Why sunglasses?
 

Most roadies seem to wear glasses with some kind of tint, or even full sunglasses. I personally can't use anything that alters colours or darkens my view, so I wear clear glasses. But why do so many wear sunglasses or tinted glasses? I can't see that any benefit would come from it, so is it just to "look cool" or are there more practical reasons?

I truly want to know - I'm not trolling! Reading the post again, I saw that it could be interpreted that way.

Up to 78% less squinting when used as directed.

It's not really just the light, it's also the wind in the eyes that can blur your vision. If I'm going faster than 20 miles per an hour, my eyes tear considerably.

One of the biggest reasons for the sunglasses if you don't wear coated prescription glasses is UV protection.

Yeah, I now wear glasses too, but clear ones. Look like this:
http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRet...bute=ImageFile

The question I have is why they have the tint/shade.

But UV isn't a problem for our eyes in normal situations, so it can't be while riding a bike either. And it's perfectly possible to make UV-shielding clear glasses in that case.

Quite the opposite is true for me, but if that's why people use them, fair enough.

Thanks!

_+1 ... bingo.
most roadies where sunglasses with a lot of style or bling to them but many use tinted for exactly what Blue Jays said.
The color of your eyes also have some effect on how certain colors used in the lens color tint.
You can have eye strain wearing certain colors .
rose colors , brown or amber colors tend to work well with those people with blue eyes... where blue lens and some other darker colors can cause eye strain...

CdCf :if you have problems with colored lens glasses you could try a pair the have a Photomatic , fototech or Adaptalite type lens... They pretty much go from an almost clear state to a darker tint depending on the light conditions. None of them go to dark as to where you feel like you're where some kind of deep tented lens like some glasses do.
Tifosi & Optic Nerve both make sub 50$ Photomatic or fototech type glasses.

Here in Texas long term exposure to UV in the summer time can do eye damage. Our UV rating is usually 10+(extreme) in the summer. Of course your right about UV coated clear glasses providing the same protection.

Quality sport sunglasses companies like Rudy Project and similar offer just-barely-there levels of tint that would be great for someone who likes to see the world as it appears, rather than through rose-tinted lenses.

I can't use anything with a tint or shading. That's just me though. I've tried many times, but I always reach the same conclusion.

ditto



clear glasses are more dangerous in some situations.

I'm thinking of glare on a bright summer day, off a car windshield or similar. Very blinding, and then it leaves "streaks" in the vision until the eye relaxes (or whatever that overload effect is). At times (in the car) I'll wear my sunglasses in foggy conditions, only because they are polarized, and seem to help a bit when the sun is just starting to burn through.

I don't like being outside in the sun without sunglasses - EVER. Sometimes even when overcast. I squint. Maybe my eyes are just sensitive to light, and yours aren't.

I wear them cause I can't stop myself from squinting on bright days. Now it's a downward spiral. My eyes water like crazy without glasses, so now I have clear safety glasses I wear at night or in the rain.
I will admit that sometime my eyes (and surrounding area) feel like they are trapped in hot air, and i have to lift the glasses for a second to evaporate sweat, and get some breeze... that's the only draw back for me.

Depending on season, time of day, and latitude, UF does make a difference in normal situations. They do make clear glasses with uv protection, and 80% of the reason for wearing sunglasses are addressed by they - wind, uv, insects, and so forth. Keep in mind that in most situations, you can usually turn your head away from the sun, getting away from the need for both tinting and uv protection. It takes a very confident cyclist to do the same while riding.

Again, I see the point of having glasses. After colliding with, and being stung by, two wasps last summer, I now wear glasses all the time while I'm riding. Doesn't do much against wind, but helps a bit. However, I personally can't wear anything with shading or tint of any kind. I was very happy to find a cheap set of protective glasses in clear polycarbonate in a local hardware store. Just today I bought a second pair to make sure I have another pair should my main pair be too scratched or broken.

Shading does nothing to protect from the direct sun anyway (it just diminishes the brightness a tiny amount - it still stings) so no difference there. Shading dramatically lowers overall contrast, so darker areas in the field of view become uniform and impossible to see any detail in, making it more dangerous in traffic on bright days.

Tints could be beneficial, but they screw with my brain, so I can't wear those either.

I cannot ride without glasses due to bugs and wind. On the lens colour- I have a clear lens that I use for night riding- a Dark lens that I use for bright sunlight- A red lens that is used for those Bright but overcast days and a Lens that is supposed to be for night riding but as it has a yellow tint- Is not that good. The yellow affects me under certain types of street lighting in that Certain objects close in colour- merge together. Those yellow lens's are fantastic at Dusk though. They do allow you to see more. Did not believe it untill I went to a golf course and finished up playing into the Darkness. I could see the ball after I struck it and could tell the direction it had gone. All the other golfers lost sight of the ball as soon as it left the club.

The different colour lens's are not all Bling. Some of them do allow you to see better- some suit your eyes better and some are next to useless in the wrong conditions.

I wear glasses all normally. After last winter, dealing with rain, sweat, dirt, etc. all winter long, and getting my expensive prescription lenses scratched as a result, I decided to go with contacts, at least when I was riding.

My regular glasses are photochromatic, so I've grown accustomed to having dark glasses on when its sunny outside. However, I've also grown accustomed to having them lighten by themselves when the sun isn't bad. After I switched to contacts, I decided I needed some darkened sunglasses.

I started out with some regular sunglasses that wrapped a bit to the sides. These, and the replacement I got for them after I lost the first pair, cost me about $30 each. After spending $60 in a couple of months on sunglasses, I decided there had to be a better way.

There was. I went to the local construction wear store, where they sell things like the safety vest I wear, and picked up 3 pairs of safety glasses of varying darkness (1 is clear) for about $5.00 each. They cover better than the sunglasses ever did, and I *know* that they'll stand up to light rocks and other road debris, since they're safety glasses. The fact that they were super cheap compared to sunglasses is a bonus.

And yes, they do have UV protection as well. They're designed to be worn by construction workers on the job site. They even have temples that adjust length for different peoples faces.

Highly recommended.

I can see the point of tinted lenses at night, when we don't see colours anyway. They would effectively do the same job as coloured filters do for B/W photography.

If "CDCF" is not capable of realizing and understanding on his/her own why one would wear tinted UV protected glasses while ridding in the sun, don't waste your time trying to explain why....:rolleyes:

I think the UV blocking is the important thing. Beware of dark glasses that don't block UV very well...the dark lens will cause your irises to open wider, and allow more UV to penetrate your eyes.

Other than UVA protection, another strong consideration is that wearing sunglasses usually allows faster adjustment to night time conditions. If you have been in bright light during the day, your transition under darkness will be longer. It amounts to a mild and temporary form of night blindness.

I've been wearing the same prescription wrap around sunglasses when cycling (and XC skiing) for the last 5 years. Squinting, wind, bugs are all factors in why I like them. It's strange, but when I ride with normal glasses, my depth perception is off just a little, it feels like I'm riding a different bike. I guess because the shape of the lenses are different. They did cost about $200 new and have ground prescription lenses (no inserts). It was a lot of money, but I tell 'ya, it was worth it. I've crashed numerous times with them on and they aren't even scratched! :)