refill those from the larger bottle if you want something more compact. I don't know what solution she uses but the one I am referring to is the all in one solutions for cleaning and storage. A small bottle of solution and lens case might be a better option than just carrying extra lenses. I didn't think about it before but if you are in the situation from the first post the extra set only really buys you one more day before you need to clean them.
 
There is a particularly nasty little critter called Pseudomonas aeruginosa that can reside in saliva, and an irritation of the cornea from the contact lens, ( overwearing them, sleeping in them, inproper cleaning, etc) coupled with wetting them with saliva, has the potential to cause corneal ulcers that can get BAD, quick.

http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/616.html

"Because this type of corneal ulcer spreads so rapidly, it can cause corneal perforation and loss of eye within 48 hours. Immediate treatment and isolation of hospitalized patients are required."

48 hours to completely chew through the cornea, essentially lets you know , no saliva, no tap water on your contacts EVER.

a spare pair of contacts along with a small bottle of solution stashed in your emergency supplies is essential if you wear contacts.
 
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safetyman said:
So I was thinking to myself last night before I went to sleep, what if me and my girl went hiking and for some crazy reason we got off trail and were genuinely lost and in a survival situation? I know most, if not all, of you guys have thought of this situation before but, oddly, all I could think about was my girl's contacts. What if we get stuck out in the middle of nowhere and she has contacts? Every night I see her take them out, squirt some cleaner on them, and place them in a weird-looking holder. If she forgets to do that, she complains in the morning about how her eyes hurt, which makes sense because they look red and blood shot. So, my question is, do any of you who use contacts bring 'backup' when you head out, perhaps a pair of glasses, a monocle, or an extra set?
Click to expand...

tell her to quit complaining and endure.

I wear contacts, go to bed with them and rince them out once a week..
I wake up every morning with redeyes and this has no effect on me.

I use to work in a warehouse and one of my lens dropped out.. guess what.. shoved that sucker back in... although wasn't the best idea.. you get the point.:foot::D:thumbup:

I carry my olf glasses in a hardcase, but I haven't used them in the last 6 years. and a small bottle of aquavue.
 
Bring a spare set of glasses in a hard case. If a problem arises and you're going to be out there longer than expected...dump the contacts altogether and use glasses.

Another benefit with wearing glasses outdoors is that they prevent branches and other stuff from whipping back into your eye if you're going through some dense brush.
 
I use disposable contact lenses and have a spair pair in every pack, as well as a spare pair in my pocket when out in the woods. I also carry a pair of eyeglasses when overnighting/camping.

The reason I wear disposables is I used to wear the extended wear type and not take very good care of them (very much like cuphead, in the post above). Then I developed a corneal ulcer (which, at best, will leave a scar on your cornea). This is a scary and sobering experience for a contact lens wearer. I was tempted to ditch contacts and return to wearing glasses, but the disposables are a bit less risky than extended wear lenses, so I switched to them for now.

Stay sharp,
desmbobob
 
I would also suggest carrying backup prescription glasses and switch to those if you know you will be in the woods for awhile. I wore contacts for a year or so and thought they were a complete pain in the ass. I can't even imagine trying to clean and re-insert them with dirty hands in the field.
 
I have 20/15 so it doesn't apply to me personally, but what about poking pin holes in a piece of paper or something similar?
 
safetyman said:
So I was thinking to myself last night before I went to sleep, what if me and my girl went hiking and for some crazy reason we got off trail and were genuinely lost and in a survival situation? I know most, if not all, of you guys have thought of this situation before but, oddly, all I could think about was my girl's contacts......
Click to expand...

Okay, before getting to the contact issue, first things first....Strip and tick check!!!! - be thorough....
 
I checked with an ophthalmologist. Here is her advice... get a pair of glasses and keep them in your day pack.
Do not play with contacts when you don't have a way to keep things clean and free of bacteria and fungi.

Contact lens associated corneal infection
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'nuff said.
 
But the reality is, the cornea is pretty resilient. Nothing to mess with, but pretty resilient.

Get a spare pair or two of contacts and a pair of glasses. Talk to your opthamologist and explain the situation. They can prescribe the most permeable (extended wear) They will likely tell you what to do if you are stuck without medical attention in a mild survival situation and may be able to prescribe "just in case" antibiotic drops to take along.

I have backpacked, kayaked, rock climbed, mountain biked, hunted and fished for 30 years with them and so far, have not had a problem.
 
I've worn contacts since about 1989 and switched to monthly disposables about 10 years ago or so (been too long so can't remember for sure). I always walk with a spare pair and a small bottle of multi-purpose solution and a case. I don't usually walk with glasses unless I'm gonna be overnighting somewhere.

I take them off every night before going to bed and clean and store them like regular lenses. I too have had to deal with wearing them overnight in the past and agree, they feel like crud the next morning. I'd say if she's not currently wearing disposables she should get some and keep an extra pair on hand. To me they're better than the normal lenses because for about the same price (last time I checked) you get 6 pairs compared to one pair, and therefore always have fresh lenses available.

Lenses get protein and lipid build up on them after a while, regardless of how religiously you clean them. They are also prone to tearing from repeated cleaning so to me disposables are the way to go.
 
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