rhys wrote:
On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:24:17 GMT, spivey wrote:


Well, for a rather alarming 45 minutes or so. Is this a common problem
for contact wearers? I was in a 9' pram right on the water. (salt
water). I could see better than ever for an hour or so. When I went to
take out my contacts later- they were stuck to my eyeballs. It took 45
min. of adding "instant tears" or something to pry them out. I called
the dr. but he denied everything of course. Any experience from salt
water sailors? Thanks and carry on.


Must be soft contacts. I have gas-permeable "Boston II" lenses, which
are semi-rigid and pop off into one's palm once the eyelid tugging
maneuver has been mastered. Soft contact wearers have complained to me
that their lenses can "roll up" under the eyelid or get badly "glued"
if they fall asleep in them (not, obviously, the type that are meant
to be worn constantly for a week and then changed).

While not everyone finds gas-permeable lenses comfortable, I do, and I
find the durability (they can last 10 years if your prescription is
stable), ease of cleaning (just rub them under running water or even
use a mild soap and thorough rinse) and the fact they are easy to find
if you drop them to be well worth their extra cost.

One thing I would NOT recommend for the sailor is laser keratomy or
other forms of corrective surgery. Fellow sailors report that while
near-sightedness is almost always "cured' in such procedures, it is
not uncommon to have astigmatism *induced* and to lose a portion of
one's night vision acuity, necessitating glasses in the dark!

Not a good trade off when contacts or glasses suffice. If one lived in
an exclusively urban environment, maybe, but my (corrected) night
vision is good, and I own a sextant...the last thing I want is
compromised night vision.

Sorry for the tangent...

R.

Another reason to consider corective surgery carefully- the risk of
serious eye injury is much increased if you are subjected to a deploying
airbag and you've had radial keratomy. I don't know if it applies to
laser keratomy but I imagine it, too, would weaken the treated area.
JM