Skiing with contacts...

[Skiag]

I'm tired of passes being ruined by spray in my eyes. What do those of you with contacts do to prevent one eyed and blind passes? I don't want to wear goggles...

[MCskiFreak]

Keep my eyes closed until im up out of the water and carefully wipe them before opening

[skibug]

I ski without mine....are you blind without them?

[tjm]

I wear Spex Googles, Good for sun glare also

[AggieSkier]

This will not work for hard contacts.

 

If they are soft lens contacts: Before your first deep water start, try opening your eyes briefly while under water. The contact will grip on to your eye and set in place.

 

If you ever take a shower and try to remove your contacts immediately afterwards, you'll see how well they adhere.

[ntx]

I and several friends had the same problem. I discovered that it happened on the first pass. I solved it by making sure that I got my face and ALL my hair VERY wet. DUNK your head all the way underwater. I know, it sounds crazy but it works. In fact, one ski partner was going to risk lasik until he tried it. He had the problems for years and this solved it. Give it a try. Don't just splash, DUNK

[lbow]

Get up carefully/don't open my eyes until i'm sure i won't get water into them. At first it seemed 1/10 passes would be one eyed(usually ski better), but i can't remember the last time it happened. I also find that the slower the driver pulls me up the less wet i get.

[Wish]

Berkley sunglasses from Walmart. Polerized and only $5. Look good (not goofy goggles) Awesome for morning glare on the water. Everyone says they can't handle the water spots but to be honest you will get used to it quicker than u think. Add glasses strap (small stretch tubing $2) also from Walmart which seales enough air inside tube when attached that they will float and your good to go.

[kreipe]

I wear soft contacts - have never had one pop out or "wander" during passes. Only issue was several years ago when just starting took some pretty bad head firsts - lost a couple of contacts that way.

 

I do keep my eyes closed during start - but I always supposed most people did until they got out of most of spray.

[jackski]

I got lasered, best thing I ever did. I skied a lot of one eyed passes before.

[mopowpow]

I'm a nerd... I've skied with Oakley Water Jackets for years. They used to save my contacts, but with disposables it's not an issue any more. I really just like blocking the glare from the wate & sun.

[skifreak]

I've got soft contacts. I'm not blind without them, just have an astigmatism so things are a little out of focus. I just ski without them. At least when I'm not wearing them things are consistently blurry and it doesn't catch me off guard coming around a ball, plus water under my lenses is way worse than my naturally poor vision. If I forget to take them out I just make sure I keep my eyes closed tightly for a longer period of time and then wipe my face before i open them. Hope you don't have too short of a set up.....

[ktm300]

LASIK is the coolest thing ever. Did it ten years ago. Still 20/20 and 20/15. No ill effects. Had to put glasses on to see the alarm clock on the bedside table before.

[AggieSkier]

Saw this on tv the other day. Wear the shaping lens at night for 8 hrs and take it out for the rest of the day. http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/24085798/2013/11/27/toss-glasses-contacts-without-surgery

 

Ortho-K has been around a while but I've never heard of it. http://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/orthok.htm

 

Any Ortho-K waterski success stories?

[bishop8950]

LASIK!! I skied for years in soft contacts and mostly with little problem. Not sure if it was age or the CA climate but I started to have more trouble. After LASIK I can see better than ever and find it hard to believe I stuck those things in my eyes for so many years.

[skierjp]

I' ve used gas permable lenses for ever. I've never lost one and your vision doesn't change like soft lenses. My wife skis with soft lenses and she has issues on almost every pass.

[The_MS]

@wish has this down to a science.

[xrated]

I'm getting Lasik Jan 10th. Sick of getting water while skiing, it isn't just getting up for me. If the wind is blowing or the spray off the boat is just right I can get messed up contacts.

 

That and it is dang hard to put contacts in on all the early mornings from hunting season...or after the long days and late nights of summer.

[DW]

A gas perm wearer, I find water skiing the least annoying sport for them. After a day of snow skiing or sledding my eyes are much drier and painful. Not even close to desert racing though! I have found I like a set of goggles with a helmet rather than a visor as it keeps more crap out of the eyes that way.

[h2oski]

Contacts and Bomber sunglasses, most of the dryness and spray issues are gone. Same eyeware @horton uses.

[Steven_Haines]

LASIK!

