Can You Skydive With Glasses or Contacts?

With your epic skydive on the horizon, you may be wondering what you should – or should not – wear during your skydive. And for those who require prescription eyewear to see, glasses and contacts are a major concern. So, can you wear glasses while skydiving? To put it simply – yes, you can skydive with glasses or contacts, and even after LASIK. Frankly, we recommend it! One of the best parts of skydiving is the view you get to witness during freefall and the canopy ride. At Skydive New England we have a spectacular view with even a few bodies of water to spot, one of them being the Gulf of Maine! We are here to explain exactly how we keep your glasses and eyes protected during your skydive and address some other eyewear questions.

Can You Skydive With Glasses?

Yes, it is true that you CAN skydive with glasses – and we highly suggest wearing them during your entire skydive so you can get the full picture of your experience! To protect your specs, we will provide you with special goggles that are made to be worn over top of your glasses. If you’re not a fan of sharing goggles with others, we do have them available for purchase – just ask!

Skydiving goggles are made with a flexible plastic material with a stretchy, adjustable strap to ensure they fit snugly on your face. Your instructor can help you fit them properly so that they are secure and don’t become a bother during your jump. Remember, we want you to be as comfortable as possible during your experience – so please let us know if you need to adjust any of your gear.

Can You Wear Contacts Skydiving?

Yes! You CAN also wear contacts while skydiving. And if you wear contacts regularly, you’re likely aware of how easy it can be to knock one loose or out of place. As such, we are even more diligent when securing the skydiving goggles to your face while you get geared up for your skydive. 

We can add a little bit of extra security by covering up the ventilation holes on either side of the goggles with a handy-dandy piece of tape. This keeps extra airflow from coming in and drying out your contacts. Contact lenses are less obvious for us to spot – so if you do wear contacts, please let your instructor know ahead of time!

What About Skydiving After LASIK?

Those who have had LASIK know how important it is to avoid excess airflow and exposure to the elements you may encounter during your jump. Luckily, we can use the same tape trick to block the ventilation holes, allowing you to avoid that pesky “dry-eye” feeling.

If you’ve recently had LASIK or are considering getting LASIK before your skydive, we recommend you speak with your medical professional before planning to jump or to wait at least six months before skydiving. Your eyes will need time to heal before taking on 120+ mph winds during freefall.

Can I Wear Sunglasses On My Tandem Skydive?

Sunglasses are not recommended for students to wear on their skydive for a few reasons. Primarily, we do not permit sunglasses because instructors use a lot of non-verbal communication during the skydiving process. When you are on the plane or free-falling at 120+ mph, it’s very hard to hear each other speak. Therefore, instructors will “read” your face to judge how you are doing or if you’re understanding them. We can tell a lot about how you’re doing based on the look of your face, especially your eyes.

Note, too, that you will be wearing a pair of fitted goggles for your tandem skydive regardless if you have glasses, contacts, or no eyewear at all. While the goggles do fit around form-fitting glasses, they tend to not fit snugly around bulky sunglasses.

Eyewear For Experienced Skydivers

When you become a licensed skydiver, you have a few more eyewear options. You have the opportunity to choose a full face helmet (a popular item amongst sport jumpers) that can offer more coverage and protection from the wind. Glasses and sunglasses both fit very comfortably under the full face visor. You can also elect to go for prescription skydiving goggles.

Goggles and other protective eyewear are a must for all skydivers – from newcomers to pros. It’s important to be able to see during your skydive not just for safety reasons but also because you wouldn’t want to miss out on fully experiencing the joy and awe that comes with human flight!

See New England from a whole new angle – come skydiving with us! Blue skies, friends!