Safety Benefits of Wearing Cycling Glasses
Posted in Cycling on April 12th, 2010 by Jim – Comments OffIf you do a lot of road cycling, there are two pieces of safety equipment you should never be without: a helmet and a pair of cycling glasses. The bike helmet is obvious as most collisions between cars and two-wheeled vehicles, whether bicycles or motorbikes, usually result in the victim’s head hitting the road surface with significant force. So even if your local laws do not insist on the wearing of bicycle helmets, it is always a good life-preservation tactic to wear one anyway.
Cycle glasses are a different matter and are often overlooked. Sunglasses are fine as long as they have decent ultraviolet filter layers, as they will prevent your eyes from getting damaged by the sun’s rays if you live in a hot, sunny climate. Aim to get sunglasses with protection against UVA and UVB if possible; many brands of sports and cycling glasses offer even better shielding.
Proper cycling eyewear is different in style, and the frames wrap around the head so there is no gap at the sides of the eyes. This will stop the wind from blowing in and either drying out your eyes, or making them tear up. Both are irritating, as drying out can cause itchiness and wreak havoc with contact lenses; and of course, if your eyes are continually filling up with tears as you ride, it will interfere with your vision. So good “wrap-around” glasses can stop this.
The main feature of any type of cycle eyewear is its ability to keep dirt, dust and debris out of your eyes when cycling. If there is a lot of traffic on the road, it can easily throw grit up into the air, and into your face. And in heavy traffic, you really do not want to lose vision for a second because of something hitting your eyes.
If you have defective vision, the great news is that there are prescription cycling safety glasses available these days too, so you can protect your eyes as well as seeing where you are going! Make it your mission from now on to look after your eyes as well as your head when out on the roads.
