The Best Color Lenses for Your Ride Depend on Your Eye Color! Sunglasses
are one of the most important and essential pieces of motorcycle safety
gear. Not only will they protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, they
will protect you from the elements like wind, rain, dirt and bugs.
MPN
recently blogged about a motorcycle eyewear company that discovered a
correlation between a rider’s eye color and the lens color that is best
for him or her. The company’s sales showed that 80 percent of riders
wear gray lenses with black frames. In an experiment, they asked riders
to test wearing gray lenses and amber lenses through the same
environment while riding to determine if either lens provided greater
vision.
Early during testing, researchers found out eye color was
a major factor in which lens color each rider chose. Lighter-colored
eyes are more transparent, allowing more light to enter and more
sensitive to bright light. Contrast lenses make everything brighter.
Based on these theories, riders were put into one of two groups and the
results were summarized.
Greater than 4/5 riders with
lighter-colored eyes chose a gray-colored lens. The additional contrast
from the amber lens made the bright light too much to bear – a few
riders gave the sunglasses back within seconds of trying them on.
Riders with darker-colored eyes overwhelmingly preferred the amber
colored lens. For these riders, the additional contrast of the lens was
considered safer and more comfortable.
The test also took on the
longstanding belief by some riders that polarized lenses made it more
difficult to see water puddles because the glare of the sun on the
water was no longer visible. The testers were unable to create any
situation that proved this belief to be accurate. Polarization allowed
the riders to see what was in the puddles, and be able to differentiate
between puddles and potholes.
To recap – if you have
light-colored eyes, a gray lens is probably best for you. If you have
dark-colored eyes, you might want to go with an amber lens. However
regardless of lens color, you sunglasses of choice should be polarized
and shatter-proof for the ride.
Yet, there’s no denying it: Unless you plan to ride exclusively around the Southern United States, you’ll face some chilly winters. And even before it...
