Wearing glasses whilst riding

[Mistertron]

Ok this seems a bit random but does anyone wear glasses whilst they are riding and
A - do you feel like your glasses will fall off?
B - have trouble wearing them with your riding hat?

I recently had to start wearing glasses for driving but its only a mild perscription. However i am finding sometimes when being asked in lessons to go from A to E (or whatever) that i have to squint to try and read the letters in the school :o.

[Ladyknight]

Yes!!! I so wear glasses all the time(except I am getting conacts soon) I do find it more dificult to position them with my helmet on. Especially if I take them off while my helmet is on then put them back on. Can be prety annoying.
And I sometimes feel like they will fall and get crushed when jumping he he:D poor glasses

[Iron Maiden]

I've been a speccy rider for years, my specs don't bother me but they are wire framed with thin arms. I've tried riding in RayBans in summer & they had fat arms that squished onto my ears when I put my hat on, after a while they really killed me! They don't feel like they will fall off, even when I feel like I might...!

[martini55]

I ride with glasses and have no problems with them. The only thing that worries me about them slightly is if I fell off.

[Tanyajayne]

I ve worn glasses since I was 6 months old. I wear them all the time even to sleep in. I have no problems riding in them although they sometimes fall of when I fall off. When I was a child this wasn't a problem coz I could get them fixed for nothing on the NHS but as an adult I don't have that luxury so I buy cheap glasses from
www.glassesdirect.co.uk
£20 a pair for the cheapest. It's not so upsetting them if I break them.

[Nazdaq]

I wear glasses all the time and I don't have any problems with them, the one time I have fallen so far they have stayed on! :D

[KateWooten]

yep - i can ride with or without - i have the thin wire armed ones and a vented hat and they're perfectly secure as far as i can tell.

[Kathryn128]

I'm fine usually, have been riding in glasses ever since I started (six years) have taken a number of tumbles in them, and the closest I ever had to a problem was losing a lense whilst cantering in the school :p

Having thought about it, the screw had been loose for weeks, it was bound to happen :)

However, I am always pushing them up my nose, but that's an everyday thing anyway :)

[Alfies-slave]

If you are worried about them falling off you can get neoprene straps from sports shops that hold them in place. They sound hideous, but they are quite trendy looking. People like rock climbers (who also have the glasses/helmet issue) use them.

[loopyh]

I have been wearing contacts for a while now but wore glasses when I first started and didn't have a problem. I used to wear the band thing to keep them in place which worked great although I have worn them without and apart from having to push them up once in a while they were fine. I actually found my riding better because I didn't try as hard because I concentrated on not losing my glasses he he. The only time I've come off I was wearing contacts and lost one of them - very expensive and as I was overseas at the time a real pain to get a new one. I now wear disposable lenses but have never lost one through riding.

[MrDCBags]

I wear contacts or glasses when riding. If its particularly dry and dusty I wear glasses as the sand in the arena irritates my eyes.

my glasses are the frameless sort and I have a charles owen hat- no probs with that combination.

[Roheryn]

I've worn glasses since I was 7 and I wear them all the time, including when I'm riding. I've tried an elastic band to hold them on (the kind that fits snugly around your head) but then if they fog up or get dusty while I'm riding I can't take them off with my helmet on (when I'm wearing the elastic band). My glasses have spring hinges, so the temples (ear-pieces) fit fairly snugly anyway.

Years ago I had another pair of glasses that fell off once when I was out trail riding. Thank goodness I was riding with someone, because I am so nearsighted I could not even see where my glasses had fallen. My friend got off his horse and picked them up for me (they had fallen about 3 inches from my horse's front hoof!). When I took riding lessons with those glasses, and started jumping, I just let my trainer hold them for me and jumped without them.

I've never had any problem with these hinged glasses falling off.

NB: MrDCBags--Edge of Cambs, surely?

[MrDCBags]

NB: MrDCBags--Edge of Cambs, surely?

Only just:)

[MelanieD]

I wear glasses to ride. They don't feel like they'll fall off if they're adjusted correctly, and it depends on the hat whether its annoying or not but with most hats they've been ok. Falling off with them isn't too bad, never done me any damage but have broken or bent my glasses falling off a few times.

[Joyscarer]

I never broken a pair of glasses yer in a fall and I've had loads of those over the years :o

However I've only seen my mum fall off twice and she broke her glasses both times :rolleyes:

[notpoodle]

i usually wear contacts riding. was wearing glasses when i fell off and they got badly scratched and if i hadnt been wearing a hat with a fixed peak they wouldve shattered right into my eyes :eek:

oh and the lady in the tackshop told me (to my surprise) that hats are fitted differently when people always ride with glasses, to accomodate the glasses or something :confused:

Julia
x

[Roheryn]

Originally posted by Notpoodle:

... the lady in the tackshop told me (to my surprise) that hats are fitted differently when people always ride with glasses, to accomodate the glasses or something

Hmmmmm ... interesting. I just bought my helmet off the shelf--my hard hat, too, ages ago. Maybe I should've gotten a fitted one.

