I've worn contact lens for years but I have now hit the world of the varifocal and am finding my glasses much more effective than lenses for seeing clearly and am considering no longer using contacts. However I just can't imagine how I am going to run (or hike) with glasses on. One of the most liberating things about contacts was not having to cope with them in the rain and all that steaming up when you change from inside to outside or do the lightest bit of exercise.
I've been on the look out of late trying to spot runners with glasses on but haven't seen anyone. Clearly some top athletes wear really funky looking eyewear but guessing these aren't readily available at Boots.
Is there a secret for short-sighted runners that I'm missing? I mean how do you get glasses to stay where you want them and not steam up? 👓🏃👓🏃👓
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DebJogsOn
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I wear contacts, but really like it when I can wear sunglasses with them, because it keeps the wind out of my eyes. They stay in place fine. So I do most runs....
Must admit with my hat and sunglasses and running jacket I feel a bit like HoneyG on my warm up walk😄xx
I have varifocals, prescription sunglasses, lenses AND selection of sunglasses.
When it rains the glasses will get wet but until I've read your post l didn't realise that there should be a problem. I wipe them off.
This morning l walked from my run into a swimming pool area, and again, l wiped them off. 3 second job.
I will wear lenses when it's very bright and l want to show off my treasured collection of vintage Ray Bans that go hand in hand with whatever ridiculous clothing I'm wearing when running. Today all was black, from hat to shoes and in between. A friend told me l looked like an assassin, not sure if that was a compliment.
In other words, glasses or lenses is your own choice and they both help you see that tree right ahead of you, so in that respect and all things considered, everything is fine.
I know it sound feeble but hate the whole wiping smeary lens thing and on the few occasions I've hiked in glasses in the rain it's driven me mad.
Think I need to make sure that whatever glasses I get fit really well. The ones I have now for occasional wear would, I'm pretty convinced, just continually slide down my face if I ran in them.
Come to Cleeve.... I have to wear mine in the woods or I trip. I too wear varifocals. I’ve gone from nothing to wearing them full time..... it’s a pain but I have sunglasses too for the summer. The only time it’s tricky is rain, v cold and snow. I cannot bring myself to think about contacts yet as still getting used to glasses.....
I loved wearing contacts rather than glasses but the multifocal ones I've got now are not great (optician says this is always the case). I've tried running without them to see if I could see well enough but whilst I wouldn't run into big things I reckon I would easily miss things I might trip over and reading faces of anyone going towards you is really difficult too.
Mine are Raybans I’ve had ages ( not my very treasured newer ones ...just .incase ! )
I have run as far as 10k in them no problem, never slip etc. Even good if I wear them on top of my head.
Any glasses for running in obviously need to be a good fit. I prefer the ones with eye pads as I think these stay put more......but that might just be me.
A cap will help keep rain off specs, and really, if you steam up after a run, is it a big problem......if you run 3 times a week you only have to wipe them 3 times in a week.......and that would likely only be during the winter I would think.
Millsie, serious question - but what is it about Raybans that has so many loyal wearers of them? I've tried them on in stores but honestly can't fathom the cost. My favorite sunglasses we're about ten bucks in a supermarket.
I bought my first pair in 2003, wore them wore them wore them. They are the ones I run in now!
If you look through a pair of Raybans ( or Maui Jim or Oakley etc etc, and then look through some ( I’m not saying all), fashion glasses, there is far less glare and much better definition (IMOH).
However, worth noting, in the Uk all sunglasses sold with a CE mark must give UV protection. But do not confuse darkness of the lense for UV protection.
At the end of the day it’s about personal preference. But, I like the no squint look so I wear Raybans ....or Maui Jims.
In my youth they looked incredibly cool, famous people wore them. When I had too much fun they would cover my eyes and I could pass. At my current age they cover those lovely bags under my bewildered eyes and paired up with an almost grey quiff they still make sense.
Are they expensive? You bet. People like me help pay their bills. Just don't think about it.
You can get prescription goggles which look a bit like safety glasses with an elastic strap. Ideally you want something double glazed to avoid fogging, like I have on my motorbike helmet where it has a secondary glazing insert to prevent fogging. I can't imagine trying to run with glasses on, do you really need long and short vision on a run?
