[pct-l] Contacts vs. Glasses

[Mike Beaty]

> From: "Shay Blackley" <shayblackley at gmail.com>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 2:39 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] Contacts vs. Glasses
> So I'm wondering what people think and have done in regards to contacts 
> and
> glasses. I have hiked with both and found pros and cons to both of them.
> Contacts are easier to hike with, but are hard to keep clean and prevent
> stuff from getting in your eyes. But glasses are annoying in the rain and
> when going up mountains they get covered in perspiration.
>
> So what do you all hike with and why?

At my opthamologist/optometrist's recommendation, I've successfully worn daily (disposable) contact lenses on the trail with little problem.  At roughly $3.00/day, it is not an inexpensive solution, but for me the PCT visions are well worth the cost.

I am not crazy about adding more itty bitty pieces of plastic to my waste stream, horrifying visions of the mid-Pacific Sargasso of flotsam come to mind, but I take some consolation recognizing their volume is really quite small compared to even a single blown out granola leaking ziploc.

Appropo to Elderly Ellen's observations, disposables also reduce concerns about eye infections and detritus (motes and beams).  With disposables, I can enjoy the stars and such until hiker midnight, removing the lenses just before I want to sleep.  First thing the next morning, while my hands are still clean, I insert a new pair and it's another day of trouble free vision.

I use Oakley Radar Pitch sunglasses to screen wind and protect my eyes within a cozy rose-tinted bubble.  Again, not inexpensive, but I've found these sunglasses deliver outstanding high definition optics, with little weight and absolutely no sign of wear after a year's constant use, including 650 trail miles last season.

Without corrective lenses I have the eyesight of a grizzly, so I carry my titanium frame prescription glasses, with clip-on shades, as a backup.  Like you, Shay, I don't like them as they collect perspiration and dust, while heavily weighing on my nose and ears; bad visions but occaisionally necessary!

Cheers,
Terrapin