# Can cycling cause UV eye damage?



## Chris S (12 Nov 2020)

A lot of people who cycle get tans from the UV light reflected from the road. Can this cause eye damage as well?

I got rid of my car a year ago and have been using my bike for daily transport instead. In that time my long range vision has got worse, though it could just be coincidence.


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## Bazzer (12 Nov 2020)

I am not a medic, but I would have thought the risk of UV damage to the eyes of a cyclist without eye protection, is the same as most others who spend an equivalent amount of time outdoors without eye protection.
But decent sunglasses do more than stopping insects hitting your eyes.
Have you made an appointment with your optician?


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## I like Skol (12 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> A lot of people who cycle get tans from the UV light reflected from the road.


Is this true? Seems a bit farfetched to me.


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## ebikeerwidnes (12 Nov 2020)

I wear glasses but I still have occasional problems with insects getting into my eye

and there is often a problem with bright light

I cannot see a huge UV problem with eyes in the UK - but countries with higher levels may differ

I do wonder - are there any 'over glasses' that can go over normal specs and act like normal cycling glasses - with some UV protection
and not look silly???


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## cougie uk (12 Nov 2020)

UV reflecting off the road ?

That's got to be very marginal. You get the tan from the sun directly. And yes UV will damage the eyes. 

Just wear polycarbonate glasses. Don't even have to be tinted. 

The risk of a stone chipping or insect damaging your sight is probably a lot higher than the UV risk anyway.


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## ColinJ (12 Nov 2020)

College of Optometrists]
If you spend time outdoors in the sunshine or on a sunbed said:


> cataract[/URL], and there may be a link between exposure to UV light and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
> 
> *Protecting your eyes from the sun*
> If you are spending time outdoors, especially in the summer or on holidays abroad, make sure that you and your children have good quality, dark sunglasses with UV protection. Look for the British Standard (BS EN ISO 12312-1:2013) or the CE mark, which is the manufacturer’s assurance that the sunglasses have been made to the appropriate safety standards. You can also protect your eyes by making sure to wear a hat with a brim or a sun visor in bright sunlight. You will need stronger protection if you are taking part in winter sports.


It seems likely that more UV would reflect back off snow or water than a road surface, but who knows?

Anyway, enough UV gets into the eyes directly to make protection a good idea.



cougie uk said:


> The risk of a stone chipping or insect damaging your sight is probably a lot higher than the UV risk anyway.


I got my first pair of cycling glasses and went out for a ride. I encountered a stretch of road that had loose chippings on it and a 20 mph speed limit but a tosser of a driver shot past me doing about 50 mph. A chipping shot up and smacked straight into the middle of one of the lenses so it would otherwise have hit my eye, which convinced me to carry on wearing glasses on the bike!

A friend had a high speed eye-bluebottle encounter when he forgot his glasses. It was not pretty...


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## Drago (13 Nov 2020)

Asphalt actually has a fairly low UV reflective index, in the same range as grass, so reflected UV isn't a significant issue.


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## fossyant (13 Nov 2020)

UV doesn't reflect of roads - it comes from that big orange thing in the sky.


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## fossyant (13 Nov 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I got my first pair of cycling glasses and went out for a ride. I encountered a stretch of road that had loose chippings on it and a 20 mph speed limit but a tosser of a driver shot past me doing about 50 mph. A chipping shot up and smacked straight into the middle of one of the lenses so it would otherwise have hit my eye, which convinced me to carry on wearing glasses on the bike!



I've had that happen. Chipping flew up and hit the side of my nose (glasses on) and split it open. I was in the middle of nowhere and had to ask a local home owner to call an ambulance as there was no way I'd get far given the blood loss. The bike was put in the dog kennel. Let's say there wasn't much blood on it when I picked it up - the dogs must have decided to clean it. 👅


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## Chris S (13 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> A lot of people who cycle get tans from the UV light reflected from the road.





I like Skol said:


> Is this true? Seems a bit farfetched to me.


I assumed the UV was being reflected from the road because it's shiny.


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## fossyant (13 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> I assumed the UV was being reflected from the road because it's shiny.



You are confusing UV with reflection of light, not the same thing. Worth investing in glasses, not just for eye protection from debris but it does cut down on glare from the sun. You eyes can get strained from reflected light off the road.


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## ebikeerwidnes (13 Nov 2020)

Thinking about it - when I look at what tan I get it is mostly on the top of my hands - not my fingers
and the top of my legs - thighs especially
and the front of my arms

all the things that the big yellow thing in the sky shines on
the bits that face downwards tend to stay untanned

I think the sun only reflect much from the road when it is wet - which tend to be when the sun is not very strong due to clouds


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## MichaelW2 (13 Nov 2020)

Roads reflect about the same amount of uv as water.
Most prescription lenses have uv filters so you dont need secondary cycling glasses. Non spec wearers should wear eye protection anyway.

