Eyewear is IMPORTANT! (first draft)

If you've made it this far through the articles, chances are you enjoy riding and are going to continue to ride. Stop and consider right now the importance of eye protection. From something as simple as getting dirt in your eyes, or from over-exposure to the drying affects of the wind, retinal damage from UV exposure or lense damage from continuous squinting, there is no doubt that just about any outdoor activity can cause painful ailments and even permanent damage to your eyes.

So protect them! You need protection from the mundane things such as dirt, sand, insects, mucky water or even branches and leaves. For this, simple clear plastic lenses is all that is necessary (not including UV and intensity protection).

Of course, your eyes should also be protected from continuous exposure to wind as well as the harmful rays from the Sun. So you need eyeglass lenses that cover your eyes. If your only intention is to look cool, then feel free to where eyeglasses with tiny lenses. However, you SHOULD be wearing eyeglasses that fully cover your eyes, protecting from the wind and from the rays of our Sun. I'm not saying the lenses need to be HUGE, just big enough. More and more, doctors are recommending we wear glasses that even protect from the sides and more and more sunglasses features removable side protectors. Also, your sunglasses should filter 100 percent UV.

Something that can cause permanent damage to your eyes is squinting. If you are going to be out in the sun, your eyewear needs to feature some type of tinting to reduce the overall amount of intensity of light reaching your eyes. Squinting actually changes the shape of your eyes, causing changes in focus and depth perception. That's why people with poor eyesite squint, it actually helps, but only for a while as they worsen their eye condition by doing so. If you squint for long periods of time you are training your eyes to operate as if that were their normal condition. In a nutshell, you are destroying your vision. Don't squint! Here is a breakdown of the different type of tinting and what they do for you.

Gray - great all-purpose tint that reduces overall brightness with the least amount of color distortion. Offer good protection against glare.
Yellow / gold - reduce the amount of blue light while allowing a larger percentage of other colors through. It's known that blue light tends to scatter easily and create a 'blue haze'. Can completely remove blue from perception. Mostly used for snow applications. Possibly unsafe in other areas (hospitals signs are blue, handicap signs are blue...)
Amber / brown - also good general purpose tints. Tend to reduce glare and some blue. Some research suggests that near-UV light frequencies such as blue and violet can contribute to cataracts over time. These tints also distort colors but increase contrast and clarity.
Green - filters some blue adn reduces glare. Offer the highest contrast and greatest visual acuity.
Purple / rose - offer the best contrast of objects against a green or blue background. Good choice for hunting or water skiing (mountain biking?)
There is a great article at How Stuff Works found here (http://travel.howstuffworks.com/sunglasses4.htm) with much more information.

One final subject for those that cycle in the snow or near water. You'll want to get polarized lenses. Light approaches your eyes from a myriad of directions. Horizontal reflective surfaces tend to reflect and polarize light into a single strong path. That's why the highway, water or snow can be so blinding. The light coming off it is far stronger than normal because of it's polarizing effects. So, polarized sunglasses are polarized VERTICALLY. This blocks out ALL horizontally polarized light and cuts a lot of painful glare. These are great for any activity involving horizontal surfaces, such as driving, boating, skiing and more. Don't get taken by cheap polarized glasses, they probably aren't. An easy test before you buy is to find a reflective surface (chrome, road, water, snow, anything) and look at the glare through the glasses. Now rotate the lenses 45%, the glare should diminish quite a bit.

Here is a little factoid, if you look at an computer LCD screen through polarized sunglasses, turn your head 45% to either side and you will no longer be able to see anything on your LCD screen! LCD screens are polarized against reflections and glare also.

So, wear protective eyewear, and try to get the right thing. It can make a world of difference in saving your eyes from damage and can improve your riding experience as well.