Does anyone wear glasses for jumping?

ann-jen

ann-jen

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I just wondered because I am short-sighted and so wear glasses for driving and watching telly mainly. I don't need tham for anything close to. For various reasons I can't use contact lenses.
At the moment I don't wear my glasses when I'm riding as I would worry about the lenses smashing into my face if I was to fall off and also because they are uncomfortable round the backs of my ears with my hat on. My eyesight isn't too bad but I just wondered if I started wearing them would it help me to judge distances and take off points.
Does anyone wear/compete with glasses or do you tend to go for contact lenses?
 
Probably not what you want to hear but a woman came to our clear round jumping with glasses on her new horse who was on trial. She got to fence 2, horse put in a big one and off came her glasses. It was the ultimate test of trust but the horse took her round and sealed the purchase and we went on a mad hunt for the specs!
 
I wear my glasses but have lightweight plastic lenses so they cannot shatter. My optician tells me he would prefer me to wear contacts though.
 
I used to, I try and wear contacts all the time now but before then, I always wore my glasses. SJ, XC, hacking...everything, both competing and at home. The one time it always drove me mad was when it was raining!
 
I started using contact lenses a few months ago, but before that I used to wear glasses all the time when I was riding, even for hunting, hunter trialling etc. Last season out hunting I fell off face first onto a rock (fortunately I was wearing a fixed peak hat which actually pretty much saved me face...), and I was very lucky that my glasses didn't smash...
 
when it rains you might as well take them off. but at least then you cant see how big you are jumping! i went cross country and came off face/glasses first. nice back eye and nose. i had a peak so i think that helped but it didnt look like it!
 
i am very short sighted and have to wear them, i can nevr be bothered with contacts.
i have grown up through pony club and evented, hunted etc, and never had any problems wearing glasses- touch wood
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I think I might give it another try. I have a new hat now so it might not be as uncomfortable as the last time I tried them. I have to confess that my eyesight is bad enough that I don't see the fence numbers until I'm a few strides out so its a good job I memorise the course!
For those of you who are short-sighted like me do you find it makes a difference to judging distances/strides or not? I'm just trying to weigh up the risks vs benefits at the moment.
PS - I am happy to wear glasses like Albert Zoer if someone can send me Oki Doki to ride.
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My optician told me that judging distances is more accurate with contact lenses rather than glasses, his daughter show jumps so he does actually have some idea of whats involved! I know this is no help as you cant wear them, but i have to say i didnt notice that huge a difference, i still cant see a stride half the time!
I had to wear my glasses when i rode otherwise i wouldnt be able to see past my ponies ears, i only swapped to contact as they as much easier.
There are plety of lightweight frames which are bendy and extra tough if you are really worried! It would be frames rather than the lenses that would worry me!
 
I'm short-sighted (about a -2 so not that bad) and couldn't even contemplate not wearing glasses/contacts...I hate it, I can't even imagine trying to jump without them. I had to muck out the morning after staying at a friends house without and that was bad enough as I couldn't see the poo properly!!!!
 
I wear glasses now i used to wear contacts but i have a stigmatism and have a job with contacts - Ok to ride in but don't feel I can see well enough to actually drive to the event in. My glasses are those bendy kind with plastic lenses. I raised the hat question with the lady at Charles and Owen who came to give a talk at my daughters pony club as I find my crash helmet (an adult one) pushes the arms onto my ears but my daughters hat which is the same head size as mine but a junior one doesn't. She said that the Junior ones were slightly shallower and that it didn't really make a difference if an adult wore a junior hat. I will probably go back to contacts I think as I had a cut on my nose where my glasses dug in when naughty horse decided to bronc a few times with glee. I shall have to learn to put them in once at the event or get OH to drive all the time.
 
With a prescription of -6.5 (and getting worse) I need specs to find the horse, let alone jump. As a fellow astigmatism sufferer I know what you mean about contacts and driving - they just don't do a good enough job to enable you to judge distances/width.

