Tips for Working Out While Wearing Glasses, from Women Who Do It
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Think about when you foolishly head out for a run in a pair of cheap or too-big leggings that won't stay up. You spend the whole run focusing on making sure your pants don't fall down, which turns the already-taxing experience into something even more exhausting.
That's pretty much what it's like for women who have to work out in glasses—except it's every sweat session.
We talked to dozens of women who, for whatever reason, can't just pop in contacts when it's time to work out, and the majority said the same thing: Having your glasses slip, bounce, and fog up when you're trying to get fit is super frustrating. More than that, it can affect everything from the quality of a workout to the safety of a run, or even the frequency they make it to the gym. (Related: 3 Eye Exercises You Should Do to Improve Your Eye Health)
Why Working Out In Glasses Is a PITA, According to Real Wearers
I have to plan my workouts around my eyewear.
"I have to use expensive single-use contacts because my eyes are so sensitive, so I end up wearing glasses during the week and saving contacts for the weekends. I don't like working out with them because they just slide down my sweaty face the whole time, so I normally end up planning gym sessions around when I'm going to have contacts in—which honestly just gives me one more excuse to skip the gym."—Lauren Paulauskas, 30, Brooklyn, NY
Related: Why Your Eyes Are Dry and Irritated (and How to Find Relief)
The weather makes it worse.
"Wearing glasses isn't a huge deal except on runs when it's raining, cold, or humid (so basically, everything other than perfect conditions). All of these make it hard to see clearly when the lenses get covered in water or fog up. The worst was during a twilight race a few years back: It was raining, practically a monsoon, and very humid. Between the rain, my glasses fogging up, and lights reflecting off everything, I could barely see anything. I nearly got lost a few times. It was frustrating, dealing with that in the middle of a race—I'm trying to run fast while simultaneously trying to make sure I'm running in the right direction."—Shana Westlake, 35, Rockville, MD
Burpees are off limits.
"My glasses aren't much of an issue during runs, TRX, or ballet classes, but I have to take them off to do burpees—so I honestly just don't do them anymore."—Candace Fykes, 32, Thailand (originally NJ)
They make it nearly impossible to do my favorite workout.
"I had to stop wearing contacts thanks to repeated eye infections. If it's a bouncy exercise, it's hopeless. I kickbox, and finally just had to start taking my glasses off a third of the way into my workout. Once I start really sweating, it's over. They fog up and the sweat burns my eyes."—Tara Haelle, 41, Dallas
Tips On Wearing Glasses During Exercise
Some women have found creative solutions: Caroline Gerdes of Seattle used to bobby pin her glasses to her head during ballet so they wouldn't fly off mid-turn. And when Eve Fairbanks, a 35-year-old living in Johannesburg, South Africa, wanted to learn to surf, she tied her backup glasses really tight to her head with a huge rubber band and, using strings, also to her wetsuit and hairband for plan B and C. "It was pretty low tech and I was just starting out so had bigger things to worry about than water droplets on my lenses," she says.
The majority of the glasses-wearing gals we spoke with all turned to the same solution: They just deal with glasses slipping down their face—or go blind during workouts like yoga where fuzzy sight isn't a huge risk.
Sometimes, this is actually a good thing: "Not being able to see in yoga is a way to turn my mind off and relax, so it fits well with the principles of the practice and gives my eyes a break," says Delia Harrington, 30, form Boston. But most of the ladies say it also makes new poses or flows much harder to follow.
Beyond throwing on a baseball hat for minor security or a sweatband to minimize slippage, most of the women agree working out with glasses is a frustrating inconvenience that is just part of life with poor eyesight. (Related: Do You Have Digital Eye Strain or Computer Vision Syndrome?)
But there is hope, and it comes from choosing the proper eyeglasses to wear during exercise.
How to Find the Best Glasses Frames to Work Out In
Here are a few solutions that won't break the bank and are real-person-tested to minimizing the slippery situation of sweating in glasses:
Find frames that actually fit your face. Glasses come in narrow and wide fits for a reason. "I finally caved and started shopping in the teen section, but now my glasses actually stay on my face during workouts. My advice is to buy glasses that fit your face size and shape—even if they're in the Miley Cyrus section," says Whitney Sandoval of Wichita, KS.
Opt for lighter frames and nose grips. "My cute glasses kept sliding down when I would sweat, or while looking down for hours in the OR during long surgeries," says Yasmeen Shariff, a med student in Atlanta. Switching over to a super-lightweight pair with nose pads was a game-changer for her. Consider rimless or metal frames (often lighter than plastic) and choose a pair with nose pads or nose grips, such as those from triathlete company Roka.
Switch to a sports brand. So many gear brands—Oakley, Smith, Nike, SportsRX—are now making (cute) prescription eyewear with the express intent of being able to see and sweat fuss-free.
Grab prescription goggles and sunglasses. The most commonly reported frustrating, no-solution workout was swimming. If laps are your thing, Rx goggles might be worth the investment (and a cheap one at that—beloved Speedo Vanquisher Optical Goggles and TYR Corrective Optical Goggles are both less than $25). If you spend most of your time dry, on land, consider opting for prescription glasses for sunny bike rides or runs. (Check out our list of the best running sunglasses for bright, sunny days.)
Think about when you foolishly head out for a run in a pair of cheap or too-big leggings that won't stay up. You spend the whole run with part of your focus on your clothes, tugging them up every few minutes and making the already-taxing experience even more exhausting and annoying.
