Wearing a helmet can be very uncomfortable for some people – especially claustrophobic people. Moreover, a bigger concern comes into play if you regularly use a motorcycle and have an eye defect at the same time. Getting those pair of glasses on while you’re wearing a helmet can be something to worry about.
Can you wear a motorcycle helmet with glasses on? You can wear a helmet with your medicated glasses or sunglasses on, provided the glasses can comfortably fit. In this article, we’ll guide you on what kind of glasses you should buy and how to wear a motorcycle helmet with your glasses on.
Can You Wear A Motorcycle Helmet With Glasses On?
You can wear your motorcycle helmet with glasses on, provided the glasses fit properly with the helmet you’re wearing. Wearing a helmet in the first place can be a big deal for many riders as it can make you feel confined.
This makes most riders opt for half-face helmets instead of full-face helmets. More so, helmets with no visor or windshield can make riding a very stressful experience as your eyes will get uncomfortable from the wind blowing against them.
If you have any need for aided vision, then you may have considered wearing a motorcycle helmet with glasses on. This depends on several factors, as you’ll see below.
Factors That May Affect Your Comfort When Wearing a Motorcycle Helmet With Glasses on
The arms of the glasses
Glasses that have thick arms that curve behind your ear can irritate your skin after prolonged usage. You want to avoid the throbbing head that can result from wearing such glasses underneath a helmet. In that case, the right glasses should have thin and straight arms.
The kind of helmet you’re using
If you’re wearing a helmet that has a visor or a windshield, then you can imagine how funny you’d look with glasses underneath that visor. In addition, this may feel uncomfortable. To avoid this, we recommend that you use open-faced or flip-up helmets. The experience with these other helmets is more comfortable than what you’ll get with full-faced helmets.
Medical prescription or to avoid objects entering the eyes
If you can’t afford contact lenses, the only option you have left is to stick with glasses. That’s if you need aid to see properly. Moreover, you may be struggling against airborne dust, bugs, or debris. If you have a flip-up or half-face helmet in such situations, then you can wear your motorcycle helmet with glasses on.
A motorcycle helmet that is suitable for use with glasses should have the following properties:
- Interior cut-outs that allow the frame and arms of the glasses to pass without obstruction.
- A small space close to the eyes that is free of paddings.
- Tender cheek pads that allow the arms of the glasses to slide inside and out effortlessly.
- Enough vents, plus visor vents to help illuminate fogging.
Benefits of wearing a motorcycle helmet with glasses on
Protection from glare and reflection
A pair of prescription glasses under your helmet will help shield your eyes from unsafe ultraviolet rays that come from the sun. In addition to this, it minimizes the discomfort that comes with reflection. It does this by eliminating light rays that hits them.
You’re protected from harsh weather conditions.
Stormy days can be bad for a rider, especially if your helmet doesn’t have a visor or windshield. Having your glasses or goggles on will save you a lot. Thankfully, some glasses come with anti-fog protection. This helps to make your travel a lot easier on various terrains.
It helps to reduce the chances of objects entering your eyes
Any object that hits your eye at high speed associated with some motorcycles can completely damage the eye. If you’re wearing a half-face helmet, glasses or goggles will help to protect you from these harmful objects.
A touch of style added to your appearance.
In addition to the protection glasses provide you, they also give you a more stylish appearance (that’s if you’re not wearing a weird-looking pair of glasses under a full-face helmet, though).
Enhanced vision
Good motorcycle glasses will enhance your vision of the track ahead as well as your peripherals. Using motorcycle glasses for night riding is also a great choice.
What Type Of Glasses Should I Buy?
Despite having a visor or windshield on your helmet, you may still require glasses on those special sunny days. More so, you probably need some sort of aid to see properly. In that case, glasses used with helmets are unavoidable.
However, you can excuse yourself if you have a contact lens to substitute for your glasses (that’s for medical glasses, though). After all, this shouldn’t be a bad experience; all you probably need is proper guidance when choosing what glasses to use. Below are some tips you should consider.
Your choice of lenses
We’d advise that you opt for other sporting activities if you are against shielding your eyes when biking. Motorcycles can travel at blinding speeds – having an object hit you in the eye at as low as 60 MPH can completely render that eye blind.
Therefore, you must get glasses to help protect you from any airborne objects. This makes glasses worth spending on where you can’t afford a helmet. Your glass lenses need to be resistant to impact. A shatterproof polycarbonate material with 100 percent protection from ultraviolet radiation from the sun is just right.
The arms of your glasses are worth considering.
Glasses you wear while you have your helmet on should have arms that are not too thick. They should be light enough to gently fit between the strap of your helmet and your head. If the arms are too thick, you should be ready to get a headache at any moment.
They can make you feel uncomfortable at your temples or behind your ears. Furthermore, you should avoid glasses whose arms are curved at the end – they won’t feel comfortable under a helmet. More so, the frames should be lightweight made with nylon.
The style of your glasses is important.
If your glasses have a large frame, then it’s not the right set of glasses if you’re going to be wearing them alongside a motorcycle helmet. Motorcycle helmets come with paddings above the brow and around the cheek (that’s if it’s a full-face helmet).
The large frames of your glasses will interfere with the paddings on your helmet. This pushes the frames of your glasses such that it mounts pressure on your nose bridge, brows, or cheeks. Also, the frame of your glasses shouldn’t obstruct your view of your peripherals.
How To Wear Motorcycle Helmet With Glasses
If you have ever worn a motorcycle helmet with glasses on, you may have felt inconvenienced. It doesn’t have to be that way. Follow the steps below for a guide on wearing a motorcycle helmet with glasses on.
Your helmet must be able to accommodate glasses.
If you’re frequent with glasses, then you must have discovered how uncomfortable wearing glasses can be. This is more so when you have glasses whose arms are too tightly fitted or have a thick frame.
If you want to avoid the headache that can result from combining a helmet’s discomfort with that of glasses, your helmet should have groves or cutouts at your temple region to allow the arm of your glasses to rest freely.
Go for glasses that are suitable for use with a helmet
Once you know your helmet is the best fit to allow for glasses, your next concern is the kind of glasses you wear with the helmet on. Having the glasses pad along your eyebrow and exerting pressure on the bridge of your nose can be very uncomfortable.
To avoid this distraction, make sure your glasses feel comfy before zooming off. Also, you must ensure that the arms of your glasses are not too thick. Note that any glasses you use while riding doesn’t obstruct your view of your peripherals.
Wearing your glasses
Experienced motorcycle riders recommend that you wear your helmet first before the glasses. Make sure that the arms of your glasses fit comfortably over the strap of your helmet. Wearing the glasses with the arms under your helmet strap can not only be uncomfortable – but it also makes it a little bit difficult to take off the glasses.
It can also irritate your skin, resulting in a headache after a while. However, some conditions allow you to comfortably wear your glasses with the arms under the helmet strap. If the arms of your glasses have the thin temples feature, you’re free to fit them under the strap.
Conclusion
Can you wear a motorcycle helmet with glasses on? You can wear a motorcycle helmet with your glasses on, whether they’re sunglasses or prescription glasses. However, the best helmets for use with sunglasses are half-face helmets. In addition to the protection glasses provide for your eyes; you also enjoy the enhanced vision of your peripherals while riding at night.
Some helmets are specially built to allow for use with glasses, but you can still use any helmet with your glasses, provided it doesn’t give you any form of discomfort. On the part of the glasses, we recommend glasses with slender arms that are not curved at the ends.
