Mountain biking accidents are on the rise. More and more cyclists have been hospitalised due to biking accidents, which have happened mainly along Perth trails. One reported accident involved a man who went over his bike’s handlebars. Fortunately, he was wearing a full-face helmet, yet he still suffered fractures in five vertebrae and two ribs. For months, this left him in a neck brace that prohibited him from accomplishing daily tasks, such as driving.

Apart from the head, spine, and torso, the eyes are vulnerable body parts that can get injured during mountain biking—especially in accidents involving head trauma. This is why it’s necessary to protect your eyes during rides.
Read on to discover some common mountain biking eye injuries and how you can protect your eyes:

Common mountain biking eye injuries

Abrasion

An eye abrasion is a scratch on the cornea, the transparent layer covering the pupil and iris. You can get them from tiny rocks, dust, or gravel flying up from disturbed ground and hitting your eyes, especially if there’s another biker in front of you. While these can heal in 1-3 days, they can cause discomfort, pain, temporary blurred vision, and teary eyes.

Blowout fracture

When your eye socket survives impact, like a fall where you land on the side of your head, it leads to a break in the floor or inner wall of the eye socket. It can also result in pinched eye muscles. You may experience bruising and difficulty looking around.

Snow blindness

Though biking in the snow can be quite refreshing, our article ‘Protecting Your Eyes From Snow Blindness’ reveals you can get snow blindness—or eye sunburn—after long periods of looking at the snow and the sunlight reflecting off it. As a result, you may feel pain and temporary vision loss as a consequence. However, that temporary loss can be permanent in extreme cases.

How to protect your eyes when mountain biking.

Wear sunglasses

Sunglasses shield your eyes from the sun, especially since higher altitudes filter less UV rays. Aside from preventing snow blindness, they can protect you from physical irritants and impacts that can cause abrasions and blowout fractures. That’s especially true if you get a pair specifically designed for mountain biking. You can start with some Oakley sunglasses, which offer UV protection polarised lenses to reduce glare and improve visual clarity, and advanced technologies like Unobtainium—a patented material used for nose pads and temple tips to ensure maximum comfort and minimal slippage.

You can check out the brand’s Encoder Strike and Radar EV Path. These are specifically designed for bikers in that they cover the entire eye area to protect your eyes from the sun, snow, and debris from all sides.

Use a helmet

Bike helmets absorb shock that would otherwise affect your head and eyes in cases of falls or crashes. Most helmets also have protrusions or guards that keep your eyes from hitting the ground, letting you avoid eye punctures and similar injuries. For this, you can try BELL helmets. helmets. This leading brand in the cycling market provides extreme comfort while ensuring protection. Its helmets use EPS foam—a lightweight foam that can withstand load—to absorb shock and minimise impact.

The 4Forty MIPS and Super Air Spherical are amongst their best styles. Both models deliver impact protection without being too bulky, ensuring a lightweight feel you can easily use while traversing mountain trails.

Always protect your eyes using sunglasses and helmets when mountain biking. By doing so, you’ll avoid sustaining life-altering injuries that can affect your vision.

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