[horse_converted]

I am visually inpaired. I have to wear glassess all the time. i where sunnys since i hate the sun. the ones i wear are big things that are really dark. my friends call them welding goggles lol. anyway, they bounce a little when i trott. but only a very little. thye have never fallen off at all. or my other ones i wear. they just need to b ajusted on my nose from time to time. but i can do that with eas :D. they fit with no problem with my Hat at all. doesn't seem to bother it at all.

[Briony]

My dad had a horrendous accident a few years ago. His horse tripped, he went over it's head and his glasses sliced through his nose. It was attached only by a small piece of skin on one side. It was stitched back on but he has a scar all around his nose. He doesn't ride anymore but after that he changed to wearing contacts. I wear glasses for driving but if I had to wear them for riding I would definately be trying contacts.

[vonandiz]

I wear glasses all the time except when hacking as they have a habit of steaming up (especially in damp weather) and/or slipping down my nose which really annoys me.:( If anyone has a solution for steamy glasses please let me know.

[Lucyad]

Heavy glasses that are a little too loose are very good at keeping your head upright and looking forwards, cause otherwise they fall down you nose!! (observation by my riding instructor!)

[Nik-n-Kia]

I'm fine with my glasses!!

They dont interfere with my hat or riding and they dont come off when I fall off which is great lol!!!

Never had a problem!!

Nikki xxxxx

[Joyscarer]

I wear glasses all the time except when hacking as they have a habit of steaming up (especially in damp weather) and/or slipping down my nose which really annoys me.:( If anyone has a solution for steamy glasses please let me know.

I have never tried it but can't you get a spray for bathroom mirrors to stop them steaming up? If so have go with that :)

[Lydia B]

I'm quite shortsighted and wear glasses all the time but not for riding.

I had a bad experience a few years ago where the horse I was riding reared and bucked at the same time and smacked me in the face. I was wearing contacts at the time and ended up with a bruise on my nose and down one side of my face, had I been wearing my glasses it could have been a lot worse.

I won't wear glasses for riding at all after that near miss and my glasses are the virtually indestructible ones.

[Abserd]

Interesting about the riding hats to fit full-time glasses users but i alternate with contacts so maybe not so good for me.

I'm glad this thread was started as i felt like i was the only one and am always pleased when i see other riders wearing glasses.

I always used to wear my contacts when riding as i feel i can see much more clearly (am chronically short-sighted) however on hacks i occasionally 'lose' one in my eye, not actually out on the ground! Sometimes i can stop, remove my glove and try and get it back on the pupil - not very hygenic tho! Or i have to ride 'one eyed' relying on my pony - not very good either!

Also while i find contacts great for wet rainy weather, they're a nightmare on dusty dry days - the RS school is bad for that! I was glad to be wearing them when i fell off while cantering on as i fell face downwards! but i've discovered wearing my spare pair of glasses, which have a light frame, sit quite high on my nose and grip my ears are great for lessons and hacks. They fit great under my hat and don't get too sweaty. My normal daily glasses are more trendy and would fall off in a second!! I jsut have to work out the weather before i ride but it's a pain. Can see better in lenses (and think i look better in lenses ;) ) but the agony of dust/pollen/hair in them makes me think twice when riding. <<Yells>> there's no perfect answer apart from laser surgery!!

[ISH]

It's funny this thread was started as it's something I've been thinking about for some time.

I've only been wearing glasses for a couple of years, and really only have to for driving, although generally keep them on all the time as they're so comfy. I must say I've never felt the need to adjust my hat to accommodate the glasses :confused: I think I've fallen off twice whilst wearing them and they stayed on.

Though I am paranoid about them smashing in my face so am getting contacts fitted.

[moon_and_sunny]

if ** worried about ** glasses falling off when riding, go 2 any gd camping or outdoor adventure store and they have some reading-glass holders which secure the glasses round the back of ** head.
hope this helps

[old_woman]

there's no perfect answer apart from laser surgery!!

And THAT'S no perfect answer either, as the people who have had bad results from it will tell you ...such as a friend of mine who can no longer drive at night at all.

[Tanyajayne]

I wear glasses all the time except when hacking as they have a habit of steaming up (especially in damp weather) and/or slipping down my nose which really annoys me.:( If anyone has a solution for steamy glasses please let me know.

You can buy a spray in motorbike shops, its for use on visors of helmets but also works on glasses. Sorry though I can't remember what its called.