[SkiOrDie]

Another vote for LASIK. Had a lot of trouble with my contacts floating on me this summer while skiing. Finally had LASIK in August. Money well spent!

[GregHind]

I had lasik about 15 years ago and did one eye at a time to be safe. The version where they cut a flap on your eye, laser you then shut the flap. They told me not to do anything for a month (well I wasn't allowed to ski for a month anyway). I was pretty relaxed about the process for the second eye and went skiing the next day. Just figured I'd take it easy and avoid crashing. I'd never, ever, ever seen like I saw that day, even with the best glasses. My vision was incredible. Individual blades of grass on the bank as I skied past. Sharp cloud formations. Individual branches were crystal clear on gum trees 200 metres away. It was a new perspective on the world and far better than glasses were ever.

 

I cut out wide and looked around at the water and the views. It was so glassy I couldn't believe it. Of course, sitting out wide in the glass and enjoying not skiing, my ski flicked left, right then threw me. I took an eye peeling face plant directly on the eye that had been operated on the day before. It really hurt and I held my eye together while I waited for the boat to come back. I was seriously worried.

 

I got the driver to check my eye for damage. The flap was still there and still shut. Kept skiing!

 

I couldn't be happier about my vision. Way better than 20/20. Previously I had problems wearing glasses, they hurt my eyes. I had trouble recognising people in time to remember their name. People who I knew well thought I had forgotten their name as I walked past them in the street as I only had two seconds to recognise their face and remember their name. Now I can see them from 50 metres away and I'm really good at recognising faces and names. I'd get the operation if you can. Greg

[Skoot1123]

I have been wearing soft contacts since I started running the course. Haven't ever had major issues with them while running the course - at least not often enough to make me complain about them. Seems to me that if your contacts are "floating" they may be turned inside out, at least that is what I have experienced. Maybe someday I'll get LASIK surgery done, but I'm at the stage now where my vision is actually improving. I'll stick where I am right now.....

[jwroblew]

different soft contacts fit differently. Talk to your eye doctor and get a couple of different brands and see what works best for skiing. Every year I'll try a different brand and always end up going back to my old faithfuls.

[LakeOneSkier]

JayG80, I did the Ortho K thing back in '01 and '02. It took a bit to get used to, wearing hard lenses at night, but it worked well. The 'reshape' would last for 2-3 days so if you forgot to put them in one night (too many beers?) it was no big deal.

 

In the end I got tired of the hard lenses and not being about to see during the middle of the night. I don't know how people ever wore hard contact lenses.

 

At the same time I also went the 'mono-vision' route; left eye for near vision, right eye for distance vision. Still do this today with soft contacts.

 

 

 

 

[mellig]

Used to have the same issue of getting a little spray in the eye from time to time and definitely effects the pass considering everything is a blur... I have started to focus on closing my eyes as soon as the boat pulls me and there is risk of spray. It seems to work out so far.

[danspence]

@mellig I ski with contacts and as soon as the boat pulls me out I close my eyes. Stops them moving around. Many a time I have had my contacts move as I am entering the course. Very annoying.

[Fine409]

For those of you ballers who have gotten lasik...how long did the doc recommend you wait until you ski again? Considering getting it early in 2014 but don't want to miss out on any precious skiing time!

[bishop8950]

They reccomeded 2wks to ensure there was no infection. I got it done in the spring and did wait the two weeks. I am so happy I did it.

[SusanT]

Another LASIK fan here. Best money I ever spent. Honestly, @dtm8119 just stay out of the water as long as you Dr. recommends. It is your eyes and you can't get new ones. If you really want to push it, just use swim goggles. Either way, still plan on 2 weeks off the water.

 

[xrated]

One month today until I get rid of contacts!!!

[xrated]

Morning after report on LAsik.

 

Holy cow this is the Shiz!!!!! Wasn't super fun getting it done but I can read the microwave clock from across the dining room!!!

[thager]

@xrated Congrats! You will also be able to read all the ingredients of the junk you eat and drink. Downside If a man were single is that it will also take much more beer to mess up your vision!

[XR6Hurricane]

I've been skiing with the 2 week disposables for about 15 years and never had a problem. I've maybe had a couple of blurry moments. I just squint getting up and then wipe my eyelids off if I need to once I'm up. Everyone is different though I guess. It's best to soak them in hydrogen peroxide cleaner afterward though due to the nasty amoebas that can be present in the water.