Stinging Eyes in the Lashings of Rain

Kintarō Hattori

Hey Guys,

Whenever it rains heavily I have a difficult time continuing to cycle. I don't know if my eyes are particularly sensitive to the water but I find it seems to accumulate and stings with me having to stop the bike and wipe away the water from my eyes with some cloth. Simply wiping with the back of my hand doesn't help.

It's awkward, as if the rain is heavy I have to stop frequently. Also I could be cycling along and get a sudden build up of water in one eye essentially forcing me to close that eye.

Does anyone have this issue when they cycle in the rain? If so how do you deal with it? Are there special glasses/goggles I should know about? I wear glasses if that makes any difference.


I don't think this could be perceived as a medical issue as it's not, it's simply that the rain is a nuisance when it's raining and I'm wondering how to deal with it.

Tenzor07

That's Sweat mixing with water and streaming down into your eyes dude!

sconhome

Is it sweat or excess shampoo being washed out of your hair and into your eyes?

Khannie

Yep, sounds like sweat or some chemical (sun cream, hair gel, something like that). It's probably not sweat because that would be sufficiently diluted by the kind of rain you're talking about that it shouldn't sting you (because sweat and tears are not a million miles apart AFAIK).

Joeyde

Headband may solve the problem? Might look ridiculous but you will be able to see the road...

sleepyholland

I've had this problem if I'm wearing hairgel.
Maybe a dab of vaseline along your eyebrows will funnel the water away from your eyes?

easygoing39

Get a pair of theese,in Tour de France yellow as well!!

http://www.joediveramerica.com/page/JDA/PROD/msk/Tuna-2SMask

seamus

Usually down to the shampoo running out from your hair. You can verify this by tasting the rainwater running into your eyes. Give your hair a double rinse in the shower.

Cookie_Monster

shades and grow you eyebrows more :pac:

HivemindXX

I'd tend to agree with the sweat answer. Something that absorbs the sweat, like a headband, would help.

I've experienced this minor stinging pretty often and it has not been a big deal, including on the Wicklow 100 where it rained pretty much non stop. However yesterday on the cycle home in the heavy rain my eyes were burning very badly and I had to stop once because I had a hard time seeing. I don't know what the cause was, maybe I was producing more caustic sweat, but when I read the subject of this thread I immediately thought of it.

Mr. Presentable

I've had it happen. I suspect shampoo or conditioner may be the culprit.

oflahero

A cap (casquette) is surely the only acceptable euro-compliant solution here. Suggestions of headbands should be retracted immediately.

Khannie

You should go slaphead like me then. No issues with shampoo or conditioner.

tomasrojo

I wear one of these. People seem occasionally to find it amusing, but it does keep your head dry, and rain out of your eyes (and off your glasses, if you wear them) without blocking your vision. You have to velcro the sides up to keep the brim from dipping in front of your eyes, which gives it an Australian look, which isn't ideal.

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/seattle_sombrero.html



(Obviously this doesn't work with a helmet, but let's not get into that.)

sled driver

Ya, agree with rest, result of sweat or hair products!!!!!

A quick spray of this before you head out should do the trick :D

Stephen_C

Had this exact same problem, in heavy rain the stinging in my eyes got so bad that i could barely keep them open.

Discovered that it was all the old sweat getting washed out of the front padding in the helmet and into my eyes. Taking the front padding out sorted the problem instantly.

Kintarō Hattori

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

shades and grow you eyebrows more :pac:

Hehe eyebrows aren't a problem!

Thanks for all the responses guys, much appreciated..... and you were so quick with them!

I think sweat rather than shampoo might be the issue in my case, so not to sure how I'll solve that. On long commutes I'd wear a helmet but on commutes to and from the train station I won't bother. Perhaps some sort of cap might be the way to go.

Lumen

tomasrojo wrote: »

I wear one of these. People seem occasionally to find it amusing

I cannot possibly imagine why.

Mr November

A smear of Vaseline above your eyebrows will help... I couldnt imagine sweat being an irritant... have had it with sun cream in the past... moisturiser could be a potential cause... unless you're one of those 'real men' who don't use such pansy male products!

TinyExplosions

Buy a Casquette and you'll be worry free, no rain to drip in your eyes.

Or, go for this guys look

TinyExplosions

Mr November wrote: »

A smear of Vaseline above your eyebrows will help... I couldnt imagine sweat being an irritant... have had it with sun cream in the past... moisturiser could be a potential cause... unless you're one of those 'real men' who don't use such pansy male products!

Or just the large amount of salt -that's pretty irritating!

Mr November

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Or just the large amount of salt -that's pretty irritating!

... obviously not used to doing 'suicide tequila's' so...

el tel

Brolly's the one way to keep water off your face:



er...maybe not

ROK ON

Wear a casqette (cycling cap).
Look great, keeps sweat out of your eyes & the peak protects eyes from worst of rain.

gottarun

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Buy a Casquette and you'll be worry free, no rain to drip in your eyes.

Or, go for this guys look

This look is not Euro, its more Frisco if you ask me.

Rovi

gottarun wrote: »

This look is not Euro, its more Frisco if you ask me.

HERETIC!


Behold Laurent Fignon

Here's the headband in action: