Beware of Glare

Glare is your enemy! Glare can make you temporarily blind and just the shock of sudden glare can make you unsteady. Neither condition is optimal for a motorcyclist. Furthermore, glare can damage your eyes and that damage can be permanent.

We associate glare with bright sun so much that we might forget that winter brings its own version—and glare from snow or ice can be even worse than summer sun. In fact, a day in the snow can be more harmful for your eyes than a day at the beach. Snow reflects 80% of sunlight, more than water does. Too much exposure to sunlight or glare can give you photokeratitis, which is a burn on the surface of your eyes. It hurts, but it goes away. Not so other outcomes, like cataracts, cancer of the eyelids and the tissue around the eyes, or macular degeneration—the leading cause of blindness in people over 65.

So, when you go for a ride on a bright day in winter, especially if you will see snow, wear your shades!

Stay safe out there!
- Mike