Glasses or contacts while riding your VFR?

Had to go to the eye doctor yesterday so I decided to talk about contacts v. glasses for motorcycle riding in what may very well be my most insightful vlog yet :glee:

It got me curious how many people wear glasses instead of contacts while riding - so here's a poll.

[video=youtube;pIOD01zpYLo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIOD01zpYLo[/video]

 

Thanks AM - I was worried no one would see my pun :eyebrows:

My eyes do great with the contacts on the bike so long as I keep the visor down so the wind doesn't hit them - they'll get watery if that happens. When I occasionally ride with no helmet (please don't excoriate me, I know it's dumb!) I just use sunglasses during the day or a pair of safety glasses at night to keep the wind off my eyes and the contacts are fine. But I really like having the full peripheral vision that contacts provide compared to glasses.

I noticed in one of my old vlogs that both my riding partners were wearing prescription glasses (see below) so maybe it's not so bad or unusual. But for me I don't even like driving my cage with glasses because of the reduction in peripheral vision. By the way, if you ever get to FL the road in the Ninja vlog below is considered by some to be the best road in Florida for riding - which is sad - LOL

[video=youtube;QndmBphWZ-s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QndmBphWZ-s[/video]

 

I wear contacts. I can't wear glasses. When I've tried glasses, each time the helmet moved it moved my glass and everything I could see moved too.

 

The assumption here may be that contacts offer eye protection whilst riding. The wide variety of styles of glasses should afford anyone little restriction of peripheral vision. Peripheral vision in quantifiable unless one is a cyclops then that is yet another problem.

Different states (USA) have different MC laws concerning what is to be and what is not to be to keep ya from getting busted.

This compilation covers each state at least until The Donald starts having us pay to have our bikes shipped back to the place of origin and making it a federal offense to ride anything but Harleys.


A short plug here for Zinni Optical an online source for glasses of all sorts. Just got a new pair of sunglasses from them. I don't need a prescription but that would be included if I did, 42 pesos and change and aboot ten days delivery time USPS.

The laws:http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/motorcycle-equipment/

 

Hot days/no highway ill ware 3m saftey glasses visor up, otherwise its clear visor down and corrective lense glasses (slight astigmatism far away deatails can blur on me)

My glasses frames are the "skull wrap" type they grab the sides of your head rather than rest on your ears... Nice and easy to take on and off with the icon Pharaoh on and havent had a problem with them moving around on me

 

Contacts can correct astigmatism.

 

Its so minor that i only use them situationly...shooting...long rides/highway streaches...reading lots of fine print...its litterly a difference of looking at a tree and seeing the veins on the leaves or not...

 

I've had to wear glasses for close to 10 years when riding. For some reason I just can't get the hang of putting contacts in. From my experience you need glasses with strong frames and large lenses. I found some glasses years ago with the large lenses, and only use them for riding. They look too old fashioned without a helmet, and clunky. The upside is that my peripheral vision is not affected and I can see clearly to the sides.

The only major problem I experience on occasion are the glasses bouncing on very bumpy roads affecting vision, but that's rare.

 

Wear glasses and have no problem except when it's cold and all geared up, my body temp gets a little high and when I put my Neo on, it seems to fog them up until I get going.
Riding, absolutely no problem with them moving especially since my helmet has groves in the pads for glasses. Have the self tinting lenses that helps even more so when in shield is down. They also self tint behind windshields which is fairly new and helps with work and driving all day.
Contacts just seem like such a hassle, one day I'll give um a try---- didn't start wearing glasses till 53


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I ride with my contacts in and can't complain. I do agree that they aren't very nice to wear without something protecting my eyes from the wind (or more importantly flying objects). I've tried safety glasses and sun glasses before and always had trouble with them fogging and moving around on me. Granted, I am always in a full face helmet and run Pinlock inserts year round to help with fogging and tune the light to what's comfortable.

 

A shitload of glasses problems can be fixed by buying a Schuberth skidlid or one of the clones. Full face helmets of any kind are great but does anyone always with the faceshield in place and locked? I don't think so.

Well, except JB.

 

Another item... Ya'll might want to look up is if in your state, you took the written/visual/driving/riding test with glasses it may be on your license and one more thing that can get ya busted by a LEO. Some magistrates and judges are lenient with some things but when an action is dangerous to the public in general, they can come down hard.

"Well Your Honor, I only took off my glasses for a second so I could text my SO" is not a good defense.

 

Have worn rgp's for 36 years. No fogging, full face helmet.

 

That may be my problem with the glasses - mine are very lightweight frames with smallish lenses which make the peripheral vision almost nonexistent. I've got a friend with the same style Oakley Flak Jacket sunglasses as me but he has them with prescription lenses - I bet those would be good for riding since they do wrap around a bit. IMO though contacts are still the best because they're not gonna bounce around at all and your peripheral vision is unfettered. It does take awhile to get used to putting them in and taking them out but now it just takes me a few seconds.

I found a pic of Tony Stewart with glasses on during a race like I mentioned in my vid - I would think they would get jostled around on his head during a race. You hardly ever see NFL players with glasses on with their helmets either - although I think Von Miller does and I seem to remember Eric Dickerson did too back in the day. EDIT: Correction, I found a vid where Von says he wears contacts during games:

[video=youtube;Z87OpsNfBdw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z87OpsNfBdw[/video]

 

When I was a kid I broke glasses on an almost daily basis, much to my parents chagrin! Once I went to contacts, I never went back to glasses when doing any sort of sport activity. I did have a problem more recently with contacts, my near vision changed dramatically and I could not see things that were close up. I had problems with seeing my phone, reading a menu and even working on my computer. I was able to rectify this by getting multi-focal contacts. These are essentially like bifocal glasses, except they're contacts. This made a huge difference for me and recommend them to anyone who wears corrective lenses.

 

Contacts since 82. Riding with them since 86, wear sunglasses always with clear shields on the street. Racing, did the full dark smoke shield. Anyway eace: :vtr2:

 

Your absolutely right BB, here in Cali it does say on my license RSTE CORR LENS


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Contacts since '73. They did not even have soft lenses then. What do I win?
Glasses don't work for riding for me, they move and bounce around too much.
Face shield stays mostly down and I wear wire rim shades under most of the time.