contacts or glasses

[bigdane]

Anyone have a opinion (who on here doesn't)...based on experience perhaps...on whether or not to wear contacts on the Playa?

I'm just thinking of the potential annoyance due to playa dust? Keeping them clean..etc. The obvious answer would seem to just wear glasses. However I will freely admit that vanity (which in a perfect world ought not be a factor, whatever perfect world ha!) but wtf I'll admit (insert...admitting is the first step joke here ) that I usually prefer my appearance without..."guys don't make passes at men who wear glasses" or something like that...

[Savannah]

Here's two threads to get you started. (I googled "contact lenses eplaya" and boom!)

viewtopic.php?t=39256

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34230&start=0

I'm fairly nearsighted, but my glasses are a last resort.

[wh..sh]

I took a pair of glass and a pair of contacts. For most part I used my glass just because I was too lazy to put on my contacts.
I wore my contacts just one night. It wasn't bad at all... if you have your eye protector(the ones you can use at night as well) handy, you can avoid the dust. I really didn't have any issues.
I carried my tear drops everywhere. It really helped me avoid dry contact/eye problem.
If you plan to wear your glasses make it a funky one or go creative with it. I wore a bright red one

Glasses were the most comfortable, but I looked like a NERD.

[wh..sh]

However I will freely admit that vanity (which in a perfect world ought not be a factor, whatever perfect world ha!) but wtf I'll admit (insert...admitting is the first step joke here ) that I usually prefer my appearance without..."guys don't make passes to men who wear glasses" or something like that...

Thankfully some people think that the nerdy/librarian look is HOT. Otherwise what will become of people like me?

[bigdane]

Here's two threads to get you started. (I googled "contact lenses eplaya" and boom!)

viewtopic.php?t=39256

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34230&start=0

I'm fairly nearsighted, but my glasses are a last resort.

Great links...ifunny I tried a smiliar search without those results...clearly my kwyboad sjills suck!

[bigdane]

If you plan to wear your glasses make it a funky one or go creative with it. I wore a bright red one

Glasses were the most comfortable, but I looked like a NERD.

Brilliant!! maybe I'll just paint my uber nerd black hornrims red....or camo...

[Elderberry]

Wore mine the whole time; never took them out; never had a problem.

[mudpuppy000]

I wear glasses (never tried contacts) and they are kind of a pain if you want to wear goggles over them. This year I ended up just ditching them and wearing the goggles most of the time without any corrective lenses.

[trilobyte]

General tips I give to first timer campmates…

Contacts should be disposables. 2011 was the most pleasant weather on record - usually there are several points throughout the week where unexpected strong gusts could easily blow a contact right out of your eye.

Bring extra cleaning/care supplies and eyedrops. Those 'refresh' drops are also great for sensitive eyes, whether it's to flush out a bit of playa dust or just to prevent dryness/irritation.

Bring a pair of glasses as a backup anyways. If you get out there and decide it's too much hassle to deal with contacts, you can always fall back.

If you're going the glasses route, check out your local military surplus store for a pair of goggles. There's a great pair of all-purpose goggles that are issued to troops stationed in the middle east that fits just about everyone and can easily accommodate a pair of glasses. They have a removable/swappable lens and include tinted (for daytime) and clear (for night). You can decorate them to your taste - before my girlfriend got laser eye surgery a couple years ago she went that route and had fun customizing hers.

[gaminwench]

if you go with glasses, as I do, bring an extra pair.
I wear my 'old' prescription glasses, and keep my current ones in the glove box for the drive out.

Every year I lose glasses to the playa...

[Bounce530]

Wore mine the whole time; never took them out; never had a problem.

Same here. 4 years running.
I wear dailies, but for the week that is Burning Man, I leave them in all week long. Yes, when I get home taking them out is like peeling an orange, but I haven't ever had a problem on the playa.
I do have extra lens', solution, and glasses for the 'just in case'

[Katiebaby25]

I wore my contacts the whole week and had no problems! I wear 30 day, Day & Night contacts ALL the time, and where I live is considered a semi-arid desert, so usually when I wake up in the morning I have to damn well pry my eyes open and need a few real good, tear inducing yawns before I can see, so I was expecting it to be like this on the playa as well. My eyes were actually more comfortable on the playa than they are at home. But yeah, always a good idea to have back up contacts/solution/drops/glasses... just in case!

