Right then, now we’ve cleared up the great helmet debate! What about eye protection? My cycling fast risk assessment says that there is a serious risk of eye injury so I wear glasses (plus my eyes water).

So here’s the questions…

a) do you wear eye protection when on your bike?
b) if not why not?
c) have you ever been poked in the eye with a sharp stick, or hit by a flying object in the face, when out on your bike?
d) what proportion of your riding is done without eye protection?

Me,
a) yes
b) na
c) yes, branches, brambles, stones, mud, assorted excrement
d) 5% on long steamy climbs

a) no
b) don’t like it
c) nearly
d) 99.99%

yes, n/a, yes, none
seen far too many patients with eye injuries to even consider riding without

Hang on whilst I find that photo of a fella with a stick in his eye

a) yes
b) n/a
c) maybe a bit of mud a couple of times a year, but then I use front guards in muddy conditions
d) none (I have a -11.5 prescription)

Hang on whilst I find that photo of a fella with a stick in his eye

Don’t.

I will vomit.

a) no off / yes road
b) large head, hurts temples, they slip, get marked, a pain with constant light canges.
c)yes, flattened coke can
d)50/50

a) when I remember
b) I forget
c) mud, gritty water etc
d) ~50% (‘cos I keep forgetting)

a) open facer, only to keep mud and sun out. full facer, yep, goggles keep it in place, not that I wear a full face much

b) a mix of CBA and the fact I sweat all over them pronto, so only wear them if I have to

c) mtb, only mud. road, bits of gravel have got close but not quite hit the bullseye

d) Pffffrt, difficult to say. 50% ?

a) Yes
b) n/a
c)Yes
d) 0% – I always wear contact lenses when riding & I need to wear eye protection to stop the crap getting in them & to stop the lenses being blown out.

a) yes
b) n/a
c) as the OP!
d) 40% – climbs and wet days when I can’t stop glasses steaming up

a) Yes
b) N/A
c) Yes, dirt & insects
d) 5% (in poor visibilty or dark woods)

a) Yes
b) N/A
c) Dirt, bugs & twigs (one big enough to gouge a groove in my Oakleys)
d) 0%

yes
na
no i have glasses
20%

I only have one eye left and I would like to keep it so I am quite cautious and wear them anywhere near trees /brambles etc

a yes when it’s very dry and/or sunny.
b if it’s wet then there’s no needs cos i have a pi55flap and there’s no dust and rarely bugs.
c yes
d dunno

a – yes
b – n/a
c – got a bug that stung like buggery in one eye, so rode carefully with one eye shut, then got another bug in the other eye.
d – probably 50/50 but since the bugs are coming out again make that closer to 100% with

a) yes in the daytime.
b) V rarely for night rides. And as I type I realise this is stoopid and must be remedied.
c) yes, mud, sheep poo, flies, but no sticks yet.
d) currently 60-70%

But I shall wear them more now I’ve had to write this down and realise the error of my ways

a) Yes these days
b) n/a
c) Yes. Mud,Grit,Mud,Brambles,Mud,Insects,Mud,Various excrement,Mud,Blackbird, Did I mention Mud?
d) Very little (slowly grinding up hill sweating like a fat kid in a duffel coat is one of the few times I take my riding glasses off)

a) Always on the road bike & DH bike. Sometimes when riding XC
b) It steams up/ I forget to put it back on after a climb
c) Yes a bumble bee. It hurt, a lot.
d) 50/50

If I could find a pair that wont steam up on the climbs then I’d wear them all the time but I’ve yet to find any that don’t fog up.

a) Yes, always
b) –
c) Yes,hit in the face, it hurt alot!
d) 0%

a) Always – you only get 1 set of eyes!
b) –
c) Yes!
d -Never without them – see a!

Matthew

a) MTB yes, Road 50/50
b) n/a
c) Yes, you should see CX boys, they don’t wear eye protection
d) 40% ish.

Cyclo-cross, not me but;

The case for the use of eye protection has not yet been scientifically made. None of the anicdotal stories are relivant, there has been no survey from an A&E dept saying we should ware glasses. I am not in favor of compulsory shades.

However I do think Oakleys make me look cool so:

yes.
what! and risk not looking great.
yes
o.1%

a) Yes
b) n/a
c) yes – even with shades on
d) Only ride without if it’s to dark to see or my shades have got too steamed up, smeared in mud, covered in blood (it happened once), or water etc etc

a) Yes, Oakley Minutes
b) n/a
c) Mud, grit etc yes
d) All except the commute, but considering wearing something for that too. Plenty grime out on the roads or stuff kicked up from cars/trucks.

Always ride with my glasses, even use clear lenses when its dark as i like having my eye sight… Offroad theres always random flies and on road theres always stones:S
Paranoid maybe… but for the sake of it.

a) used to all the time, dont bother much now.
b) wind used to make my eyes water but commuting steams glasses up too much, riding without so much means my eyes dont water as much now so dont wear them when mtbing/roadying much now either, unless its a freezing wind/rain.
c) yes ive been poked in the eye, ive had grit in the eye when wearing glasses too (close fitting ones even), also had sticks poke me in the noggin even when wearing a helmet, walked into a desk this morning, should i bring my shin pads in for work too?
d) mostly dont bother now, tho when the sun comes out so will the shades.

a) Yes – prescription jobbies otherwise I can’t see the trail ahead of me
b) n/a
c) Yes – the odd branches on trees as well as the odd stone thrown up now and again
d) 0%

a off road no/ on road yes
b less fuss
c wasp, which proceeded to sting my eyeball, and it hurt 🙁
d on long road rides

no
lost 7 pairs of glases in 12 months!
yes – many times
100%

i know this must change and so am going for the buy expensive glasses make ure you don’t lose them approach!! hmm not sure about that!

a) Yes.
b) N/A
c) Yes, many times. I got smacked hard enough once to push the lens out of my glasses – I hate to think what that would have done to my eye.
d) Impossible to measure. A very, very, very small amount.

a) no
b) CBA, dont own any, too dark in the woods for sunnies,
c) fies/mud/water/smoke/dust
d) 95%

a) yes
b) n/a
c) yes
d) none

a)yes
b)na
C)yes. Even with glasses on.
d)hardly any. If I take em off I lose them.

a) yes
b) N/A
c) Yes
d) About 10%, steaming up, wrong lenses in frame (tint at night etc), forgotten.

a) yes – pretty much 100%
b) na
c) yes, grit, gravel, low branches etc etc
d) as little as possible

a) usually. Mainly cos of sun as well as mud flying…
b) cos i iz chilling wiv teh kidz along easy paths
c) yes, tree branches. yes, rock(s). yes, mud mud mud.
d) *gets out calculator*

a – yes
b – n/a
c – no
d – only take them off if it’s too wet to see.

I’ve never been hit in the face yet but then again in nearly 25 years of doing this I’ve never hit my head either but I still wear a helmet.

Spent an hour last night at the eye hospital in Brighton as our youngest daughter had got something in her eye while playing and it was swelling up and looking very nasty. She had to have the giant cotton bud swab under the eyelid and is now on antibiotics. As I am not as brave as a 7 year old girl Ill keep wearing the glasses.

Wear contacts with Oakley Half Jackets over the top. Use clear lenses at night. I’ve only ever taken them off a few times when riding: if it’s really misty tahy stema up or collect all the moisture in the atmosphere but other than that I always wear them. Had a couple of splashes of mud under them once or twice but nowhere near as bad as I’d get without them!