I always rode in plastic lightweight lens. I have broken several pair falling off (years ago), including one plastic frame breaking over the bridge. The metal ones just to tend to distort the shape/fit a bit. I asssume that todays flexible metal frames would cope better.

Contacts aren't a magic cure all for all spec wearers but could be useful for wet weather jumping. Basically it's a personal choice and I've never heard of anybody being injured by specs in a fall. It could be worth insuring any new specs, especially if you need expensive lenses, though make sure first that riding would be covered.

OP - Happy jumping.
 
I've been injured by my specs! They cut my nose when I came off but it wasn't bad - nothing like the damage I did my pelvis for which I can't blame them.

I too have astigmatism and I'm very fussy about what I can see. I wore hard lenses from when I was 15 to when I was 21 and loved them but then stopped being able to wear them and now can't have hard lenses. Soft lenses can't give the correction necessary for me not to feel very insecure driving. I have actually asked for soft lenses and a pair of astigmatically corrective glasses for driving but the optician thought I was mad so that never happened.
 
I've worn glasses for ever, have an astigmatism and a mild pres. of around -.2 in each eye. I only took up riding a few years ago and glasses never bothered me until I started doing more competing and hunting. Tried contacts but it's such a fag and they really made my eyes itch. So, last year I took the plunge and went for laser surgery - it was expensive (went to a pro on Harley street rather than high st) my eyes are now better than 20/20 and I can honestly say it's the best money I've ever spent. So if you're thinking about it, it's defo worth the money!
 
I am extremely short sighted and whilst I have contact lenses (hard - as I have an astigmatism which the contacts deal with perfectly) I'm always being told by my optician that I have them in for too long each day. A couple of years ago I swapped to using my glasses in the morning (I ride at around 5.45am each morning) to avoid using my contacts too much.
I have hide density plastic lenses to reduce the weight and to prevent any breaks. I also have memoflex frames again to prevent any breakages. I have never had any problems with my glasses. I have to say though that for competing I would always wear my contacts as they give better peripheral vision.
 
It's really, really worth it, honest. I wouldn't have bothered if I didn't ride every day and, sounds like a cliche, but it's really changed my life. Was a bit uncomfortable during the procedure but could see pretty much straight away and was legal to drive within 24 hours.
Optician was amazed that after just a few weeks (my eyes got better and better) he couldn't even see the scar tissue under a microscope. Eight months on and no probs at all.
PM me if you want details of surgeon and costs, etc - I did loads of research on the guy beforehand and found out he's one of the 'grand fromages' of the eye industry both here and in the states.
 
I wear my spex all the time (am short sighted) & usually ride in them but have fallen off & bent them a couple of times. Last time I fell off I flattened my spex into my face & ended up with quite a sore nose (& bent frames). Due to this I am now trying to wear my contact lenses when I know I'm going to be jumping (most likely cause of a fall). My main problem with the c/lenses is that I'm such a lazy sod, it's easier to grap the nearest pair of spex. I also think I'm going to get a v.cheap pair of spex for the yard rather than keep making a mess of my nice ones 'cos even when I stay on the horse they still get v.dirty.
 
i wear glasses all the time, blind as a bat without them so it would be far too interesting to ride without!

jump, hunt, XC in them never had a prob. have fallen off twice with them on but fortunately landed on bum or back not face!!!

rain is a pain though

i used to have a charles owen hat which pushed down my glasses on top of my ears and was very very painful if i rode for more than an hour which i often do. so i tried on lots of different hats to find something that was so close to my ears and have now got a GPA and am very comfortable!
 
I always have worn glasses, long sighted at about +10. I tried without once, but crashed! I broke a pair when I feel off and bent my arm, and I have cat my eyebrow open with them. In the rain/when they steam up its not ideal, but I have no alternative. I have had them for so long I don't find it a problem.
 
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