Anybody backpack hunt with contacts? My little girl got her hands on my glasses and broke them in half. Thinking of going with contacts, as hunting with glasses sucks. How does it work at night? Do you just leave them in? Any brands you recommend?

Calvin, my bestest pard wears glasses, but only uses contacts when going snowmachining


in wet weather, or getting em steamed up glasses can suck as you well know. I've asked him why he didn't use his contacts to hunt.

and I'm sure he told me, but danged if I can remember his reasonings

oh well another "new" story to look forward to!

I'm telling you this getting old is a freakin blast

I used to, you can get extended wear lenses that stay in for days. I stopped though, my hands take a beating on hunts and putting my fingertips in my eyes in the backcountry was not something I wanted to do. I'm sure others have no problem though.

I've done it and slept in them in the past. These were extended wear. Bring some drops, stay hydrated, and things are good.

I've got an astigmatism that isn't noticeable at all with my corrected glasses but edges of things have just the slightest blur with the contacts. It's enough to bother me with bino's. If not for that I'd be contacts all the way, but I'd still have a pair of glasses along in the pack. I was hating the glasses last weekend at 50 degrees, pouring rain, and sweating heading up a mountainside.

Reminds me I need to check into contacts that will correct the astigmatism. Not sure if they are available in extended wear.

wow, just looked and they have 30 day extended wear contacts? I'll have to do some digging. Looks like I'll need a prescription for contacts to do the online thing. I have a prescription for regular glasses.

I always wear contacts when hunting (especially archery) for whitetails....recall getting busted a few times in the past where I swear they saw the glare/reflection off my eyeglass lenses. I also find contacts to be a lot more binocular friendly. A downside to hunting with contacts is that it is easier to get whacked in the eye by a branch and injure an eye or lose a contact (always carry a spare). A friend who also wears contacts carries a lightweight pair of safety glasses in his pack for use when leaving the woods in the dark.

I always take mine out every night. If its going to be a cold night I just put them in the case and then inside my sleeping bag so they don't freeze. I always brought along an extra pair of them just in case.

LASIK.

Best $3K I ever spent. Procedure done in 1999 and I am still close to 20/20.

I wear them and have to take them out at night. It's a pain but if I leave them in it really bothers my eyes. I always bring a spare set and my glasses though. Mine are the 2 week extended wear and work well when I take them out. My vision with them is 20/10.

I happen to wear ClearVison 2. they are designed for monthly wear. I go a full month on mine. Never an issue.

I wear the 30 day, leave them in versions & they work very well.

I don't wear them every day, but I especially like them for any activity where I need sunglasses or need to use binoculars.

Motorcycle riding & hunting see them used the most & actually my vision, except for reading, is better than with the glasses which have bifocals.

I've tried the contacts with bifocals & do not like them so I just carry a cheap pair of reading glasses for really close work in dim light............in bright sun, don't need them as much.

MM

I wear contacts, and take them on backpack hunts. Mine are actually extended wear, but they bother me if I don't take them out each night. It's a pain when backpacking but it's the best solution I have, short of Lasik. I have observed that while glassing, my bino's or spotter fog up quite quickly from my eyes, and I wonder if the contacts are exacerbating that...

You will need a contact prescription. Once you find some that work well for you I'd stock up, as your prescription is only good for a year.

I do carry a small mirror in case I need to take mine out & put them back in...............

MM

+100 on this. Had it done in 98 and have never looked back. Used to wear glasses and hated them. Wore the extended wear and kept drops in my eyes to keep them lubricated. You will have to have a prescription for the contacts as well as glasses. Look into LASIK, If you do it will be the best money you ever spent.

I use the Air Optix. They suggest you change them every week or so, but I have worn them many times for two weeks. I carry spares with drops and a mirror as well, just in case. I worried some about backpack hunting for one or two weeks at a time but have had zero issues. I had more trouble learning to put them in with my big fingers, good to go now.

Like the others mention, stay hydrated and use your drops.

I used to wear contacts and always had trouble with them. LASIK here too, about 5 years ago and wish I would have done it 10 years sooner.

I wore contacts on many hunts and just took them out at night. One night I heard noise out by my backpack and when I looked out, without my contacts, it was all a blur. I quickly tried to put on my contacts and there was slushy ice in the cases along with my contacts. I wiped away the slush and put them in my eyes, along with some slush I think, but there was nothing around outside, at least at that point. I had LASIK done a few months after that. It was time for new glasses and contacts and rather than spend $500 on them, I spent $3000 on Lasik surgery. In seven minutes under the LASIK machine my life improved dramatically. It was the best money I ever spent.

I went in and got updated lenses about a year ago.


Coopervision Biofinity?


