Contacts vs Glasses= Better ball striking?

[msd3075]

I wear contacts when I play golf. If I'm outside I pretty much always have my sunglasses on (macular degeneration runs in my family, and one of the best ways to help prevent it is to always protect your eyes from UV rays), so wearing my glasses outside really isn't an option. The contacts I have are toric lenses; they are weighted on one end to orient them the correct way. Because of my astigmatism and the resulting "flatness" of the front of my eyes, I have some brand of contacts that basically suction themselves to my eyes, and because of that they dry out very, very easily. Compound that with my bad allegies, and I can't see crap come afternoon-time. with my glasses, my orientation just is off compared to my contacts. I don't know why, but it just is. I know I could probably try to play with my glasses, but I'd rather have my sunglasses on and have everything look like I'm staring through waxpaper than not have my sunglasses on and have by balance be off.

[WUTiger]

I wore contacts a lot when I lived down in Dallas area in the 1990s.

Moved to Southwest Oklahoma, and contacts bit the dust. I was blasting out of a trap into a 20 mph. headwind - Okies call it a light breeze - and got a face full of sand which trashed out my right contact. Played like a cyclops with L only until the turn, and switched to glasses. Airborne sand was a constant problem there.

With glasses, you may have to alter your head position for longer putts and chips. If I cock my head a little, I can see ball and cup at the same time on putts up to 20 feet. That way, I don't have the "post problem" of the glasses rim interrupting.

[Greg]

ive worn glasses for 20+ years, never have tried contacts. The one drawback i see to glasses is moisture getting on the lens either from hot and humid condtions or rain and condstantly having to clean them off. As far as seeing the ball otherwise, i dont see any advantage. I would like to get corrective surgery to not have to wear either glasses or contacts but its still too expensive at this point, maybe in a few years.

[Cussin hacker]

ive worn glasses for 20+ years, never have tried contacts. The one drawback i see to glasses is moisture getting on the lens either from hot and humid condtions or rain and condstantly having to clean them off. As far as seeing the ball otherwise, i dont see any advantage. I would like to get corrective surgery to not have to wear either glasses or contacts but its still too expensive at this point, maybe in a few years.

Try the new extended wear contacts. Think you will like them. I've had no trouble at all with mine.

[right handed phil mickelson]

I've worn glasses for about 5 years now. It kind of bothers me from time to time when I'm playing and sweat drips onto my glasses. But, it's not that big of a deal to take them off and quick wipe them down with my shirt and continue on. It doesn't hinder my play at all, plus I'm not able to put contacts in my eyes because I can't open my eyes that far haha, so I guess I have to live with glasses

[msd3075]

I've worn glasses for about 5 years now. It kind of bothers me from time to time when I'm playing and sweat drips onto my glasses. But, it's not that big of a deal to take them off and quick wipe them down with my shirt and continue on. It doesn't hinder my play at all,

I've worn contacts since I was 14 years old (I'm 26), and to this day I have to hold my eyelid open with both hands to put my contacts in because I can't open my eyes wide enough AND I can't stop from blinking long enough to put them in. It's definitely worth the hassle though.

[Terrible]

I'm getting contacts. I loss the ball in the frame of my glasses cause I take the club back like Nick Faldo. 

[cutchemist42]

I have really bad vision, I could not get through a round without vision correction. 

I have both glasses and contacts, and personally only wear contacts during baseball and hockey. i hate the feeling of contacts, and I couldnt get over having the feeling of them in my eyes during a round. I only like contacts in fast-paced sports where Im constantly moving so its not creeping into my thoughts how i dislike the feeling.

[Patch]

I wear glasses. In fact next month I will going to trifocals. I use to wear contacts, but in this dry desert, they just didn't work well. My game did not change when wearing either one. 

I figure I have  it made for my golf game.. I wear glasses, have hearing aids, and dentures. Hopefully the "Depends" are another 15-20 years away. 

[nevets88]

I think they don't make a difference scoring wise. Maybe comfort a little. In tennis if I wear glasses and try and serve, I'll whiff. It's embarrassing. After a couple of tries I adjust to the change in depth perception. The funny thing is that depth perception doesn't affect me in golf. Maybe because the ball isn't moving. I don't like glasses in hot weather because sweaty but will wear contacts for golf all the time, even though sometimes they're uncomfortable - like when you put one in funny when in a hurry.

Off topic but as a kid, in basketball, I learned to use contacts after I got bashed in the face one too many times by some supersonic no look passes or deflections. 

[fishgolf]

On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2010 at 8:03 AM, iacas said:

Contacts and glasses wearer here. I see no difference, frankly. I prefer contacts just because it's easier to switch from "sunglasses" when outside to "no sunglasses" when inside than it is to switch glasses from normal to tinted.

Same results here except that I like my transition, polarized glasses which make it much easier to find my balls in the water.

[dennyjones]

When I use to play hockey and soccer I wore contacts for obvious reasons.   I no longer wear contacts.   I've worn glasses since my early youth and have graduated to transitional polarized bifocals.   I guess I'm lucky because I've not had any depth perception issues.    

[BamaWade]

I wear glasses for work (and most of the time), but contacts for golf and all other sports, even though my right eye's astigmatism can't be corrected by contact lenses because the surface of my eye isn't round anymore; I've had 6 surgeries over the last ~8 years to build (and tear down) a bleb, then build a shunt/stent for my glaucoma--so a toric lens won't fit/settle.  But I get enough correction with a standard lens to be okay.

My glasses give me great correction--so I wear them in most other situations--but they're progressive lenses, so the peripheral distortions mess with me a little if I wear them to play or practice.  Also, down here in the muggy south, they steam up, get sweat drips running down them, slide a little when my face is all sweaty, etc.  

I usually switch into my contacts right before I go play...sometimes even in the locker room right before I go out.

[rehmwa]

LASIK guy here.  I can't imagine wearing glasses for anything activity related.

I won't even wear sunglasses playing golf.  Do NOT like having a lens (dirty, clean) or any interference of any kind.

[NCGolfer]

On 7/12/2010 at 11:01 AM, michaeljames92 said:

EDIT: I also suggested that I would get LASIK when i am early 20's but I soon got put off by many people such as Tiger, Kenny perry, Peter Lonard and many others having issues with it, and having it re done. Poor Kenny Perry has done it a few times I think and his eyes are stuffed

I had LASIK done four years ago and don't regret it one bit.  Like you said, some people have issues with it and they stated to me, going in, that your eyes can revert back to what they were before.  My only complaint is that I have a bit of dry eye and have to put drops in every other day or so.

When I hit balls for the first time after surgery I couldn't tell that much difference in depth perception or anything else than I did with contacts.  I NEVER wore glasses playing golf after I got my contacts...much preferred wearing them vs the glasses.

[windlaker]

I wear contact lenses when golfing & hunting, glasses most other times.

Can't stand not being able to look out of the corner of my eyes when putting.

[graham57]

I prefer contacts to the distraction of worrying that in summer my glasses will slip off my sweating face when I am putting (has actually happened). Now I just can‘t see the green layouts, etc. on my GPS watch!

[SimonR]

I tried playing with my new prescription sunglasses (bifocal without the line - progressives) and it was a disaster. I kept topping the ball and am fairly convinced it's due to different depth perception (I have a strong prescription). Without question, I will be returning to contact lenses!