Glasses and Coasters

[DJ.Abe]

What do people do with their glasses or sunglasses when they ride a coaster, especially one that inverts? I see trip report pictures of people in the loading area, with their glasses on... do the G forces push them on their face so they don't fall off? Or do they take them off and hold them in their hand while they are on the ride??

 

How do you keep from losing your glasses?

[SharkTums]

^It depends on a few things.

 

Some parks won't let you bring glasses on a ride AT ALL, some will make you have a strap, and some don't care.

 

I've found on most inverting rides that my cheap $10 sunglasses will stay on just fine. Although, I doubt I would chance it if I had some sort of prescription or expensive pair of glasses.

[Moose]

I would NEVER trust wearing my glasses on a ride bigger than a kiddie coaster. I need them to see, and it would royally suck if I lost them.

 

I bring a case with me and pocket them for rides (in a secure pocket) or wear contacts.

Because I am used to doing this with prescription glasses, I do the same with cheapo sunglasses as well, though losing them wouldn't be a big deal.

[Hercules]

When I used to wear glasses I never kept them on for any ride other than a small, gentle flat ride. I would always just put them in a safe place, either with a non rider, or if I wasn't at the park with someone, either a locker or a bin. I'm considered legally blind, so I would have to make my way around the park a little without the glasses if I had to get a locker, but I did alright.

[moinab]

Same as Jon. I'm blind as a bat without my glasses - I'd be screwed, without them. I don't like wearing my contacts, but I usually wear them to parks, so that I can see while on rides.

[Hercules]

I used to do the case thing, as I am a huge advocate of cargo pockets at a park. However, I stopped the case thing when I was on a very rough coaster and the hard case I had got crushed, causing my lenses to pop out when I didn't have a repair kit handy. I just decided to do the locker/bin thing from then on. Now I strictly wear contacts so I don't really have to worry too much.

[davisal771]

My friend just pushes them on her face, and rode every ride at Elitch's with her glasses. The only thing she took them off on was the Skycoaster.

[Carnage]

I'm only slightly nearsighted, so I just leave my glasses behind. All I'll wear to a park are my cheap-o sunglasses that I don't care about. that way if they get broken or lost I just buy a new $5 pair.

 

Although it depends really on the park. If it's Cedar Point or a Six Flags park, I leave them behind. But if it's someplace like Disney I'll wear them as there's not much that I would have to take them off for.

[fatdaddy]

I usually stick um in my shirt, but last time i did that they stopped the ride on the lift and sent someone up to take them from me, I felt pretty retarded.

[DJ.Abe]

I am very nearsighted so I don't think I could walk around without them. I'm going to Six Flags St. Louis - do you think they'd let me keep them in one of those neck wallets travelers use? Like stick them in there, tuck it under my shirt when I'm on a coaster? I don't have contacts anymore.

[mightbeawannabe]

Cargo pants can work without at case but I recommend one. I'm terribly nearsighted (can't believe I'm not considered legally blind) and only keep my glasses on for a raft ride of small log flume. On the coasters, I put them in my case and put it in a secure pocket. On the painfully rough rides, I just put them in the pocket opposite the outside without the case so that they absorb the little shock put on them and not just fall apart.

 

D.J. Abe- I think they would, or you could try the super manly fanny pack. But seriously, maybe email the park and ask them. I'm sure they wouldn't deny the right to stow away something that you physically need.

[jray21]

I am a firm believer that if they are cheap glasses, you will not lose them, unless you really really like them. If they are expensive, then say goodbye to them. No matter what. Every time I had expensive/favorite glasses, prescription or sun, I would somehow lose them if I wore them, put them in a locker and forgot them, or put them in my pocket and they fell out. With cheap ones, I could probably throw them off a coaster, and somehow the wind and the coaster track would put them smack onto my face. Now I have zippered cargo short pockets, but I have to be careful that the restraints don't crush them.

[Carnage]

Now I have zippered cargo short pockets, but I have to be careful that the restraints don't crush them.

 

That's the main reason I don't wear them. From time to time I've forgotten to remove them before entering the park, and they always get twisted and bent in directions they shouldn't.

 

If you have to wear glasses, a hard case would be an asset.

[coastercrutchfield]

Before I had contacts, I used to ALWAYS used to take them off. But I never really got to experience a ride. When I got my contacts I realized what I was missing out on. I don't know how you would deal with it, but i would rather be safe than sorry. I do wear sunglasses now though on rides, and they never felt like they were going to fall of, but I guess it is a lot different for eyeglasses.

[moinab]

Has anyone ever tried Croakies, or something similar? I've thought about trying those, maybe with cheap sunglasses, to see how well they would work.

[dandaman]

I've had a pair of dollar-store sunglasses for six years now, and thanks to my strap, they've survived every single coaster since then; highly recommended. Had to buy the strap because my contacts were bothering and I had to wear glasses to... y'know, not run into everything at Cedar Point, and they've survived just fine.

