Loosing contact lenses

[Callie 0]

I have this new habit of loosing my contact lenses in freefall.
It doesn't necessarily matter what discipline Im doing, flat or feelying, I get this blurred vision/moment at some stage in the skydive and then voila - its gone.
Initially I thought the skygods may be blind and really need them but after loosing at least 4 pairs in the last 3 months (they're monthly pairs) Im beginning to think not.
I have my goggles so tight its illegal and am starting to land a little lop-sided due to being able to see out of one eye and sometimes neither. Im not that badly short-sighted, only -1.5, but on landing my distance sight is needed.
Does or has anyone else had this problem?

[dragon2 0]

I ALMOST lost mine, which would've been a big problem, then I got Lasik, potential problem solved

I still only jump with the small z-flex goggles as these fit me best. I only almost lost my contacts when I was jumping a Z1 on a head-up jump and the visor came undone.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Merkur 1]

Wearing goggles, I once lost one. Having -4.0, the landing was kind of fun.
Since i use a full face helmet, I never had any problems.
As contacts work perfect for me, lasik isn't an option I am thinking about right now.
M.

vSCR No.94
Don't dream your life - live your dream!

[karlm 0]

Noodle,

Ok, so that explain why you think I'm hot, you half blind

Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there.

[daniel_owen_uk 0]

From tunnel and the small amount of freefall I have, I have found that goggles with a foam padded edge (I have sorz) are the best.

Not fun loosing a lense on your 12th jump when you are -7.5

__________________

BOOM Headshot

[Broke 0]

What kind of goggles are you jumping?

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[popsjumper 2]

We have several contact-wearers at our DZ and they ALL have this problem. It's one of the main reasons why I haven't gone the contact route. I wear glasses and it's a PITA but losing and having to replace contacts would be even more of a PITA, I think.

Wish I had the nerve to go the LASIK route.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Lindsey 0]

Once I lost a contact. I'm -5.5 and I had just bought a new canopy--an FX loaded at about 1.7...lol. It was interesting landing without depth perception....heh.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[peregrinerose 0]

I'm an eye doc, plus a lot of the folks at the DZ have been patients. None have lost a contact.

If your contact is falling out, it isn't the contact for you. Time to try something new.

There are some good ones now that tend to not dry out, have higher oxygen transmission, and are healthier options than the older ones.... Purevision, Oasys, Optix, Focus Dailies are probably the 4 I fit most frequently. Of them Oasys is probably the best for dryness issues (which would cause a contact to fall out).

I only lost one... foot fell off the plane, hung on by one arm and hit my goggles. Lost my right contact. Landed with one eye... I'm also a -4.25, so made for an interesting landing. I didn't even try to stay with the group I was jumping with.. not safe for anyone that way. Oh, it wasn't one of the above contacts, and I do try them all to see what they are like.

Jen

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Callie 0]

Thanks
I'll definately go and look for better options and find the right type
I love the fact that skydiving is helping me find the right contact lenses - gonna be fun explaining the observations to my whuffo eye doctor

[brierebecca 0]

I've had SERIOUS problems losing a contact in my dominant eye....think downwind landing on the pavement.

The small flex-z goggles work for me, too.

Brie

"Ive seen you hump air, hump the floor of the plane, and hump legs. You now have a new nickname: "Black Humper of Death"--yardhippie

[tso-d_chris 0]

I've lost many contacts in freefall, with many different types of goggles. I've found none that work every time, but the cheap plastic kind (Flex-Z, Kroops, etc.) work best for me to help reduce the number of incidents of landing blindly.

For Great Deals on Gear

[Andy9o8 0]

There is a 3rd option, since I don’t like either wearing contacts while jumping (same reason as you), and I hate wearing glasses under goggles. I use a pair of prescription sports goggles that I got at my optometrist’s office. They fit comfortably like nice sunglasses, have a wide field of vision, and have an elastic strap instead of temples. There are also prescription sports goggles specifically designed for skydiving or motorcycle riding, in that they have foam linings around the lens frames to keep wind from getting under the lenses (which is less important for belly-flying, but more important for freeflying). Sportx is one brand, but there are several good brands. That’s the solution that’s worked for me.

