Eye protection

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flynrider · #1 Post by **flynrider** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:16 pm

I can't believe this happened. I wear a fullface helmet, glasses with fairly large shatter proof lenses, and have a fullsize plexi winshield mounted on the bars.

Last Saturday, I'm riding home down a major street at about 45 mph. I have my faceshield up because it has a heavy tint and it's night. Still got the windshield and the big glasses right?

Well, I turned my head a bit to the left to look in my mirror and a bug manages to get past the windshield, navigate between the lenses of my glasses, and splat right into my left eye! Ouch! It took all of my concentration to ignore the pain and use my good eye to pull over.

After pulling over to clean out the bug guts, I rode the few minutes home and gave the eye a thorough cleansing. Apparently, it wasn't good enough. Sunday and Monday it looked a little red, but didn't really hurt. On Tuesday I woke up with my eye pasted shut with goo that was coming out of it. After I cleaned off the goo, it stayed shut because it was swollen like a prizefighters eye after a particularly bad mauling.

By the time I saw the doc on Wed., all he could say was "Holy cr*p!!, that's disgusting!" . Long story short, infection spread quickly from the eye to the throat and ear and I've been pumped full of antibiotics and steroids for the last few days. It hasn't been pretty.

I've been riding with my tinted shield up at night for 25 yrs. and this is the first time a bug made it through the windshield and glasses. Looks like I might have to modify this procedure. Doc said I came pretty close to losing some vision in the eye.

Just a word of warning for you guys and gals that occasionally ride with the faceshield up. As mom always said, " You'll put your eye out!!".

VermilionX · #2 Post by **VermilionX** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:19 pm

that's seems like 1 in a million chance.

that sucks though, glad to hear it wasn't much worse that it could have been.

maybe try goggles next time?

i ride w/ my smoke tint ay night and it's not bad. i used to ride w/ dark smoke on my previous helmet.

kabob983 · #3 Post by **kabob983** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:27 pm

Yikes! Could have been worse I suppose, but still.

Glad you're alright. How long until your eye is back to normal?

#4 Post by **KarateChick** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:29 pm

Oh that sounds just awful!

I feel for you.

I rarely ride with the faceshield up and the odd time I have, I wasn't overly comfortable with it even though I had sunglasses on as well. Just something about the way the wind blasts into my eyes.

I hope all the drugs are working and you get better soon.

(Can't listen to my mom - she doesn't know I have a bike....)

Bugg · #5 Post by **Bugg** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:29 pm

Man, that sucks, but after the infection is stopped you may be able to laugh about it, glad it wasn't worse.

I had a flying ant make it under my glasses once (open faceshield) and I could feel it struggling in my eye, I actually killed it by blinking..it was nasty

kabob983 · #6 Post by **kabob983** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:30 pm

I got a fly in the eye when I was first learning to ride. Luckily I was going about 7 mph at the time, but MAN, that was distracting! Not overly painful, but distracting!

ninja79 · #7 Post by **ninja79** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:28 pm

VermilionX wrote:that's seems like 1 in a million chance.

Nonsense. I can't count how many times bugs attacked my face shield. Once it was something really big cause the faceshield made a loud *plonk* sound and vibrated for a few seconds. Another time, after a long weekend ride, I found *three* bug splats on the face shield. Just two days ago me & my coworkers were driving to lunch, and a truck ahead of us kicked up a fairly large pebble and projected it right into the car's windshield.

Long story short, I'd never ride without a face shield. Hope you get better flynrider.

VermilionX · #8 Post by **VermilionX** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:32 pm

ninja79 wrote:
VermilionX wrote:that's seems like 1 in a million chance.
Nonsense. I can't count how many times bugs attacked my face shield. Once it was something really big cause the faceshield made a loud *plonk* sound and vibrated for a few seconds. Another time, after a long weekend ride, I found *three* bug splats on the face shield. Just two days ago me & my coworkers were driving to lunch, and a truck ahead of us kicked up a fairly large pebble and projected it right into the car's windshield.

Long story short, I'd never ride without a face shield. Hope you get better flynrider.

i meant the freak chance that it got him right between his sunglasses.

black mariah · #9 Post by **black mariah** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:58 pm

ninja79 wrote:
VermilionX wrote:that's seems like 1 in a million chance.
Nonsense.

Yeah, you're right. It's more like one in a few million. I've taken a few gnats to the eye, but never while wearing ANY KIND of eye protection, including sunglasses.

Mintbread · #10 Post by **Mintbread** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:10 pm

Walking doesn't count.

I wear sunglasses whilst delivering and I can't count the number of times a bug has managed to fly right into my eye whilst my head is turned. The gap is minute but the damn things seem to have a sixth sense.