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Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

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Lanc
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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby Lanc » Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:40 am

I also wear a surf hat instead of sunglasses. I don't need sunblock on my face either. I assume that if my face is not being burnt by the reflected rays from the water then my eyes should not be getting too damaged from the reflected rays either.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby Toby » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:04 am

I use goggles since 16 years. Everytime, everywhere. Even when cloudy.

Good to protect your eyes...surfer's eye has been mentioned before.

I also use lenses, and it protects my eyes from spray and lenses falling out or getting dislocated.
Still happens few times, but way less than without glasses.

Few times I loose them...I use Seaspecs with strap, but they are not that expensive so easily replaced.

Also think of it as extra protection...lines, bars, boards etc can get in your face when crashing and injure your eye.

Normally I need to clean my glasses 2-3 per session to stay clean, but advantages are overweighing the disadvantages by a lot.

Plus, if you use brown lenses, everything looks more colorful 😉

Advice: I prefer brown lenses over black lenses, because this way I can see the chop better.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby foam-n-fibre » Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:04 pm

If you live at high northern or southern latitudes then the sun is more often low enough to be reflecting off the water more, and also hitting the eyes more directly. Of course it depends on your prevailing wind direction. I live at 45 degrees north. I spent summers teaching windsurfing back in the old days, 4 full summers at the gorge (also at 45 degrees) , and have been hitting the water whenever its windy since the 80's. I've had the early stages of surfers eye for probably 20 years. The whites of my eyes are raised on the inside edge, and they're not as white as everyone else's whites. You definitely don't have to be in the tropics to have eye concerns.

I wear sunglasses most of the time, and if I lived somewhere where it was always windy and I was out a lot more i would definitely wear them more.

Edit: I did not wear glasses in the 80's and 90's

Peter

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby iriejohn » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:13 pm

Toby wrote:
Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:04 am

Plus, if you use brown lenses, everything looks more colorful 😉

Advice: I prefer brown lenses over black lenses, because this way I can see the chop better.
Agree with you. In summer and in the tropics I wear Lip Surge sunglasses with brown lenses.

When skiing I wear Zeal Fargo goggles with brown Automatic (photochromic polarised) lenses.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby junebug » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:48 pm

I ride with sunglasses on my face, over my eyes.

I used to not wear them because I could never see the water as well with them as without, but my eye doctor told me I needed to start wearing them because I have the beginning stages of macular degeneration. I foil most of the time now, and it’s not quite as critical to see the sea surface, so that worked out well.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby Matteo V » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:52 pm

Look up polycarbonate's properties and you will find that the data shows polycarbonate blocks pretty much all UV, even when that material is clear (no tint). And almost all safety glasses are made of that material because of it's resistance to shattering. But there may be a question as to that with regards to the lower (more visible) frequencies.

I kite from about 39°N to 46°N

I have used sunglasses since I was 9years old. I went to polarized lenses for fishing once I was old enough to buy my own. When I started windsurfing in '07, I ditched the polarized lenses as it seemed to make it harder to read the chop. For me, polarized definitely let me see through the glare on top of the water to see the fish below, but then you lose the surface contrast that helps you read the chop. After experimenting last year, I have found polarized snow goggles are bad on the snow for me, for the same reason. So no more polarized anything for me.

I wear sunglasses on the water all the time, except for prone surfing as the fog issue cannot be solved in that sport. My face fits my glasses just perfect (I have a wider face) with my glasses snug - but not overly tightly against my face. The small gap allows some air movement (clears fog if you move fast), but still stops spray. Most of the fogging issue I deal with has to do with sunscreen. When I fall in a few times, the sunscreen comes off my face and gets on the glasses. Then after about a half-hour (and falling in), I come in and wipe the sunscreen haze off the lenses. After that, I do not need to clean them again until I reapply sunscreen. Though I will wipe again (especially in salt water) if I come in for water or to change kites.

