Contact lens issue, duh!

[damianip]

I've just started recently using contact lenses when I fence. Until then, I had not worn any glasses when fencing. I guess I'm getting old and I now need to wear glasses all the time, so it made sense.

I've seen an immediate improvement in depth perception. However, last night I was having what was turning out to be one of the most discouraging fencing nights ever. I was walking into stop hits, falling short on attacks, missing parries, and often, when I did manage to hit, I hit very hard.

Towards the end of the night I took off my mask, closed my left eye and realized, I could barely see out of my right eye.

It turns out that, in a rush to get to the club, I had put on my contact lens on inside out. Even after fixing it, I was pretty much useless for the rest of the night. Even with glasses on, I was still having trouble.

Things cleared up in the morning but, boy, I feel dumber than usual.

Any other contact wearers ever do something like this?

Paolo

[40Saberthieves]

no

My contacts work either way. They are just uncomfortable backwards and irritate my eye.

[Sabresque]

same here rogue. It could also be that you didn't clean them right when you took it off and switched it around. Make sure to have one of those mini bottles of salution around with you. I love contacts to death (way better than glasses) in sports, I hope you do too eventually.

[Eileen]

Sounds like a crazy depth perception experiment, hehe. At least it wasn't at a compeition, right?

I can't even operate if I have only one contact in, my eyesight is so bad that I notice it right away. There was one occasion where I lost a lense and had neither a back up lense nor my glasses with me for a few hours and I ended up with a headache and nausea.

If you can opt for it, I highly recommend disposable lenses. They are a little more money in the long run than daily wear but it's nice to have a fresh pair of lenses every week, and it's also nice to not have to worry about tearing or losing an expensive lense (especially applies if you are doing water sports).

[cowpaste]

Whenever I try to fence without glass, I seem a giant blur of white. I'm usually surprised when I hit something because I didn't realize it was so close. Of course, when I get hit, I am surprised for the same reason. I really need my glasses. I don't even feel confident fencing absolute beginners because I am afraid I will hurt them.

Whenever I wear contacts, I always know if there is some problem though. I'm also used to ocasionally close one eye at a time to check my contacts.

[Talyn]

I'm THIS close to getting contacts...

but I need to save up enough money before I can do that

It's on the bottom of a very long shopping list for fencing:

Mask 1600
Foil FIE StM
Underplastron 800N
Lame
Another Foil FIE StM (1,2 or even 3 more depending on how many of my current foils break)

*contacts here*

Then the list goes on with shoes and etc depending on what breaks lol

[Peach]

Hmm. Depth perception is a function of binocular vision, and probably what happened was you simply couldn't see out of one of your eyes at all. The lens was probably dirty.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

i got contacts at the begining of the year, after finally realizing that the reason i never attack is because i never land, because i have very little depth perception without my glasses.... my glasses lenses are small because large glasses look really weird on me, but the glasses in general are too big, so i never wore them when fencing.

ever since i got contacts, i've found myself doing things i couldn't do before.... i'm getting much better, and am quite annoyed with myself that i didn't think to do it before....

[danp]

Anyone out there have the Lasik or similar surgery? I'm one of the few who really hates my contacts, and am considering this... How did the surgery go for you? Any issues fencing or otherwise?

Regards,
-Dan

[Eileen]

My cousin had it done over 3 years ago, she has great vision, no side effects. She did laser surgery.

My sister's ex boyfriend had it done as well, I think he would sometimes get "halos" if he looked at bright lights at night.

Possible side effects I've heard of regarding surgery seem to be: reduced night vision, "halos" around bright lights, and/or a change in color perception...

I've only heard of the color perception on one website though, but it stuck in mind because as a graphic designer who really loves playing with color, I feel like even a small change would not be good for me.

I suggest looking up some hard numbers on percentages of folks who get the side effects. I've only heard of the one guy with a side effect, everyone else I know or have heard about has simply ended up with better vision.

[pkt]

I wouldn't have any surgery done on my eyes: I've only got 2. One fo the largest Laser eye surgery places have gone under - as in bankrupt - as a result of the number of problems ex-patients have...I'll leave the rest of the conclusions for you to draw.

Contacts are not that expensive anymore.

I would have use them more often had my Optometrist allow me to wear the 'bifocal' ones. As it is, with the single-vision ones, I find it cumbersome in the event of competitions since I usu. end up judging and keeping score... try keeping score without your bi-focals...
PK

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

This is the solution I use:

In Sweden, we have a universal miltary draft for all young men, including us with glasses. The army commisioned a special design for "army glasses", glasses that don´t fall off the head while doing hell week. Each guy who needs glasses gets a pair of those - it is cheaper than the army paying for all those broken glasses.

The glass itself looks like ordinary plastic glass, but the frame is quite sturdy, and the "ear-holders" (what is the specific term?) are made of a bent metal spiral covered with elastic plastic. They are formed to fit snugly the ear, but can be bent more than a foil.

If your head is shaken enough so that those fall off, then you will have worse problems - concussion - than a pair of broken glasses.

These glasses can also be bought in any optician´s store, they are fairly cheap, it not stylish.

For someone - like me - who does not like lenses, they are perfect.

Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

[danp]

I wonder if someone could devise a prescription insert like a big lens from a ski type goggle that fits into a fencing mask instead of being worn. Perhaps if all masks go to those clear window versions the FIE is pushing, they can be made prescription.

I picture some type of frame surrounding a large custom lens. The whole thing snaps into the mask.

Of course, take the mask off and your blind, but hey... It's not a sharp poke in the eye ;-)

-Dan

Originally posted by PeterGustafsson
Hi!

The glass itself looks like ordinary plastic glass, but the frame is quite sturdy, and the "ear-holders" (what is the specific term?) are made of a bent metal spiral covered with elastic plastic. They are formed to fit snugly the ear, but can be bent more than a foil.

[MyraTrue]

depth perception is an interesting concept for me. I know every time I got a new prescription for my glasses, I could hardly tell where anything was. I have better depth perception with my contacts, I think. However, fencing with glasses means they're falling off my face and fogging up, which might have something to do with it.

I've learned to check my contacts to see that they're not inside out before I put them on. Just look at em before you put them in. I've put them in inside out once or twice, got them in, and had to take them out because everything was just plain weird.

My only complaint about contacts is that I've got really dry eyes, and i guess they get even dryer when I fence. When they dry out, everything goes blurry and white. So, in the middle of a bout of epee, my oponent vanishes into a haze of white. Not cool! *blink, blink,blink, blink, blink*

[Kodiak Kid]

Inside out, wrong eyes, two in one eye, only one eye, falling out for no apparent reason in the middle of an action... Yes I've done all that. Having worn them since High School, which was oh so many years ago, I've done all sorts of horrible things to my lenses. Have to agree that disposables are the way to go. What to do when they fall out or are too dry to opperate correctly? No juice? No water? Into the mouth and wet 'em down! I don't recommend it but if it's that or don't drive, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Keep some juice handy in all your gear, glove box, desk drawer, coat pocket etc. and it will make it less of a bother to first aid your self in a hurry.



Rule of thumb is "if it feels 'not right', it probably isn't."