Contacts vs Glasses: Which Should You Pack in Your Bug-Out Bag?

We think that you'll agree that any disaster or post-apocalyptic scenario will be hard on the visually impaired. To be blind and face the aftermath of an EMP attack would be perilous at best. However, considering that 2/3rds of Americans wear glasses or contacts, that reality should hit closer to home for most.

You've stockpiled food, water, and medicine, but that is to little avail if you can't see. Failing to account for vision correction needs is perhaps one of the more fatal flaws in preparing for the day most people dread. That's because true prepping begins with the end in mind and you have to account for needs that you do not yet have.

Around the age of 45, vision takes a steep decline if it has not already. We're going to break down the effects of vision correction and answer the crucial question, should you pack contacts or glasses in your bug out bag. This article is not just for the 66% of America currently wearing vision correction. This article is for everyone and as such, let's jump right in. 

The Basics of Vision Correction

When you show up to your local optometrist for an appointment, you are often in need of a prescription for glasses or contact lenses. You might not realize it at the time, but what you are essentially asking them to do is to adjust the way light enters your eyes and focuses on the retina. 

If you have myopia (nearsightedness), you'll need concave lenses that diverge light rays. If you have hyperopia (farsightedness) you'll need convex lenses that converge light rays. Perhaps it is an astigmatism which means you'll need cylindrical lenses to correct the uneven curvature of the cornea. 

In any case, the glasses or lenses you need all affect the way light travels to your eyes. Spectacles are known to have first entered society around the 1300's and though the science wasn't fully understood, it was clear that glass could be used to improve vision. Fortunately for the prepper, old technology means technology that can withstand the breakdown of social order. 

Source: Envato

Contacts vs Glasses: A Comparative Analysis

Depending on which survey you examine, the number of people who chose prescription glasses over contact lenses is roughly 3 to 1 (mostly because they're easy to wear). There is certainly an ease of use with eyeglasses as they don't require you to stick your fingers in and out of your eyes on a daily basis. They don't require a solution to store overnight and if they're bothering you, just take them off your face. 

However, for people who wear contact lenses, there is really no changing their mind. Soft lenses are made from flexible and permeable plastics that allow the eye to breathe and provide a wider field of view with less distortion, making them better than glasses in several situations. Certainly it is a little more work, but the enhanced peripheral vision is worth it. 

One might call it a simple matter of preference, but that wouldn't be accurate in a survival situation. If you ask us if you should include contacts in your bug out bag, our answer is going to be yes. If you ask us if you should include eyeglasses in your bug out bag, our answer is going to be yes. If you ask us if you should include both, our answer is again, yes. We'll explain more as we get to the end of the article. 

The Inherent Risks of Contact Lenses in CBRN Emergencies

First off, let's get the elephant out of the room. Daily disposable lenses that force you to touch your eyes in a Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) environment are risky. The same is true for contacts designed for extended wear as, at some point, you're still going to be sticking your fingers in your eyes. 

Any environment affected by CBRN threats is sure to be a nasty place where the mere ability to wash your hands might be in question. The risk for an eye infection is ever present and glasses may seem like the only logical choice. This forces many survivalists into assuming that a pair of glasses is the only way to go. We believe that is the right approach and we'll tell you why. 

We cannot ignore the fact that in less sterile environments, sticking your dirty fingers in your eye will increase your risk of eye injury.  So yes, we acknowledge what many like minded individuals will tell you, but believe the story doesn't end there. Contact lenses come with some distinct disadvantages, especially if that is how you train and prepare. 

Source: Envato

Practical Considerations for Preppers

Many people like to assume that they will rise to the occasion when it all hits the fan. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than rise to the occasion, you will fall to the highest level of your training and preparation. Which means that you must train like you intend to fight. 

If every time you head to the range you are wearing contacts, then you need contacts in your bug out bag. Right? If you have conducted one immediate action drill after the other and did so in contacts, it is not going to feel the same while wearing glasses. 

