IntroÂ
Many of us have gone through incredible lifestyle changes in the last year, especially adjusting to working or studying remotely. While we transition into a digital-based social lifestyle, we expose ourselves to a lot more screen-time than we typically would. The bright screens could lead to a lot of eye-straining, making our eyes tired and dry, so many folks would either opt to wear glasses with blue light protection or have just started to need glasses.
Screens have not been the only topic of discussion throughout the pandemic; lethargy and boredom have made many of us restless. Many of us have picked up a sport, activity, or added home workouts to our routine. The question here is, if you already wear glasses- should you then wear contact lenses or your glasses when you work out? This article is here to list all the pros and cons that can help you decide which choice is ultimately the best for you.
Comparison
Glasses
Pros:
- Glasses can help keep dust and debris out of your eye.
- The lenses can prevent you from getting poked in the eye.
- Wearing glasses reduces the need to touch your eyes, which in turn reduces the likelihood of irritating your eyes or developing an eye infection.
- Eyeglasses won’t exacerbate the problem of dry and sensitive eyes, as contact lenses can.
Cons:
- Glasses can break and cause eye injuries.
- They don’t provide peripheral vision, and frames limit your visual field.
- Glasses will jostle around as you run or move when working out.
- Glasses are expensive to replace if broken.
- Lenses can cause distortions, making things seem larger or smaller than they are.
- Cold weather causes glasses to fog, while rainy weather creates splatter marks on glasses lenses.
- Lenses may cause reflections that hinder performance, especially with outdoor activities.
Contact Lenses
Pros:
- Contacts provide an unobstructed, clear, and crisp vision. There are no frames to get into your line of sight, so you have better peripheral vision. You can view more of your surroundings and react faster to objects coming at you while cycling or running. You also can more easily see and respond to ground balls or other things at your feet.
- You are eliminating disturbances from jostling frames while you move.
- Contacts are comfortable. Since the lenses fit your eye, you will experience less distortion, even when moving.
- Contacts are unlikely to fall out or need adjusting. Unlike glasses, contact lenses will not break in your eye and cause injury.
- Fogging or rain is not an issue.
- Contacts are cheaper to replace than glasses, should you break your glasses frequently.
- You will have no glare or reflections.
- Better compatibility with safety equipment. For sports that require headgear or protective goggles, contact lenses don’t interfere with the fit or comfort of these safety devices.
Cons:
- If something pokes you in the eye, you can lose your contact lens.
- If something gets under your contact lens, you will have irritated eyes.
- You cannot swim in contacts.
- Contacts do not protect your eye from injury.
Conclusion
There are three main factors you should consider before deciding which you would prefer to use while working out between glasses or contact lenses:
- Comfort
- Budget
- ConvenienceÂ
At the end of the day, if you find contact lenses more comfortable and convenient to wear while working out and have the budget to get daily disposable ones, that’s the best choice for you. Alternatively, you could get monthly contact lenses at a slightly lower price if you don’t mind putting in more work and can be consistent with cleaning your contact lenses using the saline solution each time you work out.
Assuming your workouts are primarily stationary, like weightlifting, and you’ll find glasses perfectly comfortable to wear while you do this. You can stick to your glasses and make the most out of your investment!
