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Colour of Goggles

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
this is 100% the wrong time of year to be asking this I know.

2 years ago I replaced my old faithful Carrera goggles with new ones with yellow lenses, having read how this is the best protection from UV light.

Problem: for the first time in my life, I now understand why friends say "I don't wear goggles on warm days, my face gets too hot." Never happened to me until I got Goggles with yellow lenses.

Ok, just one of those things. Until today when I read that infra red (ie what we feel as "heat", from a direct source, such as, for example, the sun) can actually do more damage to eyes than UV in bright sunlight.

During the last two years I have experienced, for the first time, some symptoms of gel detachment in my eyes. This is not unusual for my age (over 60); and it's not of itself harmful (they always tell you that ... ) but I also read recently that getting too hot can also cause the jelly in your eyes to slop about more. That sounds horrid - but it is natural BUT the catch is, that, if you have any loose areas in your retina, it can loosen them still further.

So the question is: is there any information about whether getting overheated under goggles on a hot day has any correlation with eye problems? This came on right over the time I was skiing; it had probably already started, but it took a turn for the worse at that time. The doc said that air pressure, height about sea level, and even bumping about (I am not an energetic skiier - no jumps here) shoudln't have anything to do with it.

A friend suggested that my old goggles were better ventilated (ie most of the foam had fallen off Very Happy) but I never had any Hot Face experience in the 20 years I had them, and they were new once.

Thanks for any suggestions.

PS the overheating is bad enough, really hot against my eyes, that I switch back to the old gogs on a sunny day, which I think it trying to tell me something, I am just not sure what.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Wet, I can't believe that yellow lenses are dark enough on a sunny day in any way whatsoever.

Interchangeable lenses or photochromic ones.

The only way if wearing them in all conditions.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Thank you, that is interesting. I haven't seen that point mentioned before. I haven't really experienced the problem as "too bright", just "too hot", glaring, really. I mean, worse on the skin than not having goggles on at all. (Different matter for the eyes of course.)

My grey ones are not particularly "deep" either but I didn't have glare or overheating problems with them.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Shock Most yellow lenses are for very low visibility conditions, and hardly block out any UV at all. They are often bundled as a spare lens with a google that has a fair weather lens installed. Of course, it could be that your lens is not like that - though it should be easy to tell because a low-vis yellow lens will not have any shiny coatings or anything else that will make it look like it offers protection. Mine is completely transparent (although yellow in colour) whereas my high- and mid-vis lenses both have a shiny polychromatic coating and some evidence of being polarised.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
What they said.

I would be worried you'd just go snow blind, using lenses designed for dull light on a bright day. You can't put sunscreen on your retinas, so most people just use dark lenses.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@Wet, "hot" or "glaring"? They are not the same things.

My bad weather lenses are usually fine even on a sunny January day but even my good weather lenses which are a grade or two (lenses are graded 1-4 or on VLT) darker are not quite enough at lunchtime on a bright April day. (I have even darker ones on order with something like only 7% visible light transmission (VLT).)

All of them have mirrored coatings that allegedly reduces glare.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
"Hot", really, I mean felt as radiant heat (not just warm and sweaty) rather than visual glare. I used the word "glare" because it feels quite intense, and dries my eyes out in bright blue-sky conditions.

I bought yellow this time (possibly orange - I wasn't aware that there was a difference till I read an article yesterday) although I don't like yellow very much Very Happy because it's widely recommended as the best UV protection and all-round lens colour. So I thought I was being " sensible". I am now seeing that there may be more to it than that. I have to admit that I'm a one-week-a year skiier who like most of my species only has one set of goggles and never noticed that there might be such a thing as "bundled lenses". I skiied happily for over 20 years on the same grey pair without problems. So I am puzzled by current developments.

PS that was meant to be a response to everyone, sorry I didn't say so. Many thanks.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Wet, invest in a good pair. You will notice the difference. and at one week a year, if you take care of the, they'll be the last pair you ever need. (mine have done 50 weeks). We have Smith I/Os.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Sad thing is - that is what I thought I was doing. They are a £60 pair - maybe that's not enough of an investment, but I didn't realise the problem that has arisen, could arise.

My Carreras were £20 in around 1984 or 5, which was quite a lot then, but my basic economics are not enough to tell me if it was comparable. (I would have bought the same pair again if they had been available.) They did exactly what you said.

BTW is there such a thing as stick-on lens darkener/polaroid etc? That may be a daft question, but there are so many ingenious things out there I thought it might be worth asking. (My husband has stick-on reading lenses on his, and they work beautifully. Different thing, I know, but I woudlnt' have guessed it, he just went looking.)

(I have dug them out and they are Bolle with orange lenses rather than yellow, with a reflective coating on the front. Look silly, but they were the most suitable I could find.)

I need to get to the bottom of this. If we get any sun in the UK, I am going to walk around in them to see what happens.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Wet, Or do what I did. Just have two pairs, a dark lens with low light transmission for sunny days and the yellow for overcast days. I now even have a totally clear third pair for night skiing. I am becoming very sad Madeye-Smiley
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
"Night skiing is very brave", not least because, if friends tell true, it seems to involve night parties Very Happy
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Wet, side question, the stick on reading lenses, so they work well? Which ones please? thanks.

Hmm, £60 not so very much for goggles these days...I'm afraid. And never heard of a stick on cover. Although, it's not a bad idea!!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Wet, ....UV protection is provided by different mechanisms not just tint - glass lens let UV through, whereas polycarbonate lens filter a very high level of UV (90pc or so), physical barriers at the side of glasses (pace glacier glasses) stops the UV round the side - goggles obviously prevent stuff going the side; and of course UV coating - which is a clear coating preventing wavelengths beyond the 400nm segment. You have to use cat 3 and cat 4 to reduce VLT (visible light transmission) - down to 15-18% for cat 3 such as Oakley Iridium and Bolle Citrus Gun and further if you can find the very rare Cat4, which are only suitable to very sunny days and downright dangerous when you ski from the bright piste and into the trees...

...turns out I now use goggles right the way through the year now - from zero viz high wind to cloudless bluebird sweat days....even climbing these days...

Addendum - 400nm - that lies behind the 400 label which you should look for...


Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much on Fri 1-07-16 16:58; edited 2 times in total
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Wet, ...reflecting on night skiing, I remember the time I was holding a flare helping a group down a steep slope with a guide, at Bardonecchia...I was thinking, this is good, the flare really keeps your hand warm..it was at that point that I realised my glove was on fire....
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@valais2, Laughing Laughing Laughing
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Wet wrote:
"Night skiing is very brave", not least because, if friends tell true, it seems to involve night parties Very Happy



That is very true. Here there is a monthly full moon tour to a hut with fantastic food, live music and fund raising for mountain rescue with donated sporting goods etc raffle at the last one. The ski down is possible for most of the way without lights, but on overcast nights a decent mountain bike lamp is a godsend. Standard headlamps have limitations for fast skiing Toofy Grin
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
under a new name wrote:
@Wet, side question, the stick on reading lenses, so they work well? Which ones please? thanks.


IIRR they were £15 and i think he got them from Amazon - bt that probably isn't enough to go on. I will try and find out. It was several years ago now.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Scarpa wrote:
@valais2, Laughing Laughing Laughing


That takes talent Very Happy

Never mind bike lights, I think I will just stick to a bike at night Very Happy
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