Sunglasses
for Mountain Biking
By Dr. Michael P. Lange, Board
Certified Optometric Physician of Lange Eye
Care and Associates
The Lange Eye Institute (Located in Central/North
Central Florida)
June 18, 2007
Mountain biking is a great sport
filled with plenty of adrenalin pumping action.
Whether you
are an expert / pro mountain biker or just
out for some exercise on the weekends one
of the most important pieces of biking gear
is a good pair of sunglasses. A good sunglass
may improve the contrast on the terrain allowing
you to miss the large rut on that wide open
downhill. A good pair of sunglasses may also
protect your eye from the potential impact
of a tree branch that could cause a very painful
corneal abrasion or even a vision threatening
retinal detachment. A good pair of sunglasses
may also eliminate the possibility of developing
a solar keratopathy (sunburn to your cornea).
So you can see that the proper sunglass will
not only improve visual performance but will
also protect your eyes from the harmful suns
rays and potential trauma.
  After
purchasing your new mountain bike and helmet
you need to invest in a good name brand pair
of sunglasses like Oakley,
Bolle
or Costa
Del Mar. These are all great sunglasses
with a variety of lenses and frame designs.
You will need plastic impact resistant lenses
and stay away from glass lenses. I do not
recommend polarized lenses for any type of
biking. Polarized lenses will not give you
enough contrast when you are riding in the
shade, early morning or evening. Polarized
lenses are terrible for the road biker because
they miss the oil slick on the road because
the glare was blocked by the lenses. Polarized
lenses are a must for boating or
fishing but a never for any type
of biking activity.
 One
of my favorite sunglasses for mountain biking
is the Oakley
Radar Range with the VR 28 Black iridium
lens. These sunglasses are designed
to improve airflow over your face for cooling
and have interchangeable lenses and nose pieces
for fine tuning performance. The VR-28 black
iridium lens is a super high contrast lens
that blocks UV and HIV (blue light) making
it a lens that may reduce your risk of developing
certain eye deseases like cataracts and macular
degeneration. The lens is also made of an
impact resistant material called Plutonite.
Another
favorite sunglass for mountain biking is the
Bolle Parole Action Sport with the vermillion
and dark cinnamon lens set. However
one of the hottest new technologies available
for the mountain biker is the Bolle Traverse
sunglass with the rose modulator lens. This
is a lens that is a high contrast rose for
dim and shade conditions that will become
a darker grey color out in the direct sunlight.
This is becoming very popular for competitive
and recreational bikers.
 Express
Sunglasses has been custom
making lens and frame combinations for mountain
bikers for over ten years. They have also
sponsored numerous mountain biking teams throughout
the years. Many of the staff at Express
Sunglasses are avid mountain bikers wearing
custom designed lenses fabricated by the lab
at Express Sunglasses. I have worked
very closely with the master opticians in
the lab at Express Sunglasses to
help create a super high contrast lens that
can be worn in early low light conditions
which will then darken significantly in much
brighter conditions. These lenses come in
two initial colors of yellow and orange. These
lenses will darken to a dark amber and dark
orange in the bright sun. Both lenses block
100% of the UV light and block close to 100%
of the HIV blue light as well. These lenses
can be put in almost any frame with almost
any prescription, single vision, bifocal or
progressive lens technology. These lenses
solve the problem for the avid mountain biker
that needs a prescription to see clearly in
all conditions while biking. The lenses will
adjust accordingly to the amount of light
that is available, so while you are under
the canopy of oak trees your sunglasses have
adjusted to less sun and allowed you super
high contrast and sharp acuity while your
competitor may be having difficulty with the
terrain because of the dark lenses he or she
is wearing. These two custom lenses are also
great for shooters, hunters and golfers. Express
Sunglasses can be reached by calling 1-877-808-2020
or faxing 1-877-606-2020. You can purchase
your sunglasses at a discounted rate at www.ExpressSunglasses.com,
where you always receive great customer service,
free shipping and a selection of free sunglasses
you can choose from when purchasing a name
brand. I like to recommend www.expresssunglasses.com
because of their great service, years of experience
in research and fabrication of sunglasses
and the added value you get every time you
purchase a sunglass from them. Yes, that is
correct, every time you purchase a sunglass
at Express Sunglasses you will receive a free
sunglass from a select grouping. Check
out MS-14 under the free sunglasses, it
is a great sunglass for mountain biking and
it's free!
Enjoy the
single track and be careful on the downhills!
Dr.
Michael P. Lange
Board Certified Optometric Physician
Lange Eye Care and Associates
The Lange Eye Institute
(Located in Central/North Central Florida)
www.LangeEyeCare.com
June 18, 2007
Dr. Lange has
been involved in Mountain biking
and road biking since the early 80's.
To purchase
Costa Del Mar™ and Oakley™ sunglasses,
visit www.ExpressSunglasses.com | 
