Eye Contacts?

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 4:53 am

So me and my girlfriend (Smashly) are wondering if she should plan on bringing her contacts or just wearing glasses?
My thought is that playa dust is wicked bad on eye contacts.
Smash (her second year as well) last year didn't have contacts, but this year wonders if she should bother bring them, or two pairs of glasses.

What are everyone's experiences?

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:15 am

If she is comfortable with her glasses, then she should stick with that. But make sure she has goggles to cover her glasses, or prescription goggles.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:19 am

I wear contacts out there.......but, you gotta use lots of eye drops.......and, I change them every day or so.
did I say lots of eye drops?

Of course, this is just my experience.

there are some threads here, too, that deal in depth with this question.
you might search them out for more input.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:14 am

I've always worn contacts out there. I generally leave them in the whole week, no cleaning or replacing. Your eyes can clear playa dust off the front of them just fine. The only big problem is if you get some dust under or ground into the contacts - if that happens they will start to sting and you need to remove and dispose of the contacts immediately. Wash your hands as best you can out there, hop in a car, and put in a fresh pair.

The key to not getting dust ground into them - don't rub your eyes! Also, wear goggles or sunglasses when you're out and about.

Bring lots of extra pairs of contacts and the glasses as a backup. She's unlikely to cause any permanent damage so there's no reason not to try the contacts first and see how it goes.

britzbitz · Post by **britzbitz** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:21 am

I was wondering about this as well...I figured I might just get daily disposables.

It's pretty dusty and dirty at the event I work at as well...nothing like the playa mind you. We have our own brand of dust. But I just wash my hands lots, and as mentioned above, use eyedrops.

I also live in a tent for 3-4 weeks out there, so having an RV is going to be a big step up for me. In my mind it seems like it'd be easier to manage with contacts when you have an RV...but that could just be me in fantasy land. Haha.

rodiponer · Post by **rodiponer** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:26 am

Contacts are fine. I wear weekly disposables, and wore the same pair the whole time.

Timezone LaFontaine · Post by **Timezone LaFontaine** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:46 am

The first few years, I took mine out at bedtime and changed them every day. The thing is, it's really hard to perfectly clean off your fingertips out there. So it was always a long process of dousing my fingers in saline solution, getting the contact ready to put in... no, it's got dust on it again, start over. It is definitely do-able, but it takes a lot of patience. This past year I decided to just leave them in for several days at a time, and had no discomfort or troubles. I changed them only once or twice during the week. I'm also really careful about putting on goggles as soon as it dusts up, so that helps a lot.

Post by **Elderberry** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:48 am

I wear them with no problem. Take them out and clean them every night. We camp in a yurt, so dust is not a problem.

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:36 am

Try and avoid taking them out, keep LOTS of rewetting drops on hand, and if you have to change them out do it in a car to keep dust to a minimum. I usually put in a fresh set right before I get on 447 and change them out when I get back to I-80.

I did have one year that I changed my contacts every day....and I ended up with a nasty, expensive eye infection. My optometrist told me next time to just leave them in...and I've never had a problem since.

phil · Post by **phil** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:19 pm

It's up to the user. Mileages are too variable for a one-size-fits-all solution.

I wear my same old gas-permeable contacts at Burning Man that I wear at home, but I bring a back up pair of glasses. Sometimes it's just too dust-stormy to wear contacts. I do have goggles that let me face any dust in the wind with my contacts on, but you have to have them handy.

I don't use rewetting drops, I take them out in the tent every night, put them in in my shade structure every morning, wash my hands when putting them in - basically, it's just like being at home.

Have your friend bring contacts and glasses and see if contacts on the playa work for her. Be careful about dust in the eyes, as always. If contacts work, fine. If not, the glasses are there for back up.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:48 am

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... ts+glasses

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:44 am

I'm going to try something i read on the glasses thread....

Instead of throwing away my contacts every month I'm keeping them in one of those weekly pill holders....at least until i get more contact cases...the pill holder kinda leaks.

Change your contacts each day and put the old dirty ones in the trash....or fire

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:00 am

that was me.
it has worked well for me.
Make sure to keep them in storage fluid, and, sealed as well as possible, and, change said fluid at least once in between.
Sometimes, eye places will give you free contact holders...........

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:07 am

oh yeah? thats good to know. I have been keeping them in the fluid and using each pair for a day each month before i put new ones in.

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:57 am

Thank You Every One VERY MUCH!!!
This is all very good insight. Were thinking, get a few pairs of the weekly disposables, that are each individually sealed. Then just throw them away as needed. Luckily for us, if she starts getting her maximum monthly allowance (max set by the insurance company) then by August she'll have extra.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:09 am

consider:
contacts, mine anyway, are pretty cheap, IIRC, a few dollars each.
It's a week in the desert.
Once your eyes get "gorped", it's hard to make them feel better while there.
If you don't have enough "banked", buy a few.
I tried to save money, and, paid a big price.
Don't wait til they feel horrible, care for your eyes/contacts well.

just some thoughts.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:14 am

I caught flack for being a barbarian with spectacles, but fuck I only have two peepers.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:23 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:I caught flack for being a barbarian with spectacles, but fuck I only have two peepers.

Imagine the flack you'd a caught if you were nude........

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:07 pm

ygmir wrote:
Ugly Dougly wrote:I caught flack for being a barbarian with spectacles, but fuck I only have two peepers.
Imagine the flack you'd a caught if you were nude........

Flack? Are we talking about the same thing? If it is, then flack's not as much fun as I thought....

trystanthegypsy · Post by **trystanthegypsy** » Sat Feb 27, 2010 1:24 pm

I'm going to get a pair of the long-wearing ones- changing my dailies was an excersize in PAIN last year. Owwwww dust in my eyes... it would be soooo much better just to use the long-wear ones + eyedrops. that's what most of my friends do.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:55 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:
ygmir wrote:
Ugly Dougly wrote:I caught flack for being a barbarian with spectacles, but fuck I only have two peepers.
Imagine the flack you'd a caught if you were nude........
Flack? Are we talking about the same thing? If it is, then flack's not as much fun as I thought....

Fuckin'
Longer
And
Choosin'
Kinky