Biking is an activity that all ages can enjoy. You’ll get to experience health benefits when riding your bike. Biking is also fun when you do it with your friends and family. However, many of us didn’t know that there are also some factors in biking that can bring harm to our eyes.
And there are Harmful Ways Hurting Your Eyes when Biking without knowing it.Our eyes are essential to our body and perhaps the most critical type of sense. If you disregard protecting your eyes, you may end up regretting it in the end. Here are some ways that can affect your eyes when you are biking and how to avoid them.if you are a beginner in cycling. Consider reading our beginner tips for you.
7 Harmful Ways You Are Hurting Your Eyes When Biking
Why watery eyes hurt after riding a bike or motorcycle?
One possibility is that the wind is drying out your eyes, which can cause pain. Another possibility is that you’re not blinking as often when you’re riding, which can also lead to dryness and pain.
How To Protect Eyes When Biking?
Here are the bad elements to watch out for and avoid when biking. These factors can cause damage to your eyes without you knowing it. These are some of the elements that we tend to neglect for our cycling activities which may impact our eyes health at a later time.
1. Exposure To Sun
Studies have shown that lengthy exposure to the sun without adequate protection can lead to permanent damage to your eyes. Understanding the injuries that it can cause is critical for bikers like you. Here are some of the things that you need to know to avoid Harmful Ways Hurting Your Eyes when Biking :
- The UV light is an element of the sun that is most responsible for harming your eyes. Prolonged contact with the sun especially when the light reflected comes from the pavement, snow or sand can create a burn on the surface of your eyes which is painful although temporary.
- The eye is at higher risk of damage from absorbing the UV radiation because UV rays contain more energy than those of visible light rays.
- UV rays can cause “photokeratitis” which is similar to sunburn, due to unprotected exposure.
2. Biking Under The Rain
No one wants to drive their bikes when it is raining or snowing. Aside from the danger that it can give us due to the road being skiddy, particles from the rain, snow or wind can enter our eyes and end up irritating it. These particles can bring harm to your eyes as it may scratch the surface of it.
3. Wind And Speed
When you are riding your bike, you tend to pedal faster to momentarily enjoy the rush of speed that it can give you. However, riding for hours, the wind increases as the speed surges. When this happens, the rate of our blinking tends to rise and can make your eyes water more than it should be and can be very uncomfortable. Watery eyes can affect our ability to see which can compromise our visual performance. And could be one of Harmful Ways Hurting Your Eyes when Biking.
4. Pollens In The Air
Biking exposes you to many irritants that can harm your eyes especially when you are biking outdoors. Pollen, dust, and insects are some of the things that can disrupt your vision when cycling. Pollens in your eyes can lead to Seasonal Allergic Conjunctivitis or allergic eyes.
It can cause swelling, burning and a sensation that something is in your eye, and redness. Cycling can make your eyes vulnerable to a barrage of pollen and is discomforting for contact lens wearers, people with dry eyes syndrome and people who have allergies.
5. Dry Eyes
Another common condition that can irritate when you are cycling is dry eyes. It is a result when your eyes cannot make tears to moisten the eye’s surface. A cyclist can experience this syndrome due to prolonged exposure in the wind when biking. If you disregard any symptoms from dry eyes, it may lead to ulceration or scarring of the cornea which can lead to loss of vision.
6. Bugs
It is not rare for a cyclist to encounter insects when driving outdoors. These bugs, especially during summer nights, not only enter in your mouths but can also irritate your eyes. Insects can disturb your vision especially when they invade your eyes. It can cause pain, and most of all keep your eyes off the road. Accidents may occur if you are not wearing any protection in your eyes.
7. Pollution
Air pollution can also cause harm to your eyes. You may not be aware of how air pollution can severely affect your eyes. Biking under polluted air can increase the risk of getting eye problems. It can range from simple irritation or burning to severe allergy and worst, cancer. High levels of pollution in the air can also increase the occurrence of dry eyes syndrome.
11 Tips To Protect Eyes When Biking
Now that we know some of the factors that can affect our eyes when we are biking, here are some tips to keep them protected. In addition, to avoid one of Harmful Ways Hurting Your Eyes when Biking.
- Select the correct sunglasses when biking. Check with an optician to ensure that the sunglasses you’re about to purchase have the proper amount of UV filtering.
- Find a label that gives you the amount and type of protection ensuring that they are coated and can block both kinds of UV rays: UVA and UVB.
- Wear photochromic lenses. These are the type of glass that turns dark when exposed to UV lights.
- Polarized glasses can also help to cut the glare due to reflection. These are good when you are biking when it is raining or snowing.
- Look for sunglasses or eye protection that covers all parts of the eyes making sure that there are no entry points for any insects or dust.
- Protect your eyes by wearing wide-brimmed hats or visors.
- Rest your eyes. Stop more often during sunny conditions and rest your eyes for at least five minutes.
- Better keep or bring a spare pair of glasses if you are wearing contact lenses or suffer from hay fever.
- Do not directly look or stare at the sun.
- Make sure that your glasses are fit to avoid it bouncing while you are wearing them. When you are buying your sunglasses or eyeglasses, try them on with your helmet.
- Ensure that air flows around the lenses to avoid fogging.
Conclusion For Protecting Eyes From Harmful Ways When Biking
Biking is a fantastic activity that can provide you with health benefits and enjoyment. Don’t let these harmful factors take the joy away from cycling. Taking care of your eyes can help avoid serious problems and further harm to you. Take care of your eyes and savor the fun out of biking.
