Contact lenes

[AerialO]

previously gas permeable hard lenses which were the best for your eyes in those days

they still are. The clue's in the name - they let oxygen get at the cornea, you can safely wear them for longer. And they are MUCH cheaper for anyone with a stable prescription.

can't think why an optician would suggest anything else.....

Agree with Marian. I've been wearing hard (more recently gas permeable) lenses all day every day for 40+ years with great success. It's the 40 years that is the problem. I'm currently running with differential prescriptions because that works best for me day-to-day, so orienteering is no different except I use the magnifier more often to read map detail.
I've lost a lens twice while running, due to brushing against branches. On the one occasion I ran in glasses it was unpleasant in the rain, then I fell quite heavily and a lens popped out of the frame so I put it in a pocket and finished with monocular, mostly distance, vision. Needless to say, I troubled the scorers even less than usual.

[Copepod]

Another vote for gas permeable lenses - if your eyes can tolerate them. I've been wearing lenses since I was wabout 13 years old, some 34 years in total. About the first 5 years were hard lenses, and since then, gas permeable.

I only started orienteering properly when aged about 35 years, but realised that contact lenses were easier than glasses, particularly in rain - for orienteering, cycling etc. Only contact lens problem I've ever had was when cornea got scratched by wind blown grit, trekking in Atlas Mountains - not orienteering related, but grit could be. Had to wear glasses for a month or so.

Opticians at annual check ups over the years always say that gas permeables seem to suit my eyes; I like to lower infection risks and lower costs, of both lenses and solutions. For people prone to losing lenses, loyalty schemes can be worthwhile, but as I only need to replace lenses about every 2 years, and am fairly frugal with solution use (chemist own labels are cheapest and OK, provided you check they are equivalent to branded solutions - check ingredients to be sure; batch numbers may even be identical, as they're often made in same factory)

[awk]

can't think why an optician would suggest anything else.....

Mainly because I prefer to wear glasses for everyday wear. Gas permeable were part of my discussions with my optometrist, but the combination we've worked out works very well for me at present. We'll see what happens with further ageing!

Quite a few people comment on the steaming up issue of eye protectors. I've now been using them for some months, and not once had an issue with steaming up in the forest (in the download tent is rather different!). Researching some of the reviews, it seems that some protectors are more vulnerable to this than others, and several commented that the ones I bought tended to stay clear. Admittedly the reviews mainly focused on squash, but it seems (fingers crossed) that it applies to orienteering too. Early days yet, but we'll see. (However, I do risk running without them in wet weather).

[charles2]

Being very short sighted I've been wearing contact lenses for over 24 years, firstly gas permeable then (as eyes got too dry) soft. I now use (soft) monthly disposbales (toric for astigmatism) and wear them virtually all day every day.
Only been orienteering for a couple of years but the onset on presbyopia (needing reading glasses) meant I had to think about how to clearly read the map or control sheet (especially in low light conditions).
Having ditched the glasses and having competed in running, cycling, mtn biking and triathlon for over 20 years the thought of running wearing reading glasses was not appealing (more to do with comfort - heat, weight, rain etc.)
I now have a monovision setup (left lens is slightly weaker than right) and it works well for me. As it did take a few days to get used to it, I'm not sure that popping in lenses like this a few hours (or minutes) before an event will give time to adjust the brain fully to receiving different focus images from each eye.

I've not had a problem with losing a lens, despite several twigs in eye (most recently Graythwaite yesterday), but I make sure I take glasses to events as backup so can drive home!

[Philip134]

I have never used contact lenses, but I have not experienced big fogging up problems with bifocals and a visor. Small holes on the inside edge of the visor close to the headband help in avoiding fogging of the visor (and to an extent the bifocals) as they encourage air flow. Drill them carefully otherwise the whole thing cracks!!

Treatment for bifocals and the visor is possible using the standard stuff opticians sell. I have never experimented with treating the visor - mine is too scratched to bother!!

If you want superior anti fogging try McNett Sea Drops (available on Amazon and elsewhere). I use these for my (sight corrected) swim goggles as well. Magnificent you can read the clock when you turn!!

A trick I learnt by mistake is to get the non-reading bit of your bifocals made slightly too strong. Wear a 'correct' pair during the week and put on your specials for the race. Controls pop out of the terrain like nine pins!!

I find that I tend to use my bifocals like protective goggles when thrashing through the thick stuff. This makes me wary of contacts as I fear it may take some time to adjust to blinking properly again.

[Karen]

Thank you all for being so generous with your time and sharing your experience.

Last week I got my first trial lenses - the left (reading) lens was fine straight away, but the right (distance and astigmatism) was not rotating to the correct angle. Even so, I decided to use them for a MBO at the weekend. It was a tough test – gale force winds and rain for 4 hours on the North Pennines, but I was delighted with the result. I could see the map, I could see where I was going, and I could balance (can’t balance normally without my glasses!). I wore my cycling goggles because of the wind and because it just felt more normal to have something on my face. I had no problems with fogging, and the rain was only on the outside of the goggles - with glasses it gets inside as well. I put the lenses in before I left home, so by the time I had driven to the event and sat on registration for an hour, my eyes were adjusted. The reason I bought the expensive cycling goggles last year was to use a clip-in prescription insert, but I hate using it as my eyelashes catch on it, which is really irritating and they also cover it in sweat and grease. But I carried it with me as a backup to get me back to the car if things went wrong.
I have only done one O event so far, but got on OK, except for my eyes feeling vulnerable among trees, so I will probably use goggles for a few events at least. I now need to run on a more complex area/map.
Now I have the second trial set of lenses and they seem even better, so things are looking promising.
Thanks for the help and encouragement

[EddieH]

I am sure they'll be fine for you Karen. Those that have problems seem to have them from the start and fail to adjust.