Southern California - eyes: red and dry after night ride

Rode 15 miles last night near the Rose Bowl, and when I got home, my eyes were all red and dry.

Usually (but not always) when I ride in the daytime, I wear Oakley M's with dark lenses. After 30 miles, my eyes have never been red and dry.

For night rides, should I invest in a clear lens for my sunglasses? Or will my eyes "get used" to no sunglasses at night? Does anyone have any other tips?

I apologize if this has already been discussed, but I could not find anything when I searched the forums for "red eyes."

Thanks in advance.

Doppelg, I would strongly urge you to buy glasses with either exchangable lenses or the glasses I have which are Photochromic especially if you ride at all times during the day. Even in overcast weather, these work the best, IMO, and you do not need to change lenses out. You absolutely should wear glasses at ALL times on a bike for eye protection from debris, rocks flying up, etc., let alone sun protection. That's my 2 cents and here is some more info on photochromic lenses:

Photochromic Lenses:
Photochromic lenses change from a light to a dark tint based on the amount of sunlight or UV exposure. Silver halide is mixed with the lens material to cause this transformation. This feature is very popular in driving glasses. When a driver or pilot is behind a windshield, UV rays are blocked and the glasses maintain a comfortable tint. When exposed to direct sunlight, they darken.

Special precautions must be taken when ordering prescription photochromic lenses. Silver halide is typically mixed evenly throughout the lens material. So in stronger prescriptions, the thickest part of the lens will get darker than the thinnest. And if your prescription is not the same in each eye, your expensive prescription glasses could end up looking really silly.

Fortunately the technology exists to rectify this problem. And as you would expect, we would not sell you a pair of glasses that will make you look silly.

Important Note About Photochromic Lenses:

There is absolutely nothing that works better than the Transitions material that we use in all our photochromic prescriptions lenses. BUT, there are a few important facts that you should know before purchasing them.


· Transitions material will not get quite as dark in polycarbonate or Trivex lenses as it will in glass or CR-39 (plastic).


· Heat will slow down the darkening process in Transition lenses.


· After 3 -5 years, Transitions lenses will start to “Fatigue”. This means that after a while they will not get quite dark or as clear. Keeping the lenses out of extreme temperatures (like on the dash of your car) will extend the life of Photochromic lenses.

Motorcyclists and bicyclists often request photochromic lenses so they won't have to change their glasses or lenses when the sun sets. Glass or CR-39 lenses are not strong enough for sports eyewear, so polycarbonate or Trivex are your only options. If you want these lenses to be completely clear at night, they will only get you about 50% to 70% as dark as traditional dark glasses during full sunlight. Some people choose to have a slight tint added to their photochromic lenses to compensate for this condition. Copper is a good choice because it adds contrast in low light conditions.

I know night rides are exciting but you need to blink.

I wear a pair of clear (shop) glasses on my night rides. They are ugly but hey it's night time.

Get lenses or clear glasses.

I can't imagine doing a mountain bike ride, day or nght without goggles, glasses, face mask something on to protect your eyes. Not accounting for the dust and debris floating around there is also the possiblity of running into a branch or flying critter out there - so if you have glasses that take interchangeable lenses, get a clear. Make sense - reasonable investment to prevent injury to your eyesight!

PS: As much as I want to get the new Oakley Transition lenses, I wouldn't wear them at night. The lens never ever goes completely clear. Studies have shown that even a small reduction of incoming light, such as caused by sunglasses, will cause loss of reaction time and strength. Get clear!

I would look into getting some clear lenses as the glasses offer protection from the wind, which is probably the culprit to your dry eyes.

If your eyes were to be red/dry again, I would recommend putting some artificial tears in your eyes - my recommendation would be Systane as that has proven to be an excellent choice when I was working in the ophthalmology field.

Thanks so much for all the responses and recommendations.

I went to Home Depot at lunch and picked up some clear safety glasses. Now at least I have something to protect me while I decide between Oakley clear lenses and a pair of photochromatic-lensed glasses.

Can I ask a follow-up-- what brand of photochromatic glasses would you recommend?

Can I ask a follow-up-- what brand of photochromatic glasses would you recommend?

http://www.tifosioptics.com/fototec/index.html

This is the brand I buy from my favorite bike shop. They are great and good quality for the buck.

I use photochromatic glasses (cheap ones found at Performance), and they work out really well for me. They are especially helpful when descending a hill, where you go from bright light to shade and back to bright light. When I use oakley's, sometimes it's difficult to see when you are descending. I should try looking for tifosioptics. The problem with me is I break mine, or lose mine all the time.

Consume water instead of this on your rides:

http://web.valley.net/files/enfieldpolice/marijuana2.jpg

http://www.tifosioptics.com/fototec/index.html

This is the brand I buy from my favorite bike shop. They are great and good quality for the buck.

Jim Kern buys some semi stylish safety glasses in bulk. He'd get clear and shades, since he'd scratch/loose them all the time. Not a bad idea, scratching/loosing a 2-3 buck set of safety glasses vs a set of $100 oakleys. Of course, if you're ocp, you need not apply. :) I remember having a box of glasses in the follow vehicle during the race.

I purchased these on Friday:
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39329723

I'll let you know how they work out for me.

I always ride with clear lenses-- bright sun doesn't bother me, but wind and dust and dirt do. They also keep my contacts from blowing out at high speed.

I love the Tifosi slips. They have a snug, sleek fit that keeps wind out of my eyes, and I can wear them in bright sunlight, too. Thanks for the recommendation, Merider.