Thanks for the replies all!
I have had bad problems with fogging too, but that was more when I was working with horses professionally (which I no longer do - now if it’s that hot and humid I can just stay inside in the aircon haha).
I guess I’m just paranoid… Gasses do seem the best option though. Laser surgery isn’t an option for me and contacts sound irritating.
I’m relived to hear of the falls that people have had without getting their eyes gouged out haha.
@-Buckshot- I had PRK done yesterday, and if it wasn’t for a job a really want I never would have done it. I HATE putting things in my eyes though. That was an experience I never want to have again.
Could you try try to look for prescription goggles of some sort?
I wore contacts and glasses all my life until last summer when I got PRK surgery to correct my vision. Changed my life! My sight was so bad that if my glasses had come off when riding, I would have been SCREWED. As in, someone would come by to find me later and witness a real life Velma crawling around in the dirt looking for her glasses. My prescription was -6, so pretty terrible. I rode only in contacts until I started having painful reactions to wearing them and then looked into a Lasik center. I highly recommend corrective surgery if it is an option for you!
My concern is driving home. If I have to get around with one contact, I can. If I break my glasses, I need to take someone’s arm to get around and there’s no way I could drive anywhere. I keep a couple spare contacts in my barn bag and the last time I bought glasses, I did a BOGO special and got a second pair of beaters for the barn and camping and yard work.
I have worn glasses since I was 8. Blind without them.
I wore contacts for about 6 months, but I am not vain enough for the hassle.
I have broken multiple pairs of plastic framed glasses, mostly falling off horses. Then I switched back to metal (so called “titanium”) frames. They do not break, but they do bend and it can be a bit tricky bending them back. I have had a couple of bruises on my nose, from the nose pads, but no other injuries related to my glasses.
The worst experience was trying to load an argumentative youngster into the trailer, She threw her head into mine, and sent my glasses flying. Of course, I could NOT see where they went, and was terrified she would step on them. I put her back int the barn, and went into the house for a spare pair. Still no luck finding the original glasses, but she did load the second time and we had a good lesson. When I got back, I went out with a big flashlight, and found the original glasses (undamaged) when the light reflected off the lens.
@Denali6298 I was in pain from the end of day 2 through day 4 significantly enough that I did resort to the pain medication they provided me with! I wasn’t in tears, but I slept a lot to cope and by day 5 I was worlds better. I think I actually took more pain medication for that than when I got my appendix out a few months later!
Oh god… I have had no pain yet, I’m on day 2.
@Denali6298 I’m surprised you’re able to even read comments in that case! I wasn’t able to read fine text on my phone or computer for several days after my appointment! It was just too hard to focus. You’ll get through it though, it hurts but it’s not so bad that I wouldn’t do it again in a heartbeat if I needed to!
@BayWatch I’ve been pretty religious about the eye drops, ice packs and Ibuprofen and for the most part keeping my eyes closed. Maybe that will help lol. I would never do this again, but my prescription was mild. My eye sight was just barely not good enough for a job I applied for so here I sit kinda nervous about what kind of pain I’ll feel.
@Denali6298 In that case, the biggest difference between our recoveries would probably be the prescription differences! It’s really not that bad, like yes it hurts, but you’ll be just fine staying on tops of the medications and sleeping! I’m 6-7 months out and the results are amazing, though I still use artificial eye drops daily to continue promoting a healthy eye surface. I promise, it will all be worth it!
I am sure it will be. Thanks for input on pain and all that.
Zenni.com is my solution to broken glasses. Have a very expensive pair of progressive that I don’t wear. The less costly Single vision Zenni pair, I liked better
Well, as the resident optometrist here on COTH, I suppose I could chime in.