They are sweet.

http://coopervision.com/contact-lenses/biofinity-family




Lasik sounds beyond sweet.

Until my wife had cataract surgery, she wore the extended wear contacts for years. She loved them. She'd have to use the eye wetting stuff several times a day but they never bothered her at night. One problem - I don't know if the wetting solution will freeze. You might have to sleep with it. I can't imagine squirting 33F stuff in my eyes.

Biofinity......30 days no sweat

I backpack hunted for several years with contacts. In fact wore contacts from 13 years old to 27. I couldn't sleep in contacts most nights (even extended wear) without paying dearly for it the next day. Just didn't agree with me so I dealed with digging my contacts out of my eyes every night in my bag with my muddy/bloody hands, but it beat contacts and my hands were "mostly" clean

It can be done. Be sure to sleep with the contact case next to your body in your bag to keep them from freezing. But if you can make extended wears work for her I would say jump on that 100%, I was one of the people they just didn't work for. But in 2011 I paid the money to get Lasik. Hands down the best money I have ever have spent on optics

Granted you don't want to do Lasik until one gets older anyways from what I understand so give extended 30 days a whirl. Wish they worked for me.

If you get lucky enough to have cataracts, the surgery works better than Lasik, lasts longer, and insurance will pay for it (at least it did before Obamacare).

The Biofinity Lens is designed to be worn for 6 nights/7days and then overnight cleaning to reduce bacterial counts and protein buildup, for 4 weeks before replacing the lenses.

I use the 2 week disposable Accuvues. Leave them in for 2-3 days at a time while hunting and bring eye drops to wetten them in the morning. Been doing this since a long time now. Works, but Lasik would be nice...

I had RK surgery at the end of 1989. This was before Lasik was available. Still 20/20, though I sometimes need reading glasses if my eyes are tired. If you add up all the money you spend on glasses, contacts, supplies, doctor appointments, etc..., it's cost effective. Factor in no more dealing with fogged glasses, dropped or ripped contacts, and its a no brainer.

The Brunton Compass I take with me has a mirror.

Calvin,

I wear two week contacts for 3-4 months. Take 'em out every nite dirty fingers or not. Gently clean them in my palm once every two weeks. There's no way I'm gonna pay the extra coin for extended wear lenses. No reason too, its a scam. I have worn mine for up to 4 straight days but I don't like to. I just happened to be that tired.

I've bought lenses from Soviet Canuckistan using my expired US prescription. I'll probably go to prison for admitting that.

Left eye likes Acuvue Oasys, right likes biomedics 55. I wear them to hunt and play sports only. Can't stand them for driving. I'm not interested in eye surgery because I can pass the drivers exam uncorrected, and don't need reading glasses for my desk job. Eye doc described me as "perfectly nearsighted" for my work.

It's no biggie. Wash your hands in creeks and bring a spare pair.

PRK was my huckleberry to ditch contacts/glasses and I've never spent better money. Night vision is better as well.

I've gone weeks, wearing daily wear. They're kind of a pain but not a big deal. I use a little possibles bag for solution, case, spares and baby wipes for gunky fingers, plus a pair of glasses for wake ups at night. The bag stays in a pocket or in the sleeping bag to avoid freezing.

Ella

I've used Extended wear contacts for about 25 years. They work well for me. I'll go on a 10 day elk hunt and never take them out, just a squirt of solution in the morning and I'm ready to roll.

Glasses and hunting are a bitch. Btdt.

For you guys who think reasonable aseptic technique isn't all that important with contacts, there are a couple fungal eye infections, that while not common have the potential to at minimum ruin your hunt. At max will ruin your vision.

Fungus is not all that uncommon in the outdoors. And how many have acquired a case of athletes foot while out hunting? Change you socks, get it on you hand, then stick it in your eyes.

I know, I know you have been doing it that way for years.

Yup. A case of raging pink eye in the middle of a pack trip isn't nearly as much fun as it sounds.

Pink eye will not blind you. Fungal Keratitis on the cornea may.


Contacts are porous plastics that are the equivalent of little Petri dishes. An almost perfect media for bacteria growth. Combine it with the moist environment of the eye and bad stuff can start multiplying. It is a wonder it doesn't happen more often.

not alot of backpacking but alot of camping with them....my ex could leave hers in for a month at a time, actually longer to the point she would do damage to the surface of the eye....i on the other hand rarely can keep mine in longer than 18 hours, if i sleep in them it feels like my eyes are full of sand....i cant stand wearing glasses anywhere but just around the house anymore...

I wanted contacts for outdoor pursuits, including having the ability to wear different non-prescription fishing sunglasses and shooting glasses, but I didn't want the hassle of maintaining contact lenses.