I got a dose of "snow blindness" driving across the USA high desert. Not very nice.


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## screenman (13 Nov 2020)

fossyant said:


> UV doesn't reflect of roads - it comes from that big orange thing in the sky.



Sorry but I deal with the effects of indirect UV in one of my businesses and have to remind people about it almost daily, it certainly does bounce around, not sure that it will damage eye's as I have no expertise there.


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## Drago (13 Nov 2020)

It does abounce around, but asphalt is one of the least UV reflective surfaces that you can encounter when outdoors.


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## vickster (13 Nov 2020)

Don’t forget to wear sun cream in summer to protect skin from the nasty cancer causing UV too


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## gbb (13 Nov 2020)

My late father went blind in his late 50s and in the run up to total loss he frequented a good few eye specialist clinics. Bearing in mind this particular specialist may have been somewhat 'OTT' , his opinion was its a grave mistake for almost anyone not to wear eye protection against UV. Sunglasses, particually in the summer were an absolute neccessity in his opinion, not to do so was utterly reckless.
He may have been over zealous, maybe not...but equally he was an eye specialist.


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## screenman (13 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> It does abounce around, but asphalt is one of the least UV reflective surfaces that you can encounter when outdoors.



Concrete is pretty good though, we us e auv curing resin and even in the shade of a building on a very cloudy day it will set up in a minute or so. One of the reasons we see so many poor windscreen repairs is down to guys not using a uv shield when repairing as the resin sets up before it fills the damage.


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## Chris S (13 Nov 2020)

fossyant said:


> UV doesn't reflect of roads - it comes from that big orange thing in the sky.


It must be reflected from somewhere otherwise pedestrians would have 'cycle tans' as well.


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## I like Skol (13 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> It must be reflected from somewhere otherwise pedestrians would have 'cycle tans' as well.


Maybe it is something to do with cyclists exerting themselves outdoors so wearing less and getting more exposure? Many outdoors workers also get an unhealthy tan too.


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## Chris S (13 Nov 2020)

When I cycle my face gets tanned and it's facing the road, not the sun.


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## cougie uk (13 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> When I cycle my face gets tanned and it's facing the road, not the sun.


I think we need photos of this. The sun is definitely shining on your face.


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## Chris S (14 Nov 2020)

cougie uk said:


> I think we need photos of this. The sun is definitely shining on your face.



This is a silhouette of a cyclist's body position. Their face is facing the road. It will receive UV light directly from the sun but not as much as somebody whose face is vertical. Why then do they tan more?


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## I like Skol (14 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> This is a silhouette of a cyclist's body position. Their face is facing the road. It will receive UV light from the sun but not as much as somebody whose face is vertical. Why then do they tan more?
> 
> View attachment 558076


He's going to run straight into the back of something if he doesn't look up some time soon!


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## byegad (14 Nov 2020)

Chris S said:


> I assumed the UV was being reflected from the road because it's shiny.


More like a wet road, they can reflect


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## screenman (14 Nov 2020)

Google indirect uv, it can bounce off most surfaces.


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## ColinJ (14 Nov 2020)

I like Skol said:


> He's going to run straight into the back of something if he doesn't look up some time soon!


Get _REAL_, Skolly... _NO_ cyclist would _EVER_ make a stupid mistake like that... 





Notice that they BOTH check the *car *for damage!


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## I like Skol (14 Nov 2020)

He didn't have a tan though, so just goes to show if you look down you don't get a tan from UV reflected back off the road surface. He did appear to have blood running down his cheeks from under his glasses!


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## screenman (14 Nov 2020)

I like Skol said:


> He didn't have a tan though, so just goes to show if you look down you don't get a tan from UV reflected back off the road surface. He did appear to have blood running down his cheeks from under his glasses!



Uv can bounce back off of most surfaces including things like grass.


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## Nebulous (16 Nov 2020)

As a teenager I got excruciating headaches and was dosing myself with painkillers. Driving made it even worse, but I realised it was connected with the sun shining. I started wearing sunglasses regularly and always have a pair in the car in case the sun appears. I've rarely had a headache since, but have kept the sunglasses going just in case.

I have high hopes that my regular sunglass wearing will protect me from cataract in later years. I've done some work with opticians and have heard some horror stories about eye damage on bikes, so almost always wear eye protection there as well (not for short rides in town)


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