Coastalsurvey

From: G. Pasquinelli
Subject: Re: Surfing with contacts?

I wear contacts when I surf nowadays. I started off without wearing them and I didn’t really mind it. I could still see the sets coming in and such but it was still a pain to not recognize other surfers and such as everyone around was so blurry!!! So I started wearing them and haven’t stopped since. I have contacts that I take out everyday and am supposed to throw them out after about three months. I used to have ones that lasted longer but they were more expensive. So I got the shorter life ones, 6 pair of these for like $70. I do lose one every once in a while but not too often (Usually I have gotten more than the three month life out of them anyway) … Just need to keep your eyes closed anytime you go under the water (duck diving, wiping out and such.) But like yesterday, sometimes you need to open your eyes. A large closeout was looming on the horizon and despite my best paddling effort did not make it through. The lip threw and landed right on my back, almost knocking the wind out of me, I did a couple spins in the washing machine that followed and had no idea where I was. So I opened my eyes, looked for some light and swam. I popped up to the surface and couldn’t see anything out of my right eye. Oh well, another one lost. I continued my session and popped another contact in when I got to the car. I always keep a spare contact in my glove box for just such occasions. So by all means tell your friend to give it a try.

PS. I have heard that gas permeable lens will stay in even better but I have no experience with them.

From: LD
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Surfing with contacts?
Date: 2 Dec 1996

I have been surfing with contacts for many years without problems. I have of course lost the odd lens but only under extreme circumstances. Your friend is unlikely to lose a lens as long as he/she remembers to close his eyes. By the way I use soft contact lenses which cover more of the eye than hard lenses & are therefore harder to lose.