[generaleclectic]

I just did Intimidator at Carowinds with my glasses. I was really sweating a lot that day, but was confident that they would stay on. They did. There was a couple of times where I would wipe the sweat, coaster grease and skin oil off with my shirt and make sure to get the nose pads too. Worked out just fine. In the past I have bought straps SPECIFICALLY from my eye doctor that have the rubber, whole stem retainers on them. I then tie up the slack behind my head and it works just fine.

[RCFreak]

Funny, I'm in a similar boat as many people here in that I can't see without some form of vision correction, but I'm not nearly as paranoid with my actual glasses. Usually I try to wear my contacts when visiting a park, but the few times I've had glasses on I've ridden every ride I could with them on without worry (including using the cheap $1 straps Cedar Point sold when I worked for the park) and they have been fine. The only time I've EVER had a problem was once on Desperado when I was much younger and they made me put them in my pocket, they got crushed and flew out on the bunny hills. Luckily this was on the way home from Vegas during the summer so not a huge loss aside from my parents having to get me a new pair.

[Canobie Coaster]

I wear my glasses on almost every ride since mine stay on very well. However, there are a few rides that I take them off for.

 

Potential Headbangers (I don't think it is very good for the frame of my glasses to smack the OTSR.) such as Arrows and Vekomas. If I know that one is smooth, I will wear my glasses the second time. Examples of this would be Canobie's Corkscrew, Dragon Mountain, and Darien's Viper.

 

Hyper Coasters- I used to always wear my glasses on any roller coaster without restraints until I almost lost my lenses on Behemoth two weeks ago. During the ride, I was amazed by the wind in my face feeling that the front seat provided. After the ride, my vision was a tad blurry so I looked at my glasses and saw that my lenses were very close to completely popping out. Needless to say my glasses weren't on for the rest of my Behemoth rides.

 

Inverting Flat Rides With Hang-Time- While my glasses are fairly secure, prolonged hang-time on rides such as Huss Rangers or Zamperla Hawks make me a bit nervous.

 

Some parks like Martin's Fantasy Island make my life easier and just ban me from wearing glasses.

[Sidra]

I dont wear prescription glasses at the park, I can get by without them. But I do still bring along some cheap under $10 sunglasses. I usually tuck them into my shirt collar, glasses on the inside for a coaster. Funny enough though I had them on top of my head on bumper cars last weekend and they popped right off when I got hit from the side. Luckily several people made a grab for them and I got them back.

[jeronimon]

I wear prescription glasses, and do so on all the rides, being able to see makes it more fun.

 

Usually I will wear a strap (get one at a decent outdoor store, or better yet in a themepark, or better yet in Cedar Point that's where I bought my favorite strap. The surroundings might have helped. ) But for less aggravating rides I don't wear the strap, unless the attendant orders it. I would advise never to argue with them, just put on the strap, ride and have fun.

 

 

While a lot of glasses will stay on your face riding fats rides, if you don't have "facehugging" glasses I have one advise: don't look back! Then the wind "gets in behind" them and they fly pretty good.

[Billy Shears]

Glasses strap is totally the way to go here. I've always used them, and I can't even imagine riding anything blind. Just make sure it's pretty tight and you'll be fine (and maybe carry a backup pair, just in case )

 

I never even get questioned about it by attendants at Six Flags Over GA, nor was anything said to me on my recent vacation to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but the couple times I've been asked to take off my glasses at other parks (usually on rides with OTSRs where the strap is hidden), I've just said that I had a strap on and they were fine with it.

[let1gre]

I have probably the worst vision of anyone I know (it's like a -8 or something) and I need my glasses to see anything. At King's Dominion I wore them on 7 of the 8 coasters I rode (only exception was Flight of Fear, which is dark anyways, and has a forcey launch) sans strap and they were absolutely fine, including several that inverted. I rarely had a problem and if I did I just pushed them back on my face. I also brought an extra pair in a case in my pocket, just in case. People tend to be wary about glasses on loops, but centrifugal force will push them back into your face.

[DOCTOR DOOM!!!]

Ive NEVER taken off my expensive Transition lenses on ANY ride. NEVER lost them! Rode every coaster at SFStl with them on!!! The only problem ive EVER had is I had to push adjust them back on my face while riding FireHawk!

[Electerik]

I wear my glasses on everything. No strap, unless the park requires it. And I've never had any trouble. (I do use a strap at water parks, though.)

 

Just a small sampling of the coasters I've worn my glasses on:

 

Top Thrill Dragster

The Voyage

Manta

 

I've even worn them on slow inverting rides like Hammerhead at KBF and Ranger at Darien Lake.

 

I did use a strap on Steel Hawg for my one ride on it, because it worried me a bit looking at it--but in retrospect, I don't think I needed it.

 

Of course, you should do what makes you comfortable, park rules notwithstanding. But, to me, the safest place for my glasses is on my face.

 

/I do sometimes bring my old glasses on road trips as emergency back-up, in case disaster strikes. But it hasn't happened yet.