Danger of polarized sunglasses

[Kawasaki Craig]

So, I thought I would be a smart shopper and, instead of purchasing a smoke visor, I would buy a pair of high quality polarized sunglasses from the local fishing shop. The optical quality is impeccable, and they're much easier to replace than the visor on my cheap helmet. Plus, they have a photoinduced tinting system built in, becoming almost clear at night! But I did come across a problem when riding.
The polarized sunglasses seem to produce an iridescent glow on all objects seen through both the glasses AND a window or visor. All cars were seen as a trippy holographic image, confusing the heck out of my eyes. I nauseous from the 4-D effect, and couldn't tell if a car what 3ft or 8ft away!
In the end I bought a pair of more expensive Cycle-specific sunglasses, and they work beautifully. The optical quality is not on par with the fishing sunglasses, but at least it doesn't feel like I'm always looking through a trippy rainbow hologram!
Lesson learned

[superbadnomad]

I bought a pair like that.... same story..Like some weird acid trip or something.(if acid is like anything you see in the movies. lol)

[The_DuHan]

It's best to pay a bit more and get what will work the first time and be the safest. I purchased some $10 Wal-Mart polarized aviators and they did almost the same thing. Everything had a stained glass look that was close to a crappy 3-D movie effect. After weeks I would get dizzy and my head would hurt in time after driving. What happened eventually was that the glasses got too hot and the lens coating melted? I guess that is what happened because it was finally like looking through stained glass into a lake as the same object looked both near and far from the same location depending on what angle you looked at it with.

I bought a smoked visor and it is better than sex on a good sunny day. It is one BIG sunglass lens. It is kindof a pain to get stuck out with it versus the clear at night. I can still see, tho.

[pat0021]

And I bought a 6 dollar pair of all plastic safety glasses from Home Depot. Work great!

[NoRegrets78]

I love my polarized lenses for just walking around but I'll stick with the smoke drop down visor in my Scorpion for riding...don't need trippy cars coming to kill me.

[rbentnail]

Originally Posted by pat0021

And I bought a 6 dollar pair of all plastic safety glasses from Home Depot. Work great!

Yep. I use el-cheapo Panama Jack sunglasses from the drug store. Best $8 I ever spent.

[Dajur]

I get that through my visor as well. It is only when the sun is in a certain position though. I just ignore it, or flip up my visor until I am facing a different angle.

[SLLR]

I tried to wear sunglasses under a clear visor, but it made the streets look like they were covered in oil. Made riding much too stressful. Dark smoke visor with regular glasses did the trick and improved my visibility over the clear shield except when the sun goes down.

[07Ninja250]

I guess I'm ultra-dangerous. It's so bright here, I have to wear sunglasses with a tinted visor. The combo doesn't cause hallucinations, but it does cut glare and keeps me from having to squint.

[RichLockyer]

That is an issue with polarized lenses and any kind of curved clear surface that has internal stress.
Cage windshields are generally good, but the plastics used for bike shields and helmet visors are loaded with stressors that cause this effect.

[PSNinja]

Originally Posted by pat0021

And I bought a 6 dollar pair of all plastic safety glasses from Home Depot. Work great!

I have some of those! They do work great. I also have a pair of $15 blue lens glasses from Rite Aid that are my favorite. Very tall wrap arounds with straight legs that fit well under the do-rag. Unfortunately, my eyes are getting to where I need to wear my prescription sunglasses that a) aren't near big enough and b) aren't near as good riding through the shade as the blue lenses are.

