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rockhound71
Viener Schnitzel
Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Location: United States
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Posts: 3
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 Topic: Contact lenses Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 6:32am |
Hey all:
I'm a noob to whitewater kayaking and I just had a question for anyone who wears contact lenses...do you still wear them when you get out? Or do you wear glasses with croakies?
Thanks!
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arnobarno
Big Boofer
Joined: 04 Nov 2006
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Posts: 450
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 8:00am |
I wear contacts when I boat but they can be problematic. Sometimes, when water splashes me in the face, it can cause my lenses to float and then I can't see anything for a little bit of time so I try to close my eyes briefly just before I get hit with water (this could explain lots of poor boating by me).
I wouldn't worry too much about losing your lenses on the river. I've accidentally opened my eyes underwater lots of times while setting up for a roll and surface tension keeps the lenses on your eyes.
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arn9schaeffer@gmail.com (remove 9 for my real email address)
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rockhound71
Viener Schnitzel
Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Location: United States
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Posts: 3
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 8:32am |
Thanks!
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justin
Big Boofer
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
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Posts: 675
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 9:14am |
Heather lost a contact when we were boating the lower gorge on the green a few years back and didn't realize it till she almost drove off the road.
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STLboater
PP Junkie
Joined: 17 Aug 2006
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Posts: 886
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 9:49am |
I have the same problem as harms, a little splash and the lens can start floating on your eye. On occasion though, my lens will fall out when I try to get it back in the right place.
So my word of advice, 1 day disposables. You lose one, put another on, no big deal.
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Kayak Academy Whitewater Instructor
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fiddleyak
McNasty
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
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Posts: 386
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 10:24am |
I've boated for years with contacts and I can count on one hand the number of times I've lost one. I usually carry an extra on multidays; paddling with one lense is doable but annoying. Using 1 day disposables is good advice because the river water can increase the chance of bacterial growth on the contacts.
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Guests
Guest
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 11:02am |
If you are wearing dailies, they won't work very well while paddling. What tends to work better is if you get some 2-week or monthly lenses specifically for paddling. The harder lenses won't be as sensitive to the PH differential between your eyes and the water.
The brands I have found that work well are the o2 optics and acuevue 2. Both in the 2 week versions.
I tend to tuck some spares in my PFD.
Edited by kayaktheworld - 24 Mar 2008 at 11:03am
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ashleygoesdisco
PP Junkie
Princess Sparkle Horse
Joined: 12 May 2007
Location: United States
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Posts: 904
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 11:23am |
I wear the overnight ones, and I've never had issues. Never lost a contact in the river, only once in the pool, and I was dorking around and deserved it. I've still got glasses, but I find that with contacts, I forget that I have terrible eyes.
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Ashley Duffus
Well behaved women rarely make history.
www.naiyadays.blogspot.com
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SupaSta
Big Boofer
Joined: 14 Jul 2005
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 5:35pm |
I've always used contacts. And like Arno, I've developed the instinct to close my eyes before getting splashed in the face or when I'm going under. I roll with my eyes closed.
I've only had a lens fall out a couple of times. But, there are differences between lens types. I've found the one-day disposables to be the worst. Initially it seemed like a good idea, you lose one, you replace it, no problem; but it seemed like I was adjusting the dang things after every rapid and I eventually lost one. So, I went back to the two-week type and it's all better. They seem to stay in my eye better. I suppose there may be a difference between brands, so you may want to check with the guys here who've had better luck than I have.
Dan
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Life is short, paddle hard!
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cloudpeak
Rock Bumper
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
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Posts: 28
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 5:57pm |
I wear daily contacts. When a wave splashes me in the face, my contacts often float around and make my vision bleary for a while. This can make running a rapid more challenging to say the least. I've also lost more than a few pairs, especially when boating bigger water. As a result I always carry spares in the pocket on my Astral PFD.
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Carter_M
Paddler
Joined: 13 May 2005
Location: United States
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Posts: 60
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 9:33pm |
I've kayaked for around 13 years with contacts and I think I've lost one once. I think mine are the month long variety but I don't really remember (I wear them until they're uncomfortable). I've lost more on my bike than in my kayak! I can't stand trying to wear glasses or sunglasses on the water.
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hugo
Tricky Woo
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
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Posts: 202
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 Posted: 24 Mar 2008 at 10:18pm |
i wear a water mask, that keeps my contacts in nice and tight.
try it.
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suck it
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rockhound71
Viener Schnitzel
Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Location: United States
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Posts: 3
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 Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 6:03am |
Thanks for all the responses!
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