I had to abandon contacts years ago as I used to get incidents where a bit of grit would fly into the eye and it would water and close up. One time while out on the bike on a duel carriageway I got grit in both eyes so was effectively totally blind for a distance, scarey stuff
To be fair that was with gas permeable semi rigid lenses. The soft daily disposables are night and day in comparison. Bit I eventually just got my eyes lasered and can't recommend it enough if you can countenance getting it done.
However also too blind to run without lenses od glasses! Did try it once but while I didn't run into anything it was really disconcerting not to be able to see the expressions on other peoples faces until they were really close so was a really paranoid run.
I think the goggle style things are what I have seen beforehand. Though it sound like I just have rubbish fitting glasses and that normal glasses ought to stay put.
I run in glasses- bifocals - because I wear them all the time! I occasionally run without them in the rain , ( or mop off the worst of the raindrops at intervals), but that's because I can't quite bring myself to run in a baseball cap! - Other people say that is the answer because it keeps the rain off your glasses-I may have to succumb! 😃
Think I need to investigate glasses that'll stay put when I'm moving at speed (that's relative speed to how fast I usually move rather than any claim to being especially fast! 😂)
Like mrrun did not really realise there was a problem but just a minor annoyance when it rains, but then like Elfe5 I wear them all the time - and I have now done a proper rainy run with baseball cap, it works very well for that purpose!
Steaming up. to be honest, I haven't found happens until I get back indoors - I think my glasses must heat up with my face ... oh and sweaty slipping down face isn't too bad unless I pick a pair that doesn't fit as well, but also if you wear a buff that can help pin them to the side of your head, I haven't needed anything extra yet.
I will one day test out a hydrophobic spray, though, for rain and steaming up avoidance, but just don't feel the need yet.
they'll slip worse if you look down, so it helps your posture too but treat yourself, every time I get new specs I'm reminded how the frames wear out and get loose. Also make sure your optician fits them properly to your ears, I have a really small head so I often get the legs shortened a bit.
Think getting back to the opticians is a must. I don't wear my glasses often enough at the moment to have really bothered about them fitting well, but will clearly need to do this in future.
Also never heard of hydrophobic spray - so will investigate that too.
I wear glasses when normally day to day, and then will put contacts in if am doing a long run 1hr + and maybe if it's raining. but then sometimes or if I want to wear my sunglasses. I tend to always wear contacts when i race.
So, in other words, i dont mind running in ether but i do prefer running in contacts!
Further to the baseball cap reluctance- my youngest daughter- a keen tennis player - suggested getting a visor instead, she seemed to think it would look less silly on someone of my age!!😀
Mine are VF and have a coating for quick clear but don’t work totally effectively. However most of the time I am OK. Don’t find myself having to clean them mid run. Running into the sun is my main problem I tend to either have them half way down or something like. The sunglasses is the main issue running into the sun. Other times seems OK. I did speak to the dispensing optician and got them adjusted to not slide down my nose but nothing special.
I dont. I cant. I leave them at home and only read the largervdetails on my Garmin.
I had varifocal contacts which worked okay. For running sunnies I use Sunwise which don't move and don't steam up. They wrap around slightly so look a bit posey possibly but who cares!
I park my glasses atop my head. I have lost one pair thus far. I race with them up there. I can't run in em as then I don’t where the ground is. I need them if I need to see my watch. I try to avoid looking at it too much, if at all
I wear varifocals and have for years (too squeamish about my eyes to ever try contacts).
I allocated one pair for running in and have added a neoprene strap to them. It snugs them onto my head and they don't slip. If I only had one pair of glasses I would just add the strap for running and then take it off again.
And I wear a baseball cap under two circumstances - when it's raining and when the sun is beating down. In the former case it means my glasses stay mostly dry and I don't have rain pouring down my face. In the latter case it prevents sunstroke!
As to fogging up...it only seems to happen when going from cool to warm such as getting out of the car or leaving my air conditioned house. It clears quickly as the lenses warm up.
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but treat yourself, every time I get new specs I'm reminded how the frames wear out and get loose. Also make sure your optician fits them properly to your ears, I have a really small head so I often get the legs shortened a bit.
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