I opted for the single-use disposable contacts (B&L Accuvues of some sort). You wear them once and throw them away. I think they come in boxes of a 30 day supply.

They might be one of the more expensive options, but I never had plans to wear them every day. Because they are daily disposable, they are supposed to be some of the thinnest, most comfortable contacts to wear; however, the thin construction makes them a little bit more difficult to place in the eye than contacts with a little more body. Every day begins with a clean, sterile lens and no need to mess around with them at night. If you lose or tear a lens, it's not that big a deal when you have 30 spares.

It turned out that I could never get used to wearing contacts without having the feeling that something was in my eye. I tried several brands and types, but never could wear any of them without discomfort. Anyway, I still think that the daily disposables would have been my best option. You could have plenty of extra lenses to pack along, and if something unexpected happened, I'm sure you could probably squeeze an extra day or three out of one set.

They want 3 bills for an eye exam here locally. I'm going to wait till I'm south to get get the exam and contacts. I'm too cheap to pay 3 bills for a 30 minute appointment. Thanks guys.

Another Lasic vote. I've been 20/15 for 12 years.

LASIK will seriously change your life and how you operate.

Seriously look into it Calvin.

Extended wear contacts are a bad idea. Increase your risk of an infection that could cause longterm visual loss 10 fold. Yes some are approved to sleep in but you are rolling the dice.

How do you feel about extended wear underwear?

H goog bacterial keratitis

Keep lubricating drops handy AND stored so that the container is protected so the grit that gets in your pockets won't work it's way in to the dropper tip which sucks. Like anything else, try it out at home first. I don't like sleeping in them, but can do it when needed.

Also, the spare pair is sound advice.

Rigid Gas Permeable
I have been through two pair since 1987. They are rigid plastic and very durable. Taking them out at night is what I like best. Your RX will change far less than soft lenses.

people tend to forget, and my ex was the worst in this regard, that the eyes are directly tied to the brain and really a piss poor idea to risk infection in them.....last i remember it cost me roughly $75 for 6 months worth of contacts....cant figure how my eyesight is worth trying to get 3 months out of a months use contacts to save $20 gets you anywhere, especially watching all the problems my ex had cause of the stupid chit she did with contacts before having lens replacement surgery....she did everything your not supposed to do with contacts and paid for it in sometimes severe physical pain damaging the surface of the eye and in doctors bills.....

granted i sometimes forget to swap and get an extra couple weeks out of a 4 week pair but my vision starts to decline before long due to the lens degrading and i need to swap anyways...

I've worn Acuvue Oasys with hydraclear plus and UV blocking for for several years. They are designed to be a 2 week disposable contact with the expectation the person is taking them out at night.

I never leave them in at night [intentionally] so my eyes can get oxygen and so they last longer. This brand has done a much better job [than a couple other brands I tried] of keeping my eyes moist late in the evening.

You won't even know they are in and are great for outdoor activities like camping, motorcycle riding, hiking, water sports, etc. Just keep your eye solution,case, and drops handy along with anti-bacterial hand wipes.

I get 24 lenses free each year with insurance and then pay about $35 for 6 after the 24 run out. My optometrist gives me free lenses, solution, and the contact cases each time I go in. Your prescription is good for a year so you will have the benefit of an eye exam each year. Early detection for any medical issue is important and the eyes are no different. ...especially if one has diabetes.

I do have a pair of glasses for any emergency but have not had to use them. I talked about lasix surgery with the optometrist and he said it is only worth the risk if you have a very strong correction.

depends on how strong....with a large correction Lasik is a major risk, which is why my ex went with lens replacement aka cataract surgery....Lasik or PRK would have removed so much as to make the front of the eye weak and prone to a blow out like a bubble in a tire making corneal transplant necessary which is a very bad plan when just trying to get rid of glasses....not to meantion healing time for that severe of lasik or PRK was figured at 6 months or better for her vision to settle down....

I used to wear contacts. They are generally great when you can get into a hygienic environment every night to take em out and disinfect them. I had major eye infections two years in a row while backpack elk hunting. Then i got LASIK. As said by others, best money i ever spent in my life.

30 plus years and never a problem. My fingers aren't very greasy... I'm not scared to leave my home either...

I have HORRIBLE vison. I find it very necessary to wear sunglasses too, so that adds in another variable. Glasses really aren't a option, for me when i'm out, especially in the back country. they fog, break, ect.

I always carry a set, along with a set of backup contacts while i'm hunting. I need to take mine out everyday or I'll get horrible headaches. When i take mine out, I always put the case in my undear-wear next to skin. You'll only make the mistake of putting COLD contacts into your eye 1 time.

amazing what a lil hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes will do....

Don't be scared my friend...