Absolutely, in a long-term survival scenario, the ancient technology of warped glass will serve you well. However, not every event for which you prepare is a long-term scenario, or will involve a CBRN threat Remember, we're talking bug out bags here. That's a few days of what you need to survive. If you train in contacts, then you need contacts and solution in your bug out bag, so long as you are 100% certain chemical warfare is not involved. Again, train like you intend to fight. 

Real-World Scenarios: Contacts vs Glasses in Emergencies

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, it dispelled the myth that the United States government would always be there to save the day. Just a year prior, when the 2004 tsunami overtook islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans, it dispelled the myth that you would have time to prepare. 

Either your bug out bag is ready when disaster hits or it is not. You can debate the pros and cons of contacts and glasses all you want. What you cannot debate is the necessity to prepare for uncertainty. As the debate stands right now spectacles are the clear winner. 

While contacts and eyeglasses take up minimal space in a bugout bag and right now, your bug out bag should include glasses which are perfect for any CBRN scenario. Check out our other thoughts on bug out bag essentials while you are at it. 

If you don't have any, schedule a trip to the eye doctor for an eye exam and get some now. Don't have current vision impairment, run to Walmart and get cheap easy readers. We take this moment to call you to action because it is inaction that will prove the most deadly. 

Why Choose Glasses Over Contacts for Emergency Preparedness

Assuming you have something, anything, in your bug out bag now to address vision impairment, let's start talking about the best options. If you are currently using contact lenses, we'd recommend at least two sets of backups in your bug out bag. If space is a premium, one bottle of solution and one container will do. While they're more expensive than glasses to buy and even maintain, they are when you factor in portability.

This should last you a good month or more in a non CBRN environment, and by that time, the reason you had to bug out may have abated. For a couple of months, you will have the ability to fight like you have trained and prepared. That may be enough. While contacts also make putting on a gas mask all the more easier. If you're putting on a gas mask in the first place, consider the chemical reaction between a contact lense and your eyes. This could cause even more irritation depending on the chemical agent. Or perhaps it would even lead to blindness. If you have not practiced putting on a gas mask with glasses you will flounder the very moment you need it most. 

That's when a spectacle kit will come to save the day. It is time to switch to glasses as it looks like this is quickly deteriorating into a long-term survival scenario and it is now the time to start preparing for how you will fight in the long-term. Contacts and their solution will always be a finite resource. At some point in long-term survival, you will have to make the switch. 

Source : MIRA Safety

Final Verdict: Choosing Between Glasses and Contacts

If you have never worn contacts a day in your life, there is no point in including them in your bug out bag. However, if you train in contacts then they are a must have for any bug out scenario.However no matter what if you're anticipating that you'll be putting on a gas mask and exposed to CBRN threats a spectacle kit is a must. Irregardless always keep a pair of glasses on hand. 

We can have the contacts and glasses debate all day long, but that would do you a disservice. It is not a question of either as the answer is yes to both. Short-term, fight like you have trained. If that is in contacts, so be it. Long-term, the switch to hard lenses is inevitable. If you want correct vision when it matters most, you'll plan for both scenarios. 

Conclusion

Look, if you have a remarkably strong prescription and your glasses resemble the bottom of coke bottles, pack two pairs. We have the nagging suspicion that there will be a massive short supply of optometrists in a long-term survival scenario and best you prepare for the worst. 

However, it is not our hope that any survival situation devolves into the long-term.  In the interim, you'll want to be sure that you are at your very best. For that to be the case, you must train like you intend to fight. Contact lenses provide you with better peripheral vision and for that reason alone they're a pretty good option to have in a fight. Especially if that is how you train.

As such, don't let anyone convince you that hard lenses are the only way to go. You know how you train and you have a plan for what happens on the day that most people dread. The team here at MIRA Safety will do all we can to help you and your family in that endeavor. Stay frosty friends and keep preparing.