[wildcard451 0]

I'm -5.75/-6.25 and used to lose contacts in freefall, but it was only during tracking. I'd break off, get into a track, and feel a little wind inside my goggles, and poof! Bitch got sucked out and stuck to the inside of my goggles. That was using all these foam padded POS goggles. Once I switched to...I think they are the flex-z's, anyways, whichever kind have the rubber rim and rubber strap, with minimal air inlets....Noooo problems.

As other posters have said, I've landed one in-one out, and it isn't very fun. Not too scary....but definitely takes the fun out of landing a parachute.

[moonglo 0]

Quote

Wearing goggles, I once lost one. Having -4.0, the landing was kind of fun.
Since i use a full face helmet, I never had any problems.

What Markus said. (Hi Airwolf!)

The goggles I was wearing when I lost one were Sorz. For freeflying I now wear Mini Flex-Z, so far so good.

No problems since using an Oxygn full face, even when I've lost my visor!!

[pditto 0]

I've lost one contact a number of times in freefall. Only once have I lost both!! I'm -4.00 in both eyes. Needless to say that was an interesting landing, but I stood it up! I have been using Flex-Z's and they seemed to minimize the amount of wind. My problem was my eyes would dry out, I would blink, and out they came. Just had LASIK done 2 weeks ago. Looking forward to getting back up in the air. If I didn't get LASIK, I would have gone for the Rx goggles.

[bch7773 0]

Quote

There are some good ones now that tend to not dry out, have higher oxygen transmission, and are healthier options than the older ones.... Purevision, Oasys, Optix, Focus Dailies are probably the 4 I fit most frequently.

be careful with those new oxygen ones. The coating on them reacted with my eyes when I tried them, and I got some sort of reaction/infection. One of my eyes was permantently damaged from this.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[EricaH 0]

My b/f regularly lost his in free fall (head down typically). He now uses gatorz that fit his face really tight & he hasn't had lost one in 2 years. But then the sunnies are so tight they fog up in normal wear - guess that's better than losing a contact though.

There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear.

PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

[daniel_owen_uk 0]

Definitely a valid point, I had the perscription for the lense I lost looked at and it was slightly out, it fits better now (had previously lost same prescription lense in tunnel).

__________________

BOOM Headshot

[Broke 0]

Quote

Thanks
I'll definately go and look for better options and find the right type
I love the fact that skydiving is helping me find the right contact lenses - gonna be fun explaining the observations to my whuffo eye doctor

Just tell your eye doctor you feel that the fit just isn't right, and it falls out of your eye. You don't have to tell him what you are doing. He just needs to measure the curvature of your eye.

Also get youself a good pair of goggles. I use the Cruiser light goggles available from paragear. They are comfortable, and I haven't had any problems with them thus far.

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[jumpingjimmy 0]

get the laser eye surgery and you wont regret it, don't listen to the chumps on here who wear glasses

[Nickkk 0]

Cruiser goggle caused me to lose a contact on 2 separate occasions, not fun!

Those Flex Z goggles or Sorz / Birdz work the best for me!

What do you do when someone throws a big planet at you?
Throw your pilot chute in defense!

[Andy9o8 0]

Quote

get the laser eye surgery and you wont regret it, don't listen to the chumps on here who wear glasses

It's probably not covered by health insurance. Might cost about the same as a new canopy.

[packerboy 3]

I agree with the laser eye surgery fanatics. Had PRK in the winter.... 20/10 vision now.

As for goggles.. I used to lose contacts all the time jumping (probably about 10 in 350 jumps). I got CURVZ sunglasses and didn't lose any after that.

--------------------------------------------------
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[pditto 0]

I had custom LASIK done for $1350 per eye. That was the discounted price through my insurance. Otherwise it was $1900 per eye. Worth every penny. I had 20/10 vision at my exam last week.