I use exclusively Checklite "Crews" safety glasses that cost just a bit more than $1.00. They come in dark tinted and a light gold tint that is better for low light. I drill a small hole by hand, with a drill bit melted into a piece of plastic (for a handle), into the hole in the end of the ear piece where there is a cast in indent. I then put a small piece of 1/8" shock core (bungee cord) through it. The hole is tight enough to allow me to adjust the tension. But being tight, you need to fray the end of the shock cord, push that fray through, and then pull the fray with needle nose pliers to pull in the rest of the cord. Once I find a length range, I tie an overhand knot to stop it from pulling out. If you do not put the knot there, you could consider it a safety release in case they got hung up on a line. I don't worry about that as my helmet is much more of a snagging hazard than the glasses.

Here they are, and click on the "specs/details" tab for the light blocking specifications:

Low light (overcast or when it is raining) gold glasses (too dark to wear at night)
https://www.mcrsafety.com/safety-equipm ... sses/cl119

Overcast to sunny days
https://www.mcrsafety.com/safety-equipm ... sses/cl012

One of polycarbonate's issues is that it scratches easily. But given the cost of these (around $15.00 a dozen) just pitch them when they get scratched. And they are so cheap, I actually give them away to kiters I see struggling with sun glare.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby GraemeF » Wed Dec 05, 2018 7:41 pm

Speaking as someone who's been on the water longer than most and now on the back end of my first early cataract op I was warned might happen if I didn't wear shades many years back.. No question, wear them anywhere and everywhere. I'm lucky I don't have that other glaucoma thing apparently, both eyes have the teltale white ring around the outside brought about by too much time on the water.. So take my word for it and I live in the UK (although I've been to other parts of the world a bit), want to imagine kiting blind? Wear them.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:08 pm

Of course the angle is important we all knot that, thus much stronger closer to the equator.

But as I have never seen anyone using sunglasses on the water it could be three things:
The spots I go to are major wavespots (CapeTown, Guincho and similar) thus almost solely tourists, where not as important as only exposed for this shorter period on vacation.
or...
A lot use "brown" contact lenses.
or...
Only a few use sunglasses, but these are the ones responding to this thread so it almost seem like "everyone" does it :roll:


As I believe you cant really wear sunglasses very well when riding waves it seems, not good at least, so that might be another reason why I dont see anyone using sunglasses.

But good to read who and how and why, from you, as one can not help thinking about it seeing so many threads :thumb:

8) Peter

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby bay surfer » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:13 pm

Hate splash, and I look good in them, UV protection a plus. Stupid people wear their expensive sunglasses, I buy cheap and tie them to the wetsuit pull, or clip them to my rash guard. Lose a pair or 2 a year.

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Re: Who ride with sunglasses, and where?

Postby PullStrings » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:52 pm

Younger kiters....in teens...in 20's ...in 30's up to 40 don't feel the need for them as their eyes seem invincible to sun's intensity
But that wonderful sun tolerance normally changes around the early to mid 40's

The crystalline lenses(behind the iris) starts to be less flexible (presbyopia..near vision accomodation loss )..and less transparent...now diffusing some light rays to retina
That gradual loss of transparency to all the layers of the lenses will start creating a glare and sensitivity to the sun's brightness
It becomes too uncomfortable to be without tinted lenses from that point on

Polarized knocks out the most disabling glare but is difficult to see waves approaching at certain time of day and/or wind directions...water color becomes uniform/flat..no 3D
Photosensitive knocks distracting glare and protect the eyes just as much as polarized....great in waves....you will just squint a bit more...but much better than no protection at all
Polycarbonate is recommended to block UV by nature and for safety...but if lenses are just "fixed tinted" the protection stops at the 400 wavelength
Polar and Photo go beyond 400....it will block the dangerous wavelength between 415-450 nm...that's what protects the retina....bad blue-violet is blocked

Don't matter at what latitude you are.....and more harmful UV can be present on certain cloudy days than on sunny days

It's all cumulative ...damage to all components of the eye and surroundings are not reversible...it started from the first day you played outside as a kid
Why chance it ?


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