night vision with contact lenses

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Vento

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I was wondering what experiances others have with contact lenses at night. In daylight they work very well for me but come night time I have trouble with blurring and inparticular multiple lights becoming indistinct when set close togehter.
I have tried using clear wrap round safety glasses to cut down the drying effects of the wind but this seems of little use.
I'd appreicate any thougths people have as I have some overnight races coming up next season and would rather not have to wear glasses - I find them a bit of a liability when being washed off the foredeck!
 
I use continuous wear soft lenses (ie a month at a time) and find them nearly as good as glasses and far better if there is the slightest spray in the air. I find mutiple images of lights a problem with lenses and glasses but never have problems with them drying out. Lenses that you sleep in are essential when sailing at night so they do not have to come out when off watch. Just comments but sorry if this is not too helpful.
 
I am a VERY long term wearer of contact lenses; had them since about 1971! I have a very strong prescription as well, and I've never had the problem you describe.

Two things; I use hard, gas permeable lenses, which if your eyes will take them are better than soft lenses. But they are harder to adapt to than soft lenses; there wasn't a choice when I were a lad, so I had to learn to use hard lenses!

I'd also get your optician to check the prescription. It sounds to me as if you're just about OK in full light, but slightly off when in reduced light.
 
Welcome to the forums!

I generally find that with soft monthly contacts my vision gets poorer in the evening anyway. This happens summer and winter so it isn't completely related to light levels. I put it down to the lenses drying slightly. For that reason, if I am going to be out for long at night either driving or sailing, I will revert to glasses for most of the day and put in the lenses just before I set off.
 
Have been wearing 'hard' lenses since 1965. Today there are some fantastic materials available for comfortable long term wear. My current lenses can be worn around the clock, slept in and are ideal for night sailing/watch keeping. The blurring issue at night that you describe is not uncommon with contact lenses. As the iris expands the 'outer' area of the lense comes into effect and this tends to be less prescriptively accurate. Hard lenses may be less effected but talk to your optician who may be able to specifically help your night vision. Maybe have a try with 'new' material hard lenses.
 
I am not an expert though I know a bit about lenses from my photograpy hobby, and have only worn glasses for a couple years.

It seems to me that the focus softening effect described with contact lenses in low light is more likely due to the wider aperture of the eye working with the small diameter lens. Photographers use a wide aperture on a camera to get a shallow field of focus effect with the focus falling off more at the edges. This ensures the background does not distract the viewer from the object in the picture, but would be very undesireable in night sailing with contact lenses!

I find even conventional glasses reduce my field of focus a bit at night and are usually a total pain at sea at any time!
 
No. one son has just got some, monthly I think. Intriguing, if he hangs upside down the lenses are weighted and gently swivel round , making for interesting effects.
 
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No. one son has just got some, monthly I think. Intriguing, if he hangs upside down the lenses are weighted and gently swivel round , making for interesting effects.

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Out of curiosity, how did he find that out???

(c:
 
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[ QUOTE ]
No. one son has just got some, monthly I think. Intriguing, if he hangs upside down the lenses are weighted and gently swivel round , making for interesting effects.

[/ QUOTE ]

Out of curiosity, how did he find that out???

(c:

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't know, he's 27, I don't delve into his habits. Best not.....
 
Hmmm - wonder if it will work with the camera? Do I just hold it upside down, or do I have to hang upside down myself to take the picture.... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Firstly, thanks eveyone for such a flood of helpful advice.

For those who asked, I wear 2 weekly soft lenses. I'm long sighted so I can see which string to pull and for close work at the chart table I can wear glasses but its not usually a problem down below.

The suggestion about the iris expansion sounds plausible (sorry thought I was on Call My Bluff for a moment!) My problem seems to be the light becoming diffused/scattered so not appearing as a point source - I thought this was caused by the wind drying the lens out but now I don't think so.

I think a trip to the Optician is in order. Not sure if they make "night vision" contacts but it should be an interesting conversation. My other strategy was to wear just one, like those who have laser eye surgery on one eye. Are we sure Nelson lost an eye or did he wear contacts as well! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Wearing one or at least having different prescriptions was offered by my optician last time I went - mono-vision or something similar.

If I remember correctly they put the distance lens in the dominant eye and the close up in the other - at least for me who's shortsighted, maybe its the other way around for the long sighted?
 
I'm the same. I have a distance lens in my right eye and "reading" lens in the left. Works pretty well. I do find though that in low light conditions my vision is not what it once was. It'd OK with glasses though.
 
Take a look at Cibavision monthly progressives - they act as varifocals so that you can read as well as having distant vision corrected. They don't work for everyone and you need to wear them for an hour or so before your brain adapts to the differing images from each eye (one eye is 'weighted towards near vision, the other far). It doesn't work for everyone but for me they have been fantastic - no onning and offing of reading glasses and no problem with the spray.

There can be a little starring of lights at night but this is minimal for me - it also depends on how tired I am.

HTH

Chris
 
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