That's pretty much what it's like for women who have to work out in glasses—except it's every sweat session.
We talked to dozens of women who, for whatever reason, can't just pop in contacts when it's time to work, and the majority said the same thing: Having your glasses slip, bounce, and fog up when you're trying to get fit is super frustrating. More than that, it can affect everything from the quality of a workout, to the safety of a run, to the frequency our four-eyed fit friends actually make it to the gym.
The Workout Woes of Wearing Glasses
"I have to use expensive single-use contacts because my eyes are so sensitive, so I end up wearing glasses during the week and saving contacts for the weekends. I don't like working out with them because they just slide down my sweaty face the whole time, so I normally end up planning gym sessions around when I'm going to have contacts in—which honestly just gives me one more excuse to skip the gym," says Lauren Paulauskas, 30 years old, Brooklyn, NY.
For Shana Westlake, a 35-year-old living in Rockville, MD, wearing glasses isn't a huge deal except on runs when it's raining, cold, or humid (so basically, everything other than perfect conditions). All of these make it hard to see clearly when the lenses get covered in water or fog up. The worst of it, she says, came to a head during a twilight race a few years back: "It was raining, practically a monsoon, and very humid. Between the rain, my glasses fogging up, and lights reflecting off everything, I could barely see anything. I nearly got lost a few times. It was frustrating, dealing with that in the middle of a race—I'm trying to run fast while simultaneously trying to make sure I'm running in the right direction," Westlake says.
All our glasses-wearing gals agree: Bouncing is the worst. Candace Fykes, a 32-year-old New Jerseyan living in Thailand, says her glasses aren't much of an issue during runs, TRX, or ballet classes. But she has to take them off to do burpees—adding it's one of the reasons she doesn't do the great burner too often.
Tara Haelle, 41 of Dallas, TX, who can't wear contacts anymore because of repeated eye infections, agrees: "I kickbox and finally just had to start taking my glasses off a third of the way into my workout. If it's a bouncy exercise, it's hopeless. And once I start really sweating, it's really hopeless. They fog up and the sweat burns my eyes." Sometimes she'll use a headband to soak up the sweat, but, as a heavy perspirer, there's typically not enough absorption power to keep her nose from becoming a slip and slide.
How Women Fix It
Some women have found creative solutions: Caroline Gerdes of Seattle used to bobby pin her glasses to her head during ballet so they wouldn't fly off mid-turn. And when Eve Fairbanks, a 35-year-old living in Johannesburg, South Africa, wanted to learn to surf, she tied her backup glasses really tight to her head with a huge rubber band and, using strings, also to her wetsuit and hairband for plan B and C. "It was pretty low tech and I was just starting out so had bigger things to worry about than water droplets on my lenses. But I do remember the faces of other surfers as I popped up out of the surf after a wipeout—looking like a surfer chick with the head of Elvis Costello!" she recounts.
The majority of the glasses-wearing gals we spoke with all turned to the same solution: They just deal with glasses slipping down their face—or go blind during workouts like yoga where fuzzy sight isn't a huge risk.
Sometimes, this is actually a good thing: "Not being able to see in yoga is a way to turn my mind off and relax, so it fits well with the principles of the practice and gives my eyes a break," says Delia Harrington, a 30-year-old residing in Boston. But most of the ladies say it also makes new poses or flows much harder to follow along with properly.
Beyond throwing on a baseball hat for minor security or a sweat band to minimize slippage, most of the women agree working out with glasses is a frustrating inconvenience that is just part of life with poor eyesight.
A Few Solutions
Finding more of a fix isn't really top priority for most women. As Shana Westlake says, "If there are any, I doubt they'd be affordable and I don't want to spend money on something that might not work."
We're here to help. We've rounded up a few solutions that won't break the bank and are reader-tested to minimizing the slippery situation of sweating in glasses:
Find frames that actually fit your face. Glasses come in narrow and wide fits for a reason. "I finally caved and started shopping in the teen section, but now my glasses actually stay on my face during workouts. My advice is buy glasses that fit your face—even if they're in the Miley Cyrus section," says Whitney Sandoval of Wichita, KS.
Opt for lighter frames and nose grips. "My cute glasses kept sliding down when I would sweat, or while looking down for hours in the OR during long surgeries," says Yasmeen Shariff, a 30-year-old doctor in Atlanta. Switching over to a super lightweight pair with nose pads was a game changer. Consider rimless or metal frames (often lighter than plastic) and choose a pair with nose pads or nose grips, like that from the triathlete company Roka.
Switch to a sports brand. So many gear brands—Oakley, Smith, Nike, Roka—are now making (cute) prescription eyewear with the express intent of being able to see and sweat fuss-free.
Grab prescription goggles and sunglasses. The most commonly reported frustrating, no-solution workout was swimming. If laps are your thing, Rx goggles might be worth the investment (and a cheap one at that—beloved Speedo Vanquisher Optical Goggle and TYR Corrective Optical Goggle are both under $25). Other ladies also mentioned having to risk safety or miles of glare by choosing between standard sunglasses and prescription glasses for sunny bike rides or runs. If you can afford it, grab a pair of regular sunglasses, sports sunglasses, even ski goggles with prescription lenses in them. We like SportsRX, which is a great one-stop shop for all the eyewear an athlete might need.
