Shannon-UT

It's getting in the mid 20s where I live now days. I wear Rx glasses. Even my Rx wrap around sunglasses don't help much better. However, the cold air blowing on my eyes when biking makes them terribly irritated. I get to work and they are all red (in the white area) and even a little imflammed around the iris.

Sometimes they get so cold when I'm biking, I'll bike with my eyes closed for a few seconds just to warm them up (don't worry about traffic, I see maybe 3 cars on my route to work).

I have these Bausch & Lomb Lubricant Eye Drops and Redness Reliever, but that burns my eyes quite a bit when they are all red. Other times this same product does not burn.

-Does anyone's eyes get like this?
-What do you do for it?
-Can the cold cause any type of damage to my eyes?

elicheez

I wear ski goggles.

Shannon-UT

How do ski goggles work with wearing a helmet (and Rx glasses)?

xylog

Goggles tend to mess up your peripherial vision in my experience. I also have problems on cold days even with glasses on but after a few minutes I usually warm up enough where it doesnt bother me anymore. Of course, the temperature around here prolly never gets as low as it does by you.

Shannon-UT

I wonder if I should talk with an eye doctor.

It's been 2 hours since my commute and my eyes still hurt.

HiYoSilver

2 hours is too tooo long. Get some help. Another alternative is those wrap around clear glasses for old folks, or those wrap around impact proctection glasses.

Huff

RainmanP

My eyes and nose water when temps get into the 40s even with wraparound glasses.

Wulfheir

i wear safety glasses.

rykoala

Stop at a hardware store and get some wraparound safety glasses and see if that helps. I commute in the Reno area and the last few mornings have been 21 and 22 degrees or so, and I have no eye protection. It doesn't really bother me too much, my eyes tear up a little when doing 20+mph but keep the speeds down and its fine. I also keep my head down and let the visor on the helmet do some of the work.

Daily Commute

Goggles may decrease peripheral vision a little, but they are worth it. Shannon-UT says she was closing her eyes for a few seconds at a time because of the cold. Losing a little peripheral vision is a small price to pay.

My goggles fit just fine with my helmet. I assume they fit fine over glasses, because that’s what skiers do.

If you have the cash, get the kind of combination goggles/perscription glasses some atheletes wear.

cyclingshane73

I was thinking about getting a pair of goggles for myself. I was wondering if the goggles they sell for DH racing are just as practical as ski goggles mainly, is there any difference at all? Also is it possible to buy them with interchangeable lenses? Dark for sunny skies, clear for overcast or night time.

aiguy

Another option: https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

I have used a windscreen like this (it velcros to my helmet) for a long time during the winter. Mine is not this model -- mine (Team MRC) is apparently no longer made. I like it a LOT: it keeps my upper face warmer, and keeps moost wind - and flying crap from trucks, tires, etc. - out of my eyes than sunglasses. Also rarely fogs up due to distance from my face, and clears almost immediately on the rare occasion when any fog forms.

I have used it with sunglasses, and it does seem to have a minor effect on depth perception, but I have never used it with prescription glasses so don't know if there would be any issue there.

bac

Yes, (good) ski goggles have dual lenses with a thin space in between. This helps stop them from freezing over. If you don't plan on riding below freezing, you could get away with motocross/DH goggles.

Good luck!

thechrisproject

I just ordered a pair of these:

https://www.safetyglassesusa.com/bran...2-goggles.html

We'll see if it was $8.50 well spent or not.

bkrownd

My eyes totally water like crazy when biking in the cold. Perscription glasses help deflect the wind a little bit, but not much. I got some perscription goggles once, but I never wear them since they fog like crazy and the distortion around the edges is absolutely mind-bending.

Shannon-UT

Yeah, I bet everyone's eyes water in cold temps; but I'm talking BURNING PAIN from the cold. Like my eye balls are freezing in my eye sockets. Going on 6 hours since my commute and no relief yet. it's like this every day since the temps have dropped.

That helmet windscreen thing maybe an option. The goggles may be the best option, but with regular glasses, helmet, fleece headband, gaitor I got alot going on around my head already. But I guess it may just come to that.

Otherwise winter commuting has been very pleasant - just the eye thing is a problem.

Shannon-UT

Well, I just called a local optometrist and got to speak directly with the doctor.

He said they are not freezing, 20s is not cold enough. But they are probably drying out like crazy and he suggested putting in gel eye drops just before I leave for work. Plus, he said there's likely no damage due to the cold, but too dry and easily irritate and cause minute scratches on the eyes' surface which can lead to infection.

Didn't even think of gel drops.

Konakazi

Crazy. Well there goes my suggestion of getting some Bolle glasses.

Just for the sake of discussion, I got these Vigilantes and my eyes have thanked me ever since. There are dark and light lenses for night and day, and my eyes don't tear with them in. Huzzah.

HiYoSilver

good info. you might want to consider NOT using redness reducing eye drops. they constrict the blood flow and might be aggravating a painful condition. The original visine might be one of the few that does not constrict eye vessels.

elicheez

I commute in Boston, every year there are a couple weeks when it's 10 degrees and the wind really whips along the river. I've tried a lot of different things. That windscreen isn't going to do anything for you. Ski goggles are the only thing that really block the wind. They work fine with a helmet. One of these things replaces a hat and scarf and fits under a helmet.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

HereNT

I haven't had any problems with pain, but I switch to contacts in the winter. I use the re-wetting drops specifically for contacts, they work pretty well. When I used to use glasses, I ended up with a 2" long icycle hanging from them once!

My brother actually had his eyes freeze shut on one ride last year, then switched to goggles. I might do that this year. If you get a snowboard helmet, most of them have a little strap and a couple of ridges to keep the strap in place.

balto charlie

Did it work?? Charlie

dab60

How well does it work in the rain. I have a terrible problem with rain at night on my glasses. The glare caused by lights refracting on raindrops nearly blinds me.

thechrisproject

I wore these today and was pretty pleased with them. The temp was about 36 F. I got a little sweaty around the pads, but it wasn't uncomfortable and they didn't fog. I was largely unaware that they were on my face.

For $8.50, they seem like a great buy.

Shannon-UT

Charley, I plan on getting the gel drops this weekend. I'll report next week.

NOw you're talking Chrisproject, $8.50 is up my alley.