[phil]

I've worn hard contact lenses since 1965. I wear my contacts at BM, but I do have occasional dust problems, so I bring glasses as well. I'm mid-60s, and my eyes are drier than they were when I was 17. I generally take my contacts out eightish at home and wear glasses, and I take my contacts out on the playa before I go out for the evening/night.

I take no special precautions regarding cleaning or lubing. I have two pairs of contacts and a pair of glasses in case I lose a contact or two. I do wear goggles during dust storms, and the goggles I have do a good job keeping out the dust, although I do sweat inside them when it's hot.

[BBadger]

I'm still wearing the same pair of contacts I was using at BM 2011. I probably ought to swap them out just because they're old.

Bring some cleaning fluid and have a relatively clean area to wash them and put them back in after some of the major burns. My contacts were pretty muddy after Friday, but after a washing, they were all good to go!

[Elderberry]

Wore mine the whole time; never took them out; never had a problem.

Same here. 4 years running.
I wear dailies, but for the week that is Burning Man, I leave them in all week long. Yes, when I get home taking them out is like peeling an orange, but I haven't ever had a problem on the playa.
I do have extra lens', solution, and glasses for the 'just in case'

Wish they made dailies multi focal.
I bring solution, extra lenses and glasses too, just in case.

[theCryptofishist]

Everyone knows I'm a hopeless intellectual, so wearing contacts wouldn't fool anyone. Last time I asked an optometrist (mid-90s) I had too much astigmatism for soft contacts.

[Drawingablank]

This may have something to do with the eye sensitivity varying from one person to the next, but my son (wearing contacts) had a nasty eye infection by Thursday. He does not plan to use contacts at the burn again.

[tamarakay]

I brought my contact (I just wear one for distance) and did ok, but I have really dry eyes so I couldn't wear them for very long. I brought my progressive lense glasses and wish I had brought the smaller single vision ones. I did have large goggles, but they still would push the glasses up and i'd be looking through the reading portion or the middle fuzzy part. Had to stop and readjust a lot. Take your glasses goggle shopping with you, especially if you wear bifocals or progressives.

[wh..sh]

I wore my contacts the whole week and had no problems! I wear 30 day, Day & Night contacts ALL the time, and where I live is considered a semi-arid desert, so usually when I wake up in the morning I have to damn well pry my eyes open and need a few real good, tear inducing yawns before I can see, so I was expecting it to be like this on the playa as well. My eyes were actually more comfortable on the playa than they are at home. But yeah, always a good idea to have back up contacts/solution/drops/glasses... just in case!

I thought wearing contacts while sleeping was bad for the eyes. hmm...

[MyDearFriend]

I wore DeWalt safety goggles over my progressive-lens glasses and had no issues with them; they stayed where they ought to be. The DeWalts take paint nicely too: lookey here---------------------------------------------------->

I also took a pair of silicone-rimmed swim goggles ($3.99, Walgreens) and popped the lenses from an old pair of single-vision glasses into them; no glue needed, absolutely dust-proof, fit in my belt pouch.

[Katiebaby25]

I wore my contacts the whole week and had no problems! I wear 30 day, Day & Night contacts ALL the time, and where I live is considered a semi-arid desert, so usually when I wake up in the morning I have to damn well pry my eyes open and need a few real good, tear inducing yawns before I can see, so I was expecting it to be like this on the playa as well. My eyes were actually more comfortable on the playa than they are at home. But yeah, always a good idea to have back up contacts/solution/drops/glasses... just in case!

I thought wearing contacts while sleeping was bad for the eyes. hmm...

It is if you don't have the proper lenses... I hate touching my eyes so that's why I chose the Day and Night kind! So far no problems!