Let me say say that I would NOT recommend online eyeglasses to anyone for use around horses. Most (but not all) manufacture and ship their eyeglasses from overseas (not in the US) and thus will “cheat” their way around safety standards set forth by ANZI. When you are dealing with a very large animal that could hit you in the face and/or you could face plant in a fall, you don’t exactly want your lenses to fail in those situations. In several studies, over 90% of eyeglasses ordered online do not meet basic impact resistance requirements for eyeglasses lenses.
I understand online glasses are cheap, but they are cheap for a reason.
In general, it is a good idea to go with polycarbonate lenses. While it is a softer plastic and will scratch easier, it is very impact resistant and what I recommend for people engaged with horses - among other activities too.
You can can put coatings on the lenses to make the polycarbonate more durable.
There is even a coating available to help prevent your lenses from fogging up. You do have to “reapply” about once a week, but it helps.
If you find find your glasses constantly sliding down, make sure they are well adjusted, and more importantly, make sure they fit your face correctly in the first place!
You also could ride with a sports band attached to the temples. In the event you’d get hit or fall off, at least they wouldn’t go flying.
Contacts are always an option. Most people that “can’t wear contacts” because they are too dry, simply need their undiagnosed dry eye treated first. Then contact lens wear is much more comfortable.
I myself had LASIK done about 10 years ago. It’s been excellent!
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I have worn eye glasses since my mid-thirties. I’m now in my late 50’s. I like the transitions progressive lenses and plastic designer frames. I’ve had my share of falls riding. The most memorable of them being literally jumped off my eventer horse. The stone wall in the muddy field was much larger than the slow canter step we were on and I was launched and landed face first into a cow patty. The lenses of my glasses popped out of the frames due to the impact but were easily put back together. My pride was hurt more than anything else.
I have never even thought about wearing contacts with all the dust and debris that flies around in windy Chatsworth CA where I now ride.
Contact lense fanatic here! Have never ever had a problem at the barn or while riding. Blind as a bat without them. Hate wearing glasses, only wear them at night before bed for reading. I’ve tried wearing them during the day but they slowly start giving me a headache. Have worn contacts for over 30 years, and they have always been a god send! Rarely have had dust or hair be a problem. Your eye reflexes are so quick, shuts the dirt out. Not like glasses. They fog up, get dirty, have a horse bang you in the nose by accident (that hurts!!) Anyway, hate hate hate my glasses!! Love love contacts!!
Considered surgery, but terrified of that idea!!
I wear my glasses to the barn all the time. I absolutely despise contacts. I take the risk of them breaking in a fall no different then the risk of breaking a bone. Without then I can’t see and with contacts I’d be miserable.
I normally wear contacts during the day, glasses at night, but for the next two weeks I can only wear glasses. I purchased some Uvex Stealth Safety Goggles because I can’t get anything in my eyes. We’ll see how that goes, wearing goggles over glasses for hours while outside. On the rare occasions where I’ve had to wear glasses riding or doing something active, I’ve put glasses strings on my glasses.
[QUOTE=-Buckshot-;n10055356]
The UVEX goggles officially worthless. Within minutes of putting them on over my glasses, my vision was blurry in areas. At first I thought it was warping of the lens. Then realized it’s condensation on the inside. These are supposed to be fog-free. I’ve never had goggles accumulate moisture inside before.
I’m now looking into prescription swimming goggles on Amazon. They come in whole number prescriptions. About the same price as I paid for the UVEX, Some have UV coating and some have a snap in the back of the head band for easy on and off.
There is one called HAIRELM that has some prescriptions available in .5 prescription increments for nearsightedness.
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I’m a contacts person. Glasses screw up the peripheral vision part of riding for me. I switched to dailies a couple years ago because I live in a dry climate now, and even with some large athletic sunglasses, I was going for bike rides and coming home with a rip in a contact. The dailies are very comfortable. I keep an extra pair in my stuff somewhere in case, but yeah, driving with no glasses would be bad. Driving with one contact would not be ideal, but I could do it in a pinch. I also hate wearing glasses of any kind with my riding helmet.
