Surfski Knowledge Base

Reivers Dustin
05/21/19 #24904

Over on facebook Carter J has a post about over exposure to sun and wind and “surfer's eye”. Good info on it. I've worn dark glasses when it's sunny for other reasons, but heads up y'all.

After reading the surfer story John R. recommended I made note of some of the common conditions. Skin problems from sun, water and salt exposure. Swimmer's ear. So I usually try to rinse the salt off after a paddle, I sometimes put coconut oil on before a big paddle, I got myself a floppy hat for my ears and nose. I'm going to start wearing a bandana around my neck because the back of my neck is not pretty any more. Yeah, I know. Too late for me. But you kids out there should take a lesson.

Reivers Dustin
05/21/19 #24906

here's CJ's post from F.B.

The Gorge Downwind Champs is stoked to add our latest sponsor, LiP Sunglasses. The official eye protection of the 2019 Gorge Downwind Champs. Designed to be worn in the water while taking a thrashing in the waves. While we are stoked for this partnership, the necessity for it is a bittersweet one and I hope one way or the other water activist can learn my my mistakes.

I never took eye protection seriously but hind site could have been 20/20, no pun intended. Much to my dismay, I was diagnosed with Pterygium after my last trip to Hawaii where I even had conversations with other paddlers how I never wear shades while paddling. Pterygium is so common among water athletes that the household name is “Surfers Eye”. Needless to say, This issue truly falls into I wish I knew then what I know now category.

It is worth educating your self on Pterygium as it is both common, has potential long term vision impact but also is easily avoidable.

WEB MD - Pterygium
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/pterygium-surfers-eye#1

LIP WATERSHADES
https://www.lip-sunglasses.com/products/watershades/

Paul Reavley
05/22/19 #24907

Direct link to Lip sunglasses without going through FakeBook:

https://www.lip-sunglasses.com/products/watershades/

I have heard about these before and am curious about how well the anti-fog works - a frequent problem with my sunglasses.

Reivers Dustin
05/23/19 #24909

I would like to hear a report on fog-less sunglasses. I bought some fancy ones from Australia and they fog up. It might be my fault because I cleaned them with a product called “Op Drops” which works great to prevent the droplets on your glasses that block vision. Op Drops also reduces fog on my cheapo $12 glasses. However, if you are nerdy and read the manufacturers stuff they tell you do not use anybodies cleaner stuff on their glasses but their own.

I'm at intermediate stage macular Degen so I've paid the big bucks for some fancy pants Oakley ones. And special Oakley cleaner stuff and all this crap in their own special little cases and I can hardly express how irritating and bothersome I find this folderol. But so far they haven't fogged up. If they fog up I'll experience a powerful urge to put them into the garbage disposal.

I'll be like that guy on the car insurance commercial where he's explaining how buying the wrong (rong) car insurance is like throwing your money away and then he shows you by throwing his wallet over the handrail into the San Francisco bay. I'll be trying to dig my wallet out of the garbage disposal. Oh well…

bill
05/23/19 #24910

Something else to think about if buying new sunglasses or at least for a topic of discussion… Should or shouldn’t you use polarized glasses paddling. For me in general they are fine, but I find them a hindrance in a downwind. This is very apparent in the gorge. Mid day surfing east with polarized glasses I look one way I have very sparkly reflective water and I can see all the subtleties of the surface. Look the other way and zero reflections on the water and it looks “flat” with few subtleties of the surface shown. I find myself surfing one way towards the brighter water with reflective surfaces that I can read much easier than the reflection-less flatter looking water that’s harder to read. Does anyone else have this problem? Last year during the championships I asked a few people who look like they had polarized glasses on and everyone I talk to said they thought about taking them off and chucking them… They were all having the same problems with seeing the surface texture of the waves and even having a clear idea on how steep they were as they were having depth perception issues related to lack of reflective surfaces for the brain to work off of. I myself will no longer use polarized glasses on downwind. I just lose too much information on what’s going on with the waves.

Bill

Amy Hammer

05/23/19 #24911

I love my fog-free Tifosi shades. They are vented in the upper outside corner and never fog, no matter how much I am huffing. They don't scratch. You clean them with the little cloth bag they ride around in when not in use. The rubber nose and ear pieces don't slip in sