Skating in Progressive Lenses (glasses)?

[icedancer2]

Okay, so we've been talking about a lot of things on these forums, but I haven't seen this topic yet:

For all you eye-glass wearers: can you skate in your progressive lenses?

I ask this because I have worn glasses since I was two. When I came back to skating at age 34, my coach said that if I could skate without my glasses then I should (for looks I guess). So for years I skated without glasses (being mainly far-sighted, this wasn't a problem unless we went to look at the rule-book).

So as I get on in years, I have been wearing progressive lenses (bifocals) -- and several years ago I decided that maybe I could skate better in glasses.

Then I started having trouble turning to the right (from backwards to forwards) -- my right eye is naturally weaker (I am amblyopic) -- and now it is a real problem.

So I'm wondering what your experience is (if any) wearing these lenses while skating -- I am thinking of getting another pair of glasses, just for skating (and other activities where I don't have to read, I guess) that just have the top lense Rx -- for distance.

Any advice or observations would be very welcome! Thanks.

[techskater]

Would it be possible to get contact lenses? I've worn them for years on the ice and never had a problem

[TaBalie]

I can't skate in glasses (I worry they are going to fall off, etc). However, my vision is now at the point where I *need* some correction to be able to do anything.

I tried contacts about a year ago, but couldn't get them to work (I have a strange astigmatism in both eyes, and though the contacts were comfortable, my vision was AWFUL)--I tried about 15 pairs before I gave up.

Right now, I am trying again, just so that I can see when I skate. I will always be a glasses person but really want to get contacts that work for sports, etc.

Have you tried getting contacts (not bifocal or progressive contacts) just for skating, as icedancer suggested?

[sunshinepointe]

I was skating with my glasses for the longest time but I couldn't deal anymore - they'd fly off in spins, or fog up if I was talking to my coach. I ended up going back to contacts and I'm very happy - but in another thread where I talked about my glasses flying off someone suggested getting a "geek leash" or a strap that goes around your neck so in case they fall off your face they don't go flying across the ice :)

[Moto Guzzi]

Could your prescription be slightly off in your right lens or maybe not centered correctly?

I wear progressives, and it doesn't affect my skating. My reading prescription is very mild, though, and I usually take my glasses off for reading because it seems more comfortable. I tried contacts but couldn't wear them. I've tried skating without my glasses but I'm extremely nearsighted and can see only large shapes and bright colors without them. I keep a supply of geek leashes in my skate bag.

[the old gurl]

I have progressives and usually have them on (instead of contacts) when I skate. I've had no problems.

[dbny]

I was wearing progressive lenses before I started skating and did wear them for about the first year. After a while, though, I started sweating so much that the glasses became uncomfortable. I got single use lenses just for skating. I have astigmatism also, but it's not so severe that I can't get away without the correction. I got some inexpensive OTC reading glasses for my skatebag. My big problem is that I have trouble getting the left lens out!

[Andie]

I don't wear glasses when skating, even though I'm at the "legally blind" category (near-sighted mainly) and wear glasses almost all the time when not skating. I've tried to skate with them but found them distracting. I can still see enough without them, just not as sharply. I haven't tried contacts.

[Mrs Redboots]

I wear contacts for skating, and have done for some years now. I started to skate in my specs, usually with a pair of "croakies" to make sure they were securely attached, but I do prefer lenses. I now have bifocal spectacles, and won't skate in them (although I suppose it would make me stop looking at my feet!), so if I don't wear my lenses, I skate "blind".

I don't see as well through my lenses as I do through my specs. Like TaBalie I'm severely astigmatic, and also slightly long-sighted (as well as the long-sightedness that comes to us all with age), and the lenses don't correct my vision as well as the specs do. They're fine for skating, parties, driving and basically anything I don't need close vision for, though. I have a pair of cheap generic reading-glasses to help if I do need to look at anything closely while I'm wearing them - the small print on my MP3 player, for instance!

All this to say, icedancer2, that if you can manage contact lenses, they'd be preferable for skating than glasses are!

[skateflo]

I never could skate with my glasses. I wore contacts for 20 years until I needed progressives (15 years ago.) Now I wear one contact in my left eye. Opthomologist explained that the brain will learn to accomodate one eye for close-up while the other eye uses the contact lens for distance. Works great for skating! It is commonly called 'monovision' and it allows me to see the speedometer while driving to the rink and the contact lens eye sees the distance easily. I've used 'monovision' for over 10 years now. It might be worth checked with your eye doctor about it. I first tried the right eye but have a bad stigmitism in that eye, so then tried the contact for the left eye only and that did the trick.

I just use this technique for skating only although I have done some shopping on the way home from the rink - the closeup eye does have a very slight strain while reading food labels, but I manage......

[sk8pics]

I skate with my glasses, too, but I haven't tried to use my progressive lenses to skate, so I just use distance glasses. I tend to look down and I am sure I would be so dizzy if I skated with those progressive lenses. I don't even like to wear them when I drive because if I'm using the sun visor that means I'm also kind of tipping my head back a bit and that would make me look through the wrong portion of the lens. It's a pain to have to pairs of glasses, but for me I feel that's what I have to do.

So far I have no problems with my glasses flying off my face! I suppose if I ever got to the point where I could spin fast enough for that to happen, it would be a happy day!

Pat

[luna_skater]

I'm another blind-as-a-bat skater. :) I skated with my glasses from the time was I was 8 till 13, and then got contacts. I can't skate with my glasses AT ALL now. I am severely near-sighted, and not only do glasses eliminate my periferal vision, I have glass lenses so they are quite heavy. I wear permanent contact lenses, and do have astigmatism in one eye. There are times where my eyes get irritated from too much contact lens wear, so I give them a break by wearing glasses for a few days and wearing my contacts only when I'm on the ice.

[icedancer2]

Thanks guys for all of the suggestions!

I remember now that I only started wearing my glasses for skating when I started seriously doing figures. I couldn't see my tracings very well when I wasn't wearing the glasses, and so started wearing them. Since we don't really have many "patch" sessions my figures period would just sort of drift into working on Moves, Dance, basics, etc., and so I didn't take my glasses off.

So, now I'm thinking I may reserve the glasses only for figures and our one patch session. If that doesn't work, I'll get another pair of glasses with just the "distance" portion of the lens (or get a new RX -- who knows?) or may consider contact lenses. I like the idea of wearing the throw-aways and then just wear them for skating.

So to enable all of this, I started today by going to an AWESOME yard sale and found some really good-quality frames (stylish, too!) -- used, for only $3. Glasses are SO expensive when you have progressives, and astigmatism, etc. plus high-index, special anti-reflective glare yada-yada-yada... I just can't stand the idea of buying frames, too!

Could your prescription be slightly off in your right lens or maybe not centered correctly?

No, they are fine -- i am amblyopic, which means my eyes see at different lengths -- I think it used to be called "lazy eye" -- basically my right eye is really quite blind -- I would hate to only have that eye because I'm not sure they could correct it enough for me to be able to see comfortably -- and I don't use it, really. I like the idea of the monovision (which is what I have anyway...) contact lens in just my left eye. Right eye be damned!! Who needs it anyway???!!!

What is really interesting to me is that apparently I don't have very good depth perception (some would say no depth perception) and yet I don't have much trouble with this for skating. I think it's because I have skated since I was a kid -- starting as an adult I would have probably had a LOT more trouble!

Thanks again for the help, guys! :bow: