But it turns out eye protection can be just as effective at keeping out considerably bigger crawlies:

This one hit so hard it jammed itself between the lens and the frame—better there than in the cornea!

[via ligfiets.net]

What’s really bugging me at the moment is…well, bugs. Clouds of the tiny buggers come swooping into my face without any warning. They get in my mouth and up my nose—even in my ears! They get sucked into the air holes in my helmet then wriggle around inside and make my head itch. And on these warm evenings they even splat onto my arms and get stuck to my sweat.

But they don’t get into my eyes. I never ride anywhere without wearing glasses—sunglasses during the day, clear glasses at night—and frankly I can’t understand why anyone would hit the road without eye protection. It must be like driving a car without a windscreen. From insects at dusk to road spray on rainy days to the cloud of dust from a lawn-mower on a windy day (such as I rode through this morning!) there are everyday dangers to the eyes that can be reduced or eliminated by covering up.

That’s not to mention the possible bodily injury that could occur due to being suddenly blinded while on the move. Even momentary disorientation or discomfort due to having something lodged in the eye could be enough to throw a rider off balance and onto the tarmac.

But eye protection doesn’t need to be expensive: my clear “night vision” specs are just a pair of industrial safety glasses that I picked up at the big hardware store for about $13. I figured that the requirements of industrial safety wear—lightweight, comfortable, impact-resistant, wide field of vision—would be pretty much what I needed on the bike. And I was right, they’ve been great and they don’t look too bad either. In fact, I think I’ll go and get some tinted ones for the summer months.

Now if I can just work out how to keep the damn bugs out of my nose and mouth and ears…