[Abserd]

And THAT'S no perfect answer either, as the people who have had bad results from it will tell you ...such as a friend of mine who can no longer drive at night at all.

Yeah, i've heard stories too, such as having to have them re-done in the future as they get worse again. Considering just having one eye done would cost me a month's rent, it ain't gonna happen! Shame there wasn't a solution tho :rolleyes:

Just out of interest tho my OH's boss is a wheelchair user with bad manual dexterity. She had her eyes lasered and it's made a huge difference to her life. Guess each to their own!

[Joyscarer]

I wouldn't expect the op to be a permanant fix. Eyes change throughout life and this wouldn't be any different for someone who had laser surgery done.

I looked into it a couple of years back and had the money there but decided to get chickens instead :p

I'm looking forward to middle age when my eyes will change so that I no longer need glasses. Agfer that I'll need them again but it will be good to get a couple of years without them :)

[The Original Crazywoman]

I ride in glasses. Haven't had the problems of them falling off, nor damaging myself when falling off. Hate the fact that they get wet when it is raining though. :mad:

Thought that most of the lenses these days were made of plastic, so you wouldn't have the problem of them shattering. Don't like the idea of getting my nose sliced off, so will probably worry all the time now! :eek:

[cinammontoast]

Dear Vonandiz, re steamy specs-there is a product available from most optician's that you wipe on the lenses and then dry off: it really works! It's like the windscreen fluid that does the same. Still, always wear lenses for riding as glasses not tight enough but wish they'd damp down the indoor school as had agonizing half hour (2nd half of hour lesson) where dust got in my (hard) contact lens and had to put up with searing pain and tears streaming and nose running-why does that happen?!-for rest of lesson. Yuk. Poor horsey I rode was coughing a ton , too!

[Roofio]

i wear glasses as J would be a big brown blob in the middle of a bigger green one if i didnt! :rolleyes:

i have 2 pairs, one for everyday and one cheapy pair for riding. ive not fallen off J in these (touch wood), don't find that they slip down my nose or feel unsecure. I used to wear contacts for riding but hated getting dust in my eyes with them in.

[Jane.A]

Wore glasses for years. Eyes wouldn't tolerate contacts. Bought Flexon sports frames and they were excellent. Never moved, but did steam up, esp. at winter dressage with ouside warm up then go in for test, can't see! Then a year last march had lazer eye therapy. Life changing! Am in my mid- late 40's and its wonderful to be able to see the arena markers without specs. I was short sighted and they warned me I might need reading glasses a little earlier than I otherwise would have, but what the heck. Would need them at some point anyway. Can whole heartedly recommend it of you can afford it. I did it when it was on offer at 3 years interest free.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

never had a problem with mine and ive had them since i was 6 i think.
Theyve never come off mid-ride and have always been flung clear or stayed on if ive had a fall.

I do have some contacts but i have astigmatism (sp) so im rather cross-eyed in them. My mum said she will let me ahve surgery but its that or a trailer! i can live with my specs ;)

[Soupdragon]

I had laser surgery and can't imagine life before. I got fed up with glasses steaming up and clashing with my hat/wearing contacts and getting itchy irritated eyes.

I will probably need glasses later for age-related longsight - but without the surgery, I would still have needed glasses for nearsight, so would have needed bifocals.

Driving's fine. My only problem is I can now see when the shower needs cleaning.

[puzzles]

i personally wouldn't - i know someone who fell on her face and her glasses smashed and damagee her eyes pretty badly.
Contacts are safer!

:-)
x

[FreedomStar]

I always wear my glasses when I ride. No problem at all, unless I get super sweaty and my glasses start slipping down my nose. That's annoying. It's comfortable enough; I've fallen off a few times and my glasses have never broken. I had one fall where I hit the arena fence with my back so hard that my glasses and, oddly enough, my gloves, went flying, but they still didn't break. Each time i've fallen off, they have either come off or stayed on, but never broken.

[Abserd]

I had laser surgery and can't imagine life before. I got fed up with glasses steaming up and clashing with my hat/wearing contacts and getting itchy irritated eyes.

I will probably need glasses later for age-related longsight - but without the surgery, I would still have needed glasses for nearsight, so would have needed bifocals.

Driving's fine. My only problem is I can now see when the shower needs cleaning.

HEE HEE! I'm very proud/jealous you have done the surgery - think when it comes down to it i'd be scared to risk my eyes but if they get really bad i'll seriously consider saving up. Went for a hack in the rain this morning with my glasses and they were fine. Feel happier in glasses now while riding as i've had too many experiences with blinking and losing a lens!!

[ShariN]

I ride with my glasses on, no way I could not. What I do is put my helmet on first and then the glasses..this for me, is less fuss.
I have my glasses adjusted so they will not move unless I want them too.;)