Can't see anything in the trees!!!

[XS1100 Newbie]

I don't know if it is my age, or something that every biker goes through. When riding in the mountains with the sun in my eye, if i am entering a shady area of trees, i can't see crap. Does anybody know, or have a recomendation for some good sunglasses to help solve this problem. It's really unnerving to be following someone, and have this happen.
I have four pair of sunglasses, and none of them seem to do any good.

[yamtom]

vision

HI,

The only way that I have been able to cope with that situation is a gradient tint, and thats not very good either

Why are you following so close? Even with good eyesight, I dont like the three second following rule, but use five seconds instead, when the guy ahead passes an object, in poor light conditions, give them a much longer time interval before you pass that same object.

If there is such a thing as a visor that can be lowered instead of using sunglasses, that may help. Also, Ive experimented with taping or painting the tops of flip shields such that it shut out the higher level light intrusion. Its all kinda fugley but it can work.

[GARTHXS]

photochromatic

Try a web search for that, they are not cheap and they do. Work just like the prescription glasses

[crazy steve]

You might want to have your eyes checked. I had similar problems about 3 years ago, and it turned out to be a type of fast-growing cataract I'd never heard of. $10K for both eyes later I could see again...

'78E original owner

[trbig]

5 seconds? At 60 mph, that's 440 feet! You aren't riding WITH anyone, you're just riding the same road.. lol. But, whatever you feel safe at, I guess. I wonder if that's why we get such big gaps at some of the rallies?


Tod

[CatatonicBug]

I use my full-face with a tinted shield, then wear $20 sporty, wrap-around sunglasses underneath. It really helps on sunny days.

There are helmets that have internal visors that will come down between your eyes and the outer shield:



then there are the visors with the extra tinted external shield:

[XS1100 Newbie]

Ok, i think i am going to stop by my Optometrist today. It is time for new glasses any way. I'll check on them there. Maybe the insurance will cover them. NOT!!!!

[yamtom]

all sound like good ideas to try

Those all sound like good ideas to try. Tod, I actually wasnt thinking of riding in a pack with mc, just my general rule of thumb in car. I am prolly even more cautious on an mc. I just started riding again this past summer and dont have a well established riding group yet. Mostly a lone wolf anyways, and a very cautious one at that. These old bones wont handle much of a beating if I go down.

[Larrym]

"Blinded By The Light...Wrapped up like a ???"

XS1100 Newbie,

C-Bugs pic is just one style of helmet that I own. Popular? Obviously as there's lots of them out there. But they all have that same flaw: direct sunlight gets in my eyes sometimes and "No Sir...I don't like it!"

One day I might get out my CC and spring for this:



From this website.

We're riding in similar conditions: open road sunlight to those shadowed forest canopies. What gets to me is when the trees cause that "flickering" of bright/dim as I ride along. Too fast for my eyes to adjust to the rapid light level changes sometimes. It really helps me when I tip my head down just enough to block the sun itself or near enough to it.

I've got another helmet with a duck-bill/sun visor built in to it and I prefer to use it when I'm riding where the sun is low. For me, the helmet without the sunvisor is an exercise in squinting, glare, and guessing what is in my field of vision. This helmet is only a 3/4 face. Not the full face style that says, "I'd rather be riding a zip-splat."

Have fun at the optometrist: Is this better or is this better??

[1st bike]

i sell eyeglasses for a living, but that doesn't mean i ACTUALLY know what i am talking about. I am not an optician, I sell the glasses to the dr.....but also as (i think it is topcat....but i think not, i know someone on here is an optician and knows WAY more about this than i do)...anyway, get a brown tinted polarized pair of sunglasses. polarized will take any reflected light away and make seeing a lot easier, and the brown tint filters out more blue light, which makes it better for seeing definition. if you remember the blu-blockers that used to offer a "high definition" lens, it was the brown polarization that did it. i promise it will help.

plus, brown, again filtering out blue light, is better for your eyes. there is a direct corraltion between blue light and macular degeneration (i might not be able to spell, but that is from a study done by NASA, so while i can't spell, i didn't get the info from me). so the less blue light your eyes are exposed to, the better, and longer, they should last!!!

[79XS11F]

I have the same issue and it is very unnerving. I just figured it was caused by the same thing that causes night blindness, and that's AGE! From what I understand as you age your eyes ability to adjust to changing light levels is diminished and for some it is diminished a lot. I already wear a good quality pair of Serengeti pilot glasses that are suppose to react very quickly to changing light levels and are gradient. These glasses are however over 20 years old and I don't know if their reaction time is affected by age like my eyes are. I think I am due for an eye exam this year so I will ask my eye doctor about this issue and see what she has to say.
Rob

[bikerphil]

When riding in the mountains with the sun in my eye, if i am entering a shady area of trees, i can't see crap.

Lol, I know what you mean. I wear prescription sunglasses (polarized), then another pair of slip over sunglasses. You ride up on the Blue Ridge, hit one of those tunnels or super shady area, I can't see crap. I'll take off the second pair before entering those tunnels, that helps. A trick someone taught me is to close one eye before you get to the tunnel, then you'll be able to see, a little better, lol.

[Larrym]

Low Light Level Vision Vs Reaction Time

I have the same issue and it is very unnerving. I just figured it was caused by the same thing that causes night blindness, and that's AGE! I think I am due for an eye exam this year so I will ask my eye doctor about this issue and see what she has to say.
Rob

I wasn't gonna go there and say the A*E word. I'm still fighting it's very existence and refuse to consider it as a factor. I am willing to follow this thread and hear what your medical professionals have to say about this.

After all, I don't want my vision to restrict my ability to see this in the forest and do the necessary braking in a timely manner:



.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey folks,

Yeah, I'm in the eye business, not a doctor or optician, but a certified ophth. tech/surgical asst. since '81. In the day time, it's not your retina that needs to adjust, but your PUPIL, to control how much or little light comes in, hitting all of your daylight receptors...the cones...color vision. The rods are used for extremely low light levels when driving at night, and that's more where your age and slower metabolism comes into play with your adaptability to sudden bright bursts of light....ie. SUV headlights in your face, then back to darkness.

As to the sun in your face issue, you're still getting glare affects off of the faceshield and even sunglasses. You need to be able to keep the direct sunlight off of your glasses/eyes, and so the later helmets with the VISORS are what are needed....along with decent quality polarized sunglasses. But you actually don't want them too dark or you won't be able to see what's in the shadows.

The visor will be the most important thing. Just like when in you car, when the sun gets low enough on the horizon to shine directly into your eyes, your sunglasses aren't enough, so you pull down the VISOR to block the direct sunlight, and it's better. However, with a car, the visor is on the INSIDE, so you are still suffering with the direct sunlight on/thru the windshield, and if it's dirty, pitted, smudged, etc., you'll still get glare from it.

With a bike helmet, the VISOR is on the outside, so it stops the direct sunlight BEFORE it hits the faceshield=windshield, and you'll have even less glare.

But, you can still also have health issues, as mentioned, early cataracts, or even not clinical cataracts, but just other aging changes of the eye's lens that reduces the total clarity that you used to have 10-20 years ago.

T.C.

[Ivan]

This helmet is only a 3/4 face. Not the full face style that says, "I'd rather be riding a zip-splat."

OR

It could be saying, "I like my chin and teeth."

All through this thread, I kept thinking that a dirt bike helmet would be the answer. They're FUGLY, but would do the job. Plus you could hang fuzzy dice from the visor!

Another alternative I saw, but can't remmeber where is a helmet that is convertable for street or dirt. looked like a pretty good idea.