my mom had the surgery on both eyes when she was 42, so don't think it just happens to "old" people.

This is something I just learned recently....

Polycarbonate (the clear plastic material used for safety glasses) provides UV protection. There is no need to add an additional coating.

Adding to the sensitivity issue I wear sunglasses when I'm riding no matter what because of contacts (think wind effect x100, and then if the contacts dry out too much i could lose one), but squinting b/c of harsh sunlight is unfortunate with contacts as well, so I wear tint to be able to keep my eyes wide open.

Just a thought, when your squinting because of harsh/bright light, aren't you limiting the light that is coming into your eyes, which ultimately limits your eyes effectiveness/reaction, and there in turn defeating the purpose of not wanting color distortion and that mess that is argued against tints? I'm not an optometrist but I would guess that your vision would be optimum when your eyes are open wide, not limited by squinting.

personal preference for the most part.

I wear shades, wear them so much I'm always called hollywood.

In my case though I am extremely sensitive to bright light, a 'normal' sunny day washes out nearly all color for me after a few minutes exposure, so I see mostly in shades of grey, perfectly clear but colors have to be extremely bright for me to see them as colors. get me in the dark though and I can normally read when other people are stumbling into things.

ken.

Exactly why you would wear glasses with UV protection. The less protected the eye is the sooner cataracts can be a problem

Well, for one thing, riding for a few hours, you get a heck of a lot of brightness reflected back up from the pavement. As a cyclist, you're right out there, unlike someone in a car. I can't see how it would be even feasible to ride for hours like that without going blind. It's almost like snow blindness.

Other than that, glasses, tinted or not, are protection against road debris that could be shot up ahead of you.

I wear them so I don't get dazzled and for UV protection, but one of my next purchases will be a good pair of cycling glasses with interchangeable lenses. I could really use the yellow tinted for mountain biking in bright weather, as they supposedly don't mess up your contrast as bad going into shaded areas, and the clear lenses would be good for wind protection in low light cycling.

i have 20/15 vision (yes thats better than perfect) and i have extreme sensitivity to light. if its sunny and im outside for more than a few minutes without tinted sunglasses, its hard to see when i go into a darker but well lit building. Sun causes me to squint, which strains the eyes. then i get a headache from squinting.

if your using cheap sunglasses, yes they are a pain. I got a pair of good sunglasses (nike) and they are like somone turned the sun down just enough to relieve squinting. oh and the lenses are flawless! well i have a small scratch or two but otherwise, perfect. scratches = my fault and ill probably buy new lenses when these are too scratched to use. makes even the brightest day clear to see for me. I wish i could afford a good pair of polarized sunglasses!

for biking i got a cheap pair that fit almost the same as the nike's do. but they were made in china, the nikes were made in Italy :)

I'm shaking my head why I'm asked why I wear sunglasses. I'll call them preventative maintenance to avoid a headache from the brightness. Each man to his own, sunglasses or not, style or practical means, whatever. Why do cyclists wear shoes?

I've never had a problem with brightness outside. Unless I have a migraine, that is, but I don't ride then, and I don't spend much time outside anyway.

And if JPMacG is correct (and some googling seems to support that) regarding polycarbonate and UV transmission, I guess I'm safe there too with my safety glasses (which are indeed made of polycarbonate, as good safety glasses should be). Not that I was concerned anyway, since UV isn't a problem up here. Remember that I live and ride at ~57°N, whereas the main US-Canada border runs along 49°N...

The main practical reason for sunglasses is obviously protection from flying objects and also UV, and which is bad for the eyes, but my scrip eyeglasses are UV proof with no tint.

You actually see sharper with no tint because the pupil gets small enough that the pinhole effect of optics comes into play.

The main reason cyclist wear sunglasses? Vanity, vanity , vanity. Not that theres anything wrong with that.

maybe in theory, But most of us cant take THAT much light into our eyes without headaches or squinting. Squinting, in my experience, makes the world fuzzy, and quality sunglasses make the world sharper than going without.

and if its gloomy out, vermillon, yellow/orange and the like will make the world appear sharper, mountain bikers like those shades because plants and objects seem to "POP" out at you.

but, thats my experience...If you can go without, hey go for it. I know i drive much safer with sunglasses than without...

also remember that tint without UV protection is worse for the eye. The pupil is dialated letting more UV in. so with no UV protection clear lenses are better for your eyes. That being said, when I go outside my perscription polarized UV protecting tinted sunglasses are always on. I switch to my normal glasses after I'm back inside.

Squinting makes you see sharper. That's an undeniable optical fact. It has the same effect as stopping down the aperture on a photographic lens. A typical lens, say a 50 mm, f/2 for 35 mm film, will be a lot sharper (probably its sharpest) at f/8 to f/11 than at f/2 (wide open). The same is true for our eyes. I have a good deal of astigmatism, so squinting makes me see details that I otherwise wouldn't be able to see.

my eye Dr. told me squinting caused my astigmatism

:D :D :D

I wear dark-tinted sunglasses so I can stare at the ladies and not get busted - Sad but true :rolleyes:; however, even if that wasn't the case, I'd still wear glasses (tinted in summer/clear in winter) to prevent debris from hitting my eye (traumatic cataracts anybody?).