Perfect vision when cycling: which spectacle lenses are best for cyclists?

Whether you're a professional cyclist or you just cycle for fun, a good set of sports glasses is essential when cycling. High speeds on tarmac or off-road, frequently changing light conditions from bright sunshine to flickering light and shade, insects and dirt or grit flying into your face all make cycling glasses an essential piece of safety equipment for this sport. BETTER VISION can help you find out what to look for when buying a pair of cycling glasses and what your options are when it comes to choosing lenses.

Glasses for cyclists have to be genuine all-rounders, safely protecting your eyes against harmful UV rays, airstream, insects, dust – even dirt and grit in the air. And they have to do all this without being a nuisance: cyclist glasses have to be light, and the nose pad and sides have to fit comfortably under a helmet. In addition, high-contrast vision is very important when cycling. The eye has to adjust to constantly changing light conditions and the play of light and shadow. Furthermore, the glasses have to offer proper glare protection.

In addition to a well-fitting and sturdy, curved set of frames, the lenses are very important. They have to provide protection against UV rays, wind and airborne particles, and also have to allow cyclists to see their way perfectly in bright sunshine, in shadows and even in bad weather. Carl Zeiss Vision has created a range of lenses that offer bike riders both uncompromising vision and great visual comfort. The lenses are specifically designed for light conditions that change from low light through to strong brightness.

1. Polarising lenses

Rapid and frequent switching between light and shade puts a strain on your eyes. When you add glare and reflections or back light to the mix, dangers, curves or lane changes may not be visible until it's too late. This not only means losing time by having to brake, it could also pose a safety risk. Glasses – with or without correction – with polarising lenses provide the ideal protection against glare and help filter out reflections from bright, smooth surfaces. You can see better when cycling and identify risks earlier due to less dazzle.

2. Curved lenses

The curvature of the spectacle frame is very important. The glasses have to fit your face perfectly in order to protect your eyes. Visual acuity throughout your entire field of vision is crucial, particularly if you need visual correction. Potential hazards need to be visible from peripheral areas as well. Many cyclists wear contact lenses under their sports glasses. But if dust or grit manages to get behind the glasses and under the contact lenses, it can present a real problem. Previously, the sporty, angled position of curved lenses created inconvenient aberrations in the periphery, due to the physical shape of the lenses. Thanks to the special technology used in the design and manufacturing of ZEISS sports lenses, we are able to offer extremely precise vision even in the angled portions of the lens periphery. Whether you need progressive or single vision lenses – curved sports lenses from ZEISS put an end to vision loss, even in higher prescriptions.

Amber and rose lens tints increase visual acuity and are highly recommended for cycling. They provide the brightest field of vision and are ideal for weak to no sunlight. Thanks to their strength in colour contrast, these tints are particularly recommended when cycling on roads. By improving your reaction times, they help improve your sporting performance and your safety. When there is little or no sunlight, it is more important than ever to have tints that enable you to recognise even the smallest details quickly and clearly. When choosing a tint for cycling, make sure not to select too dark a variant because you will be switching from very sunny stretches to shaded areas very quickly – under trees or bridges and tunnels, for example. We would advise cyclists against self-tinting lenses because, despite the excellent performance characteristics of modern self-tinting lenses, they still clear too slowly for the conditions you will be using them in.

Grey lenses, although less efficient, are also recommended. They reduce glare and render colours true-to-life. They offer good vision all year round, even in bright sunshine.

As blue light is dominant in our atmosphere, our ability to see contrast is restricted. For example, the ground looks even to us, even when it isn't. Yellow lenses filter out more of the blue wavelengths of light, allowing us to see contrast better. This tint guarantees cyclists better vision with less light, in other words, in darker light conditions with less sunshine.

In average to strong sunshine, blue attenuator lenses (e.g. Skylet from Carl Zeiss Vision) are especially useful. They reduce the transmission of blue light wavelengths, thereby increasing the contrast while presenting colours in a neutral way.

Many sports lenses are also available in polarising variants. A polarising lens eliminates the vertically oscillating portion of light, which is typically formed by dazzling light sources, such as the wet surface of a road after rain.

Your cycling glasses have to put up with a lot. After you've raced in them, they will be covered in more dust, dirt and insects than any other kind of sports glasses. Invest in a good CleanCoat layer to make the spectacle lenses easy to clean. With hydrophobic lens coatings, perspiration, rain and other residues simply drip off. A good anti-reflective coating – especially on the back surface of the lens – minimises distracting reflections that can be seriously disruptive and confusing.

Last but not least, the lenses on your cycling glasses need to be extremely sturdy and shatter-proof. We recommend lenses made of polycarbonate and polyamide (nylon) that can withstand a fall.

What you need to bear in mind:

• When you are at the optician's, take great care when deciding what your cycling glasses need to achieve.
  
• Make sure to take your helmet with you to the fitting and check whether the field of vision is large enough for you.
  
• Do the glasses protect you properly from the airstream? Some opticians have specialised in sports glasses and have wind fans or racing bikes in their shops in order to simulate practical conditions.
  
• Are the glasses easy to put on and take off?
  
• To test the colour tint, make sure to wait for a sunny day before visiting the optician.