Skating With Glasses verses Skating with Contacts

[singerskates]

I've recently noticed a difference in my skating wearing contacts instead of my glasses.

When I wear my glasses, I'm more timid while skating because I can't see clearly to the side of my head, up and down. Wearing glasses seems to through of my perception of where I am. And so I don't go for elements in the same way I do when I wear my contacts. It's weird how the eyes work with the middle ear for balance. When I go to spin with my contacts on, I'm well centred but when I go and spin with my glasses on it takes effort to get somewhat balanced in my spins.

How about the rest of you who wear eye glasses and contacts?

[kander]

I don't do either. It's easier to wear nothing. I can't see anything but it doesn't seem to affect my skating.

Kevin

[fsk8r]

I've not noticed a difference when I'm wearing glasses or contacts. I normally live in my contacts and so don't think about it when I'm skating. I do have 1 day a week in glasses which is normally a non-skating day, but I've ended up doing figures in them over the summer. It's a little weird and I do notice that they get in the way of my vision at the sides (but I HATE wearing glasses anyway because of this).
What I do notice that on some days I get on the ice and my eyes just start watering because the contact lenses react to something, not sure if it's the temperature or a chemical in the air, but it does sometimes look as if I'm crying on the ice. They generally settle down after about five minutes though.

Personally I'm waiting for another raise so I can switch to Ortho K lenses as they apparently squish your eyeball as you sleep so you can go all day without anything. That would be brilliant. I might even take up swimming again if I could swim without worrying about chlorine reacting with lenses or having to go blind.

[Thin-Ice]

(snip) What I do notice that on some days I get on the ice and my eyes just start watering because the contact lenses react to something, not sure if it's the temperature or a chemical in the air, but it does sometimes look as if I'm crying on the ice.

I don't wear glasses or contacts.. but on days the rink is especially cold or that I've put on mascara just a few minutes before getting on the ice, my eyes water so badly it looks like I'm crying too. My coach says it's the cold... but I still don't understand why the mascara connection is true even on the less-than-coldest days.:?:

[fsk8r]

I don't wear glasses or contacts.. but on days the rink is especially cold or that I've put on mascara just a few minutes before getting on the ice, my eyes water so badly it looks like I'm crying too. My coach says it's the cold... but I still don't understand why the mascara connection is true even on the less-than-coldest days.:?:

Probably is the cold, but I have a feeling that having something too near the eyes (mascara, contacts, etc) exacerbates the problem. But I'm glad I'm not the only one who skates around crying!

[Mrs Redboots]

I find my eyes water far worse if I don't wear my contacts than if I do! I used to wear my glasses, and my husband still does, but I don't dare skate in the bifocals I now use, so I normally wear contact lenses, and very occasionally skate "blind".

[Sessy]

Well considering that the maximum we were able to get out of contacts was less than 70% sight, and that's really not a lot, I much prefer the glasses which give me 90% sight.
The difference is probably that I do have rather expensive glasses (200 dollar frame, 300-somethingish dollar glasses) but I do not have problems with them moving during any sorts of jumps, spins, spirals, footwork etc, they don't get foggy, and they don't freeze to my skin.

[Skittl1321]

I wear both and do not notice a difference, even spinning my glasses stay on just fine.

The only days I hate hate hate glasses (and I keep contacts in my bag just in case) are the foggy days- and then even a small breath fogs up my glasses and I can't see.

Skating without either is NOT an option. It would be incredibly dangerous to not be able to see anyone.

[RachelSk8er]

I wear glasses, do not wear contacts at all ever and don't wear anything when I skate.

That basically only means I can't read the advertisements and some of the signs hanging on the walls or on the boards if the print isn't large enough or they are far away, but that's obviously not important. They use the scoreboard clock at both ends of my usual rink and that's big enough for me to see, and I can see other skaters just fine.

I don't *need* my glasses all the time and could get by without them, though. (I actually only have a prescription in one eye and I only truly need them to read road signs if I'm driving in an unfamiliar place, to see the power point/board at work meetings or in school, watching TV/movies, that sort of thing). But I wear them pretty much all the time because looking like a nerd is cool.

[Black Sheep]

Always contacts! :)

[Mainemom]

My DD switched to contacts about two years ago and both she and her coach noticed a marked difference in her skating which she (coach) attributed to finally having peripheral vision. She'll never go back! Plus, there is nothing like having your glasses go flying off your face when you're spinning and not being able to find them because you're blind!

[Thin-Ice]

I wear glasses, do not wear contacts at all ever and don't wear anything when I skate.


Really? That must be very chilly out there on the ice in your all-togethers! :oops: (Sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

[jazzpants]

Really? That must be very chilly out there on the ice in your all-togethers! :oops: (Sorry, I just couldn't resist!):lol: :lol: :lol: (And NO I don't wanna see those pictures in your Facebook profile either. Thank you! :lol: )

I only need glasses for far distance (driving a car, computer, reading a menu) so at the rink, my eyes go nekkid!!! :P

[singerskates]

My DD switched to contacts about two years ago and both she and her coach noticed a marked difference in her skating which she (coach) attributed to finally having peripheral vision. She'll never go back! Plus, there is nothing like having your glasses go flying off your face when you're spinning and not being able to find them because you're blind!


Yup, I've had my new glasses fly off of my face when doing sitspins this past summer. It took a trip to the optician to fixed them so they would stay on my face.

[singerskates]

I find my eyes water far worse if I don't wear my contacts than if I do! I used to wear my glasses, and my husband still does, but I don't dare skate in the bifocals I now use, so I normally wear contact lenses, and very occasionally skate "blind".

I don't have bifocals because I chose to get my reading glasses separate from my glasses for my near sightedness and also got contacts on top of that. The optician had a deal where I could get 2 pair of glasses and a supply of contacts for all one price and of course my insurance covered 98% of the cost.

With my contacts I can read 2 lines smaller than 20/20 but don't ask me to read anything closer than almost an arm's length away. When the novice to senior competitive skaters zoom past me less than an arm's length away on city ice (ticket ice) while I'm wearing my contacts, they really are a blurr. ROTFLOL Sometimes I think the kids' coaches are trying to scare me off of the ice with how close they pass by me but it's not going to happen.

[NickiT]

Always wear my contacts. Can't see much without them and wouldn't want to wear glasses while skating.

Nicki

[patatty]

I always wear my contact lenses. The few times I had to wear my glasses skating were very frustrating, as the edges of my lenses kept catching reflections off of the overhead lights and startling me. I am terribly nearsighted, and the lack of peripheral vision was also pretty scary.

[Scarlett]

I wear both. I'm perfectly content with either though contacts are a neccessity if it is foggy in the rink or if I'm working really hard (glasses will fog up from the heat off my face). I can't skate without glasses or contacts. I would kill someone.

[RachelSk8er]

Really? That must be very chilly out there on the ice in your all-togethers! :oops: (Sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

Hey now, I'm just trying to put the "adult" in adult skating!

[jp1andOnly]

I wear contacts and I cry at the beginning from the cold.

People hwo need glasses to see and choose to wear nothing worry me because they don't see other skaters and thats a scary thing. I'm talking about people who really need glasses (like myself) and everything an arms length away is blurry. I've been smicked a few times by a certain person who needs to wear their glasses, as well had a girl enter a spin as I had the right away doing a spiral and was yelling watch out. She just didnt know I was there. Scary!

[dbny]

The few times I had to wear my glasses skating were very frustrating, as the edges of my lenses kept catching reflections off of the overhead lights and startling me.

That's happened to me too. I wear progressive lenses, which are slightly disorienting on the ice, so I bought single use contact lenses that are great for skating. I also have astigmatism, which the contacts don't correct for, but it's mild enough that I can even drive in the contacts if I have to. The one problem I've had is that a lens broke apart in my eye while skating - twice! It was excruciating, and the first time, I had no idea what was wrong. I think it happens if I get a lens on inside out. Mine happen to be really hard to tell which side is correct, but once the lens is in, if I feel anything at all, I take it out, flip it and reinsert.

[Thin-Ice]

Hey now, I'm just trying to put the "adult" in adult skating!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (It's just too cold to roll on the ice and laugh at this.)

[Mrs Redboots]

I don't have bifocals because I chose to get my reading glasses separate from my glasses for my near sightedness and also got contacts on top of that. The optician had a deal where I could get 2 pair of glasses and a supply of contacts for all one price and of course my insurance covered 98% of the cost.
I was originally told I couldn't wear bifocals, but another optometrist said that was rubbish, so I got some, and I wouldn't go back - no more faffing around changing my glasses all the time! In my contacts it's awful - I have to keep on finding my reading-glasses and then finding my sun-glasses..... once they are safely put away after skating, it's one pair for everything!

Husband refuses to get bifocals and always seems to have the wrong glasses on!

I remember the day my daughter got her first pair of lenses, she said firmly that having lenses would make her able to spin (there had been some discussion of the issue on this board or one of its predecessors) - it did help, because it helped her confidence!

[Skittl1321]

That's happened to me too. I wear progressive lenses, which are slightly disorienting on the ice, so I bought single use contact lenses that are great for skating. I also have astigmatism, which the contacts don't correct for, but it's mild enough that I can even drive in the contacts if I have to. The one problem I've had is that a lens broke apart in my eye while skating - twice! It was excruciating, and the first time, I had no idea what was wrong. I think it happens if I get a lens on inside out. Mine happen to be really hard to tell which side is correct, but once the lens is in, if I feel anything at all, I take it out, flip it and reinsert.

I have dailies too- and keep extras in my bag for those foggy days. I once had one break apart in my eye while skating too! They are thinner then normal contacts (which I think is why it's so hard to see if they are correct side or wrong side out) so I wonder if the cold effects them. I thought it had just rolled to the side of my eye, but when I took it out, I only took half of it out! I had to skate half of synchro practice with just one eye (thankfully my other eye is the stronger-prescription one so except for pain, it didn't make a difference) and then when I went home it took two hours to find the other piece in my eye! I don't think it was inside out though, I had worn it the whole day.

I might talk to my eye doctor and find out if this is a common problem with single-use or an ice skating thing.


RE: Adult skating- there's a video out there of a Japanese woman doing an exhibit skate that is very "adult". She isn't wearing anything.

[Kay]

As a side note to the glasses/contacts concern, I would like to offer up another option... sport "goggles." They are not nearly as goofy-looking as they sound, I promise!! Picture low-profile wrap-around sunglasses with a small elastic strap - at first glance, they do just look like clear-lens sunglasses. My sister-in-law has skated with them since she was ~10 (she is now 18) and loves them. They stay in place, they reduce the windburn many of you were discussing and they don't decrease peripheral and downward vision the way glass do.

One skater previously mentioned that they find their spins are more difficult to centre while wearing glasses - for 90% of the population, this is because without noticing/meaning to, you adjust your head position in order to help your glasses stay on you while spinning. This adjustment in your posture is likely leading the difficulty in centreing your spins!

Another skater mentioned concerned over damaging expensive glasses, should your glasses hit the ice. Sport goggles avoid this because they don't fly off, due to the small strap, and they are designed to be resilient - many players wear them in semi-contact sports such as basketball, soccer and squash, so they are designed to withstand impact and abrasions.

Just thought I would throw that out there as a possible remedy for some of you!!
Don't hesitate to try it, you might be surprised by how much you like them!!!

[black]

Always worn contacts for skating - the one time when I couldn't I used croakies (http://www.croakies.com/eyewear/eyewear.html) to hold my glasses on. I missed the sharper peripheral vision, my spins seemed slower and they would steam up if I stopped. Having said that, if I skate for ages in contacts my eyes go a little reddish. Never skated without either; my vision is not great...

[singerskates]

I for one was very glad that I wore my contacts at skating today but cause it was so foggy in the rink and most of the fog was at eye level. Had I wore my glasses to skate I would have been blind in no time.

[tidesong]

I 've done both, in fact I have been skating for years in glasses without croakies and did all the spins laybacks double jumps no problem. Only this last year due to my glasses going through some hard times (sat on them etc too many times... lol) so i've had to add croakies to them.

I use contacts for performances and competitions though because I think it looks nice. I don't use contacts normally because my eyes get dry very easily.

[Mrs Redboots]

I always used croakies when I skated in glasses, and felt more secure in them. I'm actually wondering if Husband, who doesn't have anything to hold his specs on, would have fewer spin issues if he did.... must discuss the possibility with him!

[Morgail]

The one problem I've had is that a lens broke apart in my eye while skating - twice!

I once had one break apart in my eye while skating too...and then when I went home it took two hours to find the other piece in my eye!



aaaghhh! Reading that made my eyes hurt! I've had lenses rip, but never break...eek!! Do they harden because of the cold?

The last time I wore glasses skating was in about 1992:lol: I don't ever remember having problems with them while skating (and I had super thick lenses with those ugly, unbreakable plastic frames...fashionable, I know). But they fogged up every time I went into the lobby from the ice. I don't think they ever flew off my face, but I kept the screws tight. Now, though, it would be a different story since I only wear glasses last thing at night and first thing in the morning. I wear contacts all the time, including skating, and have had no problems while skating.

[dbny]

aaaghhh! Reading that made my eyes hurt! I've had lenses rip, but never break...eek!! Do they harden because of the cold?


I don't think it's the cold - they don't harden at all. I really thought it must have been that I got one in inside out a few times and skated that way. When they aren't in right, my theory is, that it's possible for the wind to lift up an edge and that could start a tear. As much as it hurt, it still wasn't so bad as getting used to the old hard lenses back in the day!

You've reminded me of the best thing about contacts - no foggy glasses!

[Ice Dancer]

I swapped over to contacts at the end of last year and I have only wore my glasses once since, which was when I was still on the trial and I didn't have enough! I swapped over originally for skating and now I much prefer them and wear them more than my glasses. I don't think I would ever skate in my glasses again, unless I had to for some reason. I didn't have any problems swapping over, I use daily disposable ones.

[NCSkater02]

When I started skating, I was wearing mostly contacts with occasional glasses. I eventually had to switch to bifocals (no line) Adjustment was odd, with the ice wavering and funny movements when I turned my head. A year and a half later, except for the occasional fogging, I have no problems and can't imagine going back to my contacts (although I did when I first got my bifocals)

[Rusty Blades]

I might try these:

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t286/diannebest/glasses.jpg

[momsk8er]

Dianne, you are such a hoot!!!

I have these great graduated lens contacts that correct for nearsightedness, and also correct about 80% for my aging eye farsightedness. I so love them! I still need light reading glasses to read, at least in places that are not well lit, but to skate and do most other activities, I just wear my contacts. They are expensive, but not more so than a pair of glasses, and sooo worth it!