High speed and watering eyes

electr0n

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Mar 29, 2009
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Just curious if other people experience eye irritation when going fast or riding into a big headwind and what you do about it? When I'm out riding around fast my eyes start watering profusely and I look like I'm crying. I wear a pair of sunglasses but they don't help much with the wind.
 
Wear a full face helmet or pick up some "riding glasses" like what people use on a motorcycle. They wrap around full and you wont have issues anymore.
I picked up my motorcycle about 50 miles from my house and forgot to bring my helmet. I figured I'd be fine just wearing my normal glasses. Anything over 30mph was very harsh on my eyes. I finally stopped at a grocery store and picked up some good wrap-around sun glasses and that fixed my problem.
Good luck!
 
105024.jpg
 
A full-face helmet would indeed solve this, as would a 3/4 helmet with a low-hanging face shield. Alternatively one could rig up a proper windshield for the machine itself.
 
I use these when it's warm:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reactive-Motorcycle-Sunglasses-for-Prescription-Lens-/330434936783?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item4cef74ffcf#ht_1124wt_1009

and these for when it's chillier:-

http://www.snowandrock.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=SIN0090EC
 
Video camera shades solve that and you can make videos too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-DV-DVR-Spy-Sun-glasses-Camera-Audio-Video-Recorder-/200744870235
 
Like the pic MadRhino linked, you just need properly fitting glasses. My eyes are extremely sensitive to wind, and even glasses that fit fairly well leave wind coming around the edges and tickling my eyes. Every face is different, so you just have to go try a bunch on and find those that seal well on yours before choosing based on looks. Once you find some you like and that work well, go back and buy at least one extra pair. For night riding I wear a pair of cheapie clear safety glasses, and keep them in a ziplock to minimize the scratches. Once they get too scratched then they're demoted to metal work duty.

John
 
Yep, riding glasses need to have a cushion around inside, to close the gap between the frame and your face.
Some expansive riding glasses come with 3 different cushion shapes and a few tint of lens included.
I like yellow or amber, for they emphasize the relief of the trail in the sunlight, and are not dark enough to bother vision at night.
 
Good thread here: Winter Riding, keeping warm. Jumps right to the goggles section.

I started out wearing goggles cos I yam nearsighted and have to wear glasses to read distant signs. PITA. :(

Then I migrated to a helmet with a faceshield: AGV Blade Helmet (review) 8)

Helmets reign all around ...mostly.
Safe travels, KF
 
A set of form-fitting glasses work well. Look at glasses used by hunters and target shooters as they are normally designed to protect the eyes to an impact standard.

When your car windshield gets hit by a rock it's a trip to the shop, when your riding glasses take a similar hit from a bit of gravel thrown up by a passing car it's a trip to the hospital.
 
Yes, certainly I get watery eyes when moving fast. I normally wear corrective lens glasses but they don't help much because they don't wrap around the sides enough. The wrap around styles (like the ones MadRhino posted) work much better and don't make you look like a complete dork. Nothing wrong with dorks, just saying...
 
I'm cursed with spectacles, which are never designed as biker glasses. My solution is the lab safety glasses that are designed to be able to wear over regular glasses. They are quite goggle like, keeping wind from entering at the temple, yet not as hot to wear in summer as goggles. Mostly I just need them when pollens are at thier peak, spring trees, or fall weeds. If really cold, pollen is not a problem, but the ski goggles and snowboarders helmet come out for warmth.
 
This problem, which I have even at low speed, affects my whole morning routine insofar as any makeup becomes a streaky mess on the ride to work.
 
Should be working said:
This problem, which I have even at low speed, affects my whole morning routine insofar as any makeup becomes a streaky mess on the ride to work.
This is well worth a pair of 100$ riding glasses :D
 
These http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Bolle-Contour-Smoke-Shaded-Safety-Glasses-pouch-/190419360518?pt=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&hash=item2c55e0db06#ht_1619wt_689 work a treat for me. I have a smoked pair and a clear pair. Nice n cheap too, they wrap around the eyes perfectly and are good for my top speed of 40 mph.
 
Definitely worth a pair of really good riding glasses. If your probelem is really severe, then you need to get something that really fits tightly around your face, and keeps all outside wind out.

Fortunately, these days that's the style for sunglasses anyway. If the budget is tight, start looking at safety glasses at a hardware or building supply store. They will have the over the glasses ones I have to use, but they will also have many other choices that look good. The safety designs tend to fit tight, so as to keep metal bits and sawdust out of workers eyes, and should also keep pollen wind off your face.
 
For others who may be reading and need over the glasses type riding glasses to keep the pollen out of the eyes,,,

This is what I useLab safety glasses.jpg

Not this.
 
Wrap around sunglasses for me. But I've found they work best when pushed slightly lower down my nose than I would wear them just walking around. At night, I have several pair of saftey glasses that look more like clear sunglasses than anything a shop teacher would wear.

something like this:
uvex9174.jpg


I learned about them years ago when driving a roadster with a 2" high windshield at night.
 
My Oakley "Sideways" work real well, no wind through these things. Funny moment leaving work last week, I thought I forgot my sunglasses at my desk and decided to go without them and take the chance. Next stop light, after double checking in my bag and my pockets, I found them on my face! 8) :D ... I guess they're that comfortable to me.
 
I use clear safety specs from work, about two bucks a piece. Modern ones have the same shape and good form fitting sunglasses. Ebay has some good branded ones. Cheap enough to keep them about all over the place for mowing lawns etc too so you never go without...
 
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