Contact lenses often get the nod for outdoor activities because they’re not as vulnerable to damage in rough-and-tumble activities such as football. But for many outdoor pursuits, Nike prescription glasses are the better choice for a variety of reasons.
Nike offers strong and flexible frame materials such as nylon, which can bear a lot of punishment. Tough lens materials such as polycarbonate and Trivex are among their options. Polycarbonate was used for jet canopies and as windshields for the space shuttle. Trivex is used by the military as visual armor.
Ultra violet radiation from the sun slowly damages the eyes. Macular degeneration, pterygium, and eyelid cancer are the potential consequences of long-term UV exposure. Snow blindness, or photokeratitis, is a sunburn of the whites of the eyes and cornea. This is a short-term problem caused by intense UV exposure in snow fields, sand, and on the water.
While UV blocking contacts are available, they aren’t a substitute for UV blocking eyewear. Contacts don’t protect the entire eye or the eyelids. This leaves you exposed to eyelid cancer, sunburn to the whites of the eyes, and pterygium. Pterygium is a growth of unsightly pink and fleshy tissue that grows on the surface of the eye. It starts on the eye closest to the nose and grows toward the pupil.
Close-fitting prescription glasses or goggles protect the entire eye, eyelids, and the surrounding skin. For complete UV protection, the contact user will have to wear sunglasses over the contacts. However, UV blocking prescription glasses are a simpler solution.
Wind Protection
Activities that expose you to wind such as hiking on exposed mountain ridges, extensive bicycling, motorcycling at high-speed, and downhill skiing, can cause dry eye. Dry eye occurs when the eyes become chronically dry because of insufficient lubrication. Its symptoms include blurred vision, stinging, grittiness, eye fatigue, and difficulty reading. The chronic lack of lubrication also makes the eyes more vulnerable to infections. Dry and/or cold conditions increase the risk of suffering from this condition.
Your eyes require the complete coverage of close-fitting eyewear to block wind and prevent dry eye. Contacts do not provide this coverage.
Lengthy Wilderness Excursions
Contact lenses demand care while putting them on and taking them off. Dirty fingers can cause eye infections, and a bit of grit on the inside surface can scratch the eye. Contacts also require cleaning and sterile storage. This kind of meticulous care is difficult to maintain on multi-day wilderness trips.
Getting dirty and sweaty is a part of lengthy wilderness trips. At the end of a long day, you’re not only contending with sanitary issues but also with fatigue. If you’re exhausted and it’s very hot, cold, windy, or the mosquitos are eating you alive, the precise rituals of eye contact use and care are not the effortless routines you normally do in the comfort of your home. They’re an inconvenience that you must nevertheless adhere to in order to avoid eye infections and other problems.
Nike prescription glasses with scratch protective coatings are less demanding. Keeping them clean outdoors isn’t as big of an issue unless you intend to do a lot of reading. Cleaning them involves using dishwashing soap, water, and a microfiber cloth for drying. Store them in your eyewear case when you aren’t using them. The worst that happens to eyewear in a wilderness setting is a scratch. The worst that happens with contact lenses is an eye infection or scratch injury.
Repositioning your Nike prescription glasses on your face requires a moment of effort. This isn’t the case when a contact lens swims loose and pops out. In the wilderness, contact lenses are high maintenance items.
Contacts do have their outdoor uses for sure, but in terms of UV exposure, they aren’t a long-term solution. And in the short-term situations noted above, they are at the very least an inconvenience. If you have questions about selecting the right lenses for your outdoor activities, contact us.
