NoWhammies

Hi. I am hoping someone might have some insight in to what's going on with my eyes.

When I ride, I always ride with sunglasses. Specifically Oakley Flak Jackets. When riding head on, no problem. The problem happens when I turned my head to shoulder check at speed. Whenever I do this my eyes start to water. Badly. So bad that I have to look forward again and start blinking rapidly to clear my vision.

Anyone else have this issue? Would I different pair of glasses help? Or is this just an effect of getting older? I say this because I don't recall ever having this problem in my younger days. Or maybe I am just riding faster now

Thank you.

AdkMtnMonster

Send me your shades. I’ll put a few hundred miles in while wearing them and report back if they’re the problem or not. No charge.

smashndash

Could be some sort of venturi effect where the small gap is causing the wind to speed up? Do you usually have the flak jacket in close or far more when this happens? Or does it happen in both equally?

Digger Goreman

A little costly, but I use (and am happy with) WideEyez helmet shield.

Tony P.

You have a lot of posts so you must have been riding for a while. One way or another, it has to be your glasses. That is, either the glasses are causing the issue or they're not protecting you from the wind. Try riding without the glasses to see if you have the problem. You probably need glasses that wrap better but it may also be air getting in around the nose guard.

WhyFi

You need better side coverage from your glasses - Flak Jackets aren't the most generous in this regard and how they fit w/r/t face contour can exacerbate things. I would look at some of the larger coverage glasses like Radar EVs (if they're still current).

Once you do get better coverage, then the trick is having them not fog up when you're moving slowly.

seypat

Steampunk goggles might be the way to go. They'd look great with a black bike/kit. Or maybe some Tactical sunglasses. You never know what kind of situation you could run into. Better be prepared.

https://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Vic.../dp/B00CY05ZSQ

WhyFi

Oooooh - and they have the nifty lenses for seeing the smaller fields on your GPS unit.

Yonah

Not saying that you have these issues, but I do, might be worth checking out:
- My eyes have a wind sensitivity, when wind blows into them they start to tear up - almost exactly as you describe
- I also have bad seasonal allergies, and then season just started here in the Northeast

seypat

In all seriousness, what type of speeds is the OP problem happening at? Might be time for an eye checkup/discussion with a professional. I forgot that isn't possible with the current stay at home orders.

seypat

You need to get the MIL out of Williamsburg if she is able to travel, especially, if you have an Agent Orange cult BIL reciting the teaching of Cheeto Jesus. Book her a "vacation" in the mountains. Put her out on the Eastern Shore. It's pretty in VA right now. Heck, put her in one of those cabins that Dan 333 stayed in at the Rivah. That's where my in laws live. It's nice over there. She'll thank you later.

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/

https://www.google.com/search?client...inia+mountains

WhyFi

Would if we could. Would if we could.

RiceAWay

This isn't your age nor your imagination. This is a pure case of the most expensive sunglasses available being inadequate because they are using insufficient material. As if the plastic was too damned expensive. If you have a pair of sunglasses that perfectly match your facial outline you can get away with using these sorts of sunglasses. After a billion dollars in glasses I am mostly using a couple of $10 Chinese knock-offs that work better than all than an older set of Bolle. The Bolle's are better but the lenses are aging and of course I can't find any new lenses for the Contour model.

Since it is almost impossible to fit the general population's faces those Oakley's that Lance Armstrong used were wide and deep and worked well. So why did they stop making them? Or perhaps only advertising them? After my experience with them there's no way I'm paying over $100 for a pair of sunglasses that don't have the performance of a pair of $10 Chinese sunglasses.

WhyFi

High coverage glasses haven't gone away - https://www.oakley.com/en-us/collect...s-road-cycling

There are a number of companies with similar offerings.

NoWhammies

I have riding with the Flak Jackets for many years now and never had this problem. But what did change is my helmet. I switched over to a Kask Mojito and I remember reading how the helmet and some Oakley glasses did not play well together. As I think about it, the eye watering bit seems to have started with the new helmet. I suspect the Mojito has shifted the way the glasses sit on my head/ears just enough to allow wind in when riding at speed.

Good tip to try riding without my specs. I'll do that. And yeah, from the sounds of it I do need glasses that wrap better. Especially if my hypothesis about the helmet is correct.

Thanks for the suggestion re: the Radar EVs. If they aren't current, I am guessing Oakley has replaced them with something else. Good tip. Thanks.

Thanks. Allergy rise, I've always been pretty good. But I suppose anything can happen as we age. Perhaps my allergy resistance has changed over the years.

goenrdoug

Try something with a bit more coverage, like the Oakley Flight Jackets: https://www.oakley.com/en-us/product...t=888392342317

(I use a knock-off of these I got for like $20 on Amazon and while they may look a bit much, the shape/coverage is great for wind/fog issues..)

JohnDThompson 

Those look like the goggles that came with the oxy-acetylene torch kit I bought back in the early 80s:

Yonah

Allergies definitely change - both food and airborne allergens. Although re-reading your case, it seems doubtful, as you didn't mention you have symptoms when not riding.