[djh3]

I rode with Oakley's for awhile. They worked fine until I decided I might want to pay a bit more attention to the spedo. So I had to wear my RX glasses. Well the Oakleys were'nt fitin over the top of my scrips so I ended up buying a pair of RX sunglasses. They are Costa Del Mar I think is the company. They are sort of a lightish brown tint. But night kills me. I have drove with ambers for so many years it aint funny. Now I have to wear the scrips that means I would have to possibly cary 3 pairs of specks. Geeze gettin old sucks. Anyways I had went to a bike rally last weekend and a vender there had some different glasses from cheapo to pricey depending on what you were looking for. He had a pair of the type that go over you RX glasses in the amber night lenses. I tried them on (it was night time) and was sold. I had bough an inexpensive pair of safety glasses that were amber with my RX for reading in them but like others had mentioned about thier polerized glasses they made me woozy after about 40 min at night driving with them.
I would have put an RX in my Oakley's but it would have cost me more to send them back and do that than it cost to get the new Costa's with my RX. lol

[duayne77]

I noticed this too, I thought it was the plexus I used on my visor because I did'nt notice it before I started using plexus.

[Seadog1967]

Originally Posted by djh3

I rode with Oakley's for awhile. They worked fine until I decided I might want to pay a bit more attention to the spedo. So I had to wear my RX glasses. Well the Oakleys were'nt fitin over the top of my scrips so I ended up buying a pair of RX sunglasses. They are Costa Del Mar I think is the company. They are sort of a lightish brown tint. But night kills me. I have drove with ambers for so many years it aint funny. Now I have to wear the scrips that means I would have to possibly cary 3 pairs of specks. Geeze gettin old sucks. Anyways I had went to a bike rally last weekend and a vender there had some different glasses from cheapo to pricey depending on what you were looking for. He had a pair of the type that go over you RX glasses in the amber night lenses. I tried them on (it was night time) and was sold. I had bough an inexpensive pair of safety glasses that were amber with my RX for reading in them but like others had mentioned about thier polerized glasses they made me woozy after about 40 min at night driving with them.
I would have put an RX in my Oakley's but it would have cost me more to send them back and do that than it cost to get the new Costa's with my RX. lol

Similar issues but I decided to try multifocal contacts. Wooo Hooo
works like a charm. Bought a few cheapo pairs of sunglasses and no issues. I do have to add drops from time to time when riding (well when I stop that is) do to the air/wind drying the contacts out. If I have my visor down it's less of an issue or if I wear the sunglasses designed for motorcycle (close fitting and like a rubber boot around the inside).

[klx678]

I use prescription sunglasses, it only takes 30 seconds to switch out when the sun sets. Of course I wear glasses, so it makes sense for the cost.

I also do one thing that few do. I get the tint far darker than normal. I can almost look directly at the sun and in normal riding I have no problems that cause me to squint. I don't know what the grade number is, but it's definitely darker than any tinted shield. They work great with OTG goggles too on the dual sport.

I've never used tinted shields because it's easier to carry the glasses and change them. If I buy a second shield I'd rather it be a clear one so I can replace a scratched up one.

If anyone is considering Transition lenses for the darkening qualities be aware they don't work the same behind a windshield or a helmet visor. Also GET A DEMONSTRATION. See if they meet your expectations and needs. They don't get dark enough for me in any conditions. I wouldn't buy them again. Spend the extra cash on either a set of clip ons with a good dark tint or another pair with tinted lenses.

[mrich12000]

Numer 8 Welding safety shades here in Calgary does the trick.

[djh3]

KLX one of the things I have noticed about the transitions from work experince. I first have to say I own a pair and really like them. But sometimes they dont get dark enough for my liking, and also if bright alot of sun comes in the sides. The welding safety glasses have postential on the dark side of things.

[GreenRocket]

I usually wear my older Oakley wrap-arounds under a clear visor. I'd love a tinted visor (they do look so cool!), and may get one for long day trips if I find one on sale, but since I work late shifts I would have to swap out my visor twice every day, and I am looking for ways to speed up my whole gearing up process! Having to swap out the shield and carry something for the other shield to fit into ain't my thing.

I did once wear my expensive designer sunglasses under my helmet when I had left my Oakleys at work and I got a rainbow effect going on! So that happens with not just the cheapie sunglasses.

[garymc]

I haven't had any problems with sunglasses or bifocal reading glasses under a visor. However, when I put them in my sissybar bag and ride some, they get ground into powder and little bits of plastic. Well, scratched up, at least.