“Contact” Skiing

For those of our contact lens customers who love to ski, here are a few tips for keeping your lenses in the best shape while hitting the slopes this winter.

The goggles you choose are the key to keeping your lenses safe. Your best bet is a plastic frame ski goggle, as they hold up better in the cold than metal frames. We recommend a wraparound style. These offer your eyes the best protection from wind and snow (which will wreak havoc on your lenses). They also help block out incidental light from the sides, helping to minimize glare.

For the overall health of your eyes, make sure to use polarized goggle lenses. They absorb 98% of distracting glare reflected off the snow. You may want a goggle lens that is brown or amber in color as this will provide the best contrast against a white background, and is better for lower light conditions. Photochromatic lenses, which change color with changes of light, are also available, but are a bit more expensive.

Finally, make sure that your goggle is well ventilated so your contacts do not dry up. Remember to blink a lot, and carry rewetting drops with you as well, to help keep your contacts moist.

If you need to take your lenses out, make sure to go inside and use a cleared, clean areas, preferably with a mirror around.

If you drop one of your lenses in the snow, mark a three-foot circular patch in the snow around the drop zone, you will eventually find it. Get to the bottom safely and re-insert the lens indoors.

Happy Skiing!