Regular exercise is an important part of becoming your best self, particularly because it provides a regular endorphin fix alongside boosting your physical well-being. 

Just 30 minutes of exercise is enough for your brain to produce hormones that can help you feel happier, manage your weight, and maintain a good immune system. Of course, this requires a level of movement that can be harder to achieve for people with refractive errors, as blurry vision can increase the likelihood of falling and injury. The National Center for Biotechnology Information has even found a higher link between visual disorders and trouble with mobility and wellness. Yet while glasses are a solution to vision issues, they can make exercise more challenging by fogging up from sweat and humidity or struggling to stay in place on your face.

Contact lenses stand out as the best possible solution for these issues. Their more streamlined design means frames or lenses won't get in your way as you move, making contacts easier and more convenient to use while exercising. In fact, wishes to pursue active lifestyles while simultaneously correcting vision problems are among the key reasons why the billion-dollar contact lens industry produces lenses specifically designed for physical activity.

That said, you no longer need to let your glasses stop you from becoming your best self. If you want to wear exercise-friendly contacts to kickstart your active lifestyle, here are some factors you should look for: 

1. Reasonable replacement frequency

Contacts come with various replacement frequencies, which is why they're often marked as being dailies, weeklies, or monthlies. These labels refer to the length of time you can use a pair before it needs to be replaced. As a general rule, dailies are the most exercise-friendly because they're hygienic. Any dirt, debris, or sweat that gets on them as you exercise won't have time to breed potentially infectious bacteria because you can replace them as soon as you're done working out. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about losing or damaging them during more intense routines. 

They're also readily available, with many of the bestselling contact lenses from popular retailer Target Optical being daily disposables. Here, brands like Acuvue Oasys 1-Day and Dailies Total1 provide additional features beneficial for exercise. These use materials like Senofilicon A and Delefilcon A materials, which make them softer and more comfortable to wear while you move around. They're also less likely to shift or fall out during high-impact activities compared to harder contacts like rigid gas permeable lenses. As with all contacts, you just need to ensure you have clean and dry hands when handling them.

2. UV protection for outdoor exercise

You shouldn’t feel limited to indoor workouts, especially since studies show that frequent exposure to nature significantly improves mental health and cognitive ability. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health also found that moving around green spaces reduces stress, even if you only do short but regular workout routines. To protect your eyes as you reap the benefits of outdoor exercise, you’ll want to wear contacts that can block out the sun's harmful UV rays.  

Overexposure to UV rays can advance eye aging and increase your risk of blindness from conditions like cataracts. The sun also produces blue light that, while also carrying beneficial effects for the body, can permanently damage the retina. That said, it's ideal to look for tinted contacts that offer protection against harmful forms of sunlight. The Altius advanced performance-tinted contact lenses from Performance Vision Technologies is one example you can consider. A successor to Nike MaxSight, they're specifically designed for athletes and can filter out up to 100% and 99% of UV rays and blue light, respectively. Because of their curated development, contact lenses like these can be especially exercise-friendly.

3. Moisture retention for intense workouts 

Although a good pair of contact lenses shouldn’t cause irritation, many people still experience an adjustment period during which their eyes feel dry. Aside from causing discomfort, that dryness can blur your vision and strain your eyes, which may make it harder to assess your environment, respond to it, and avoid potential accidents when exercising outdoors. Though workouts themselves can be a natural solution for dry eyes, it can also help opting for contacts that actively keep the eyes moisturized. Natural tear production also requires you to take in more oxygen, so go for a contact lens material that allows more of it to pass through and infuse the eyes. 

With constant research being done to improve contacts, a team from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education has been able to develop a 3D-printed elastomer lens with self-moisturizing capabilities. This material offers oxygen permeability and integrates curved microchannels that circulate moisture to ensure the eyes are consistently hydrated. It also provides improved optical transmission, which simply means it'll further improve your eyesight so you can tackle more visually demanding physical activities like sports. If you’re looking for something more readily available than the elastomer lens, you can also check websites like LensDirect to try options like the Bausch + Lomb Ultra. These contacts use a patented moisture-sealing technology to maintain 95% moisture for up to 16 hours of wear, making them ideal for keeping your eyes hydrated for workouts of any length.

Regular exercise not only supports your overall health but also enhances your mental well-being by providing a natural endorphin boost. For individuals facing vision challenges, contact lenses offer a practical solution, allowing you to stay active and focused without the discomfort of glasses. Embrace exercise, improve your health, and make your vision work for you with the ease and convenience of contact lenses.

Walk on,
Frank S. Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, Walking Inspiration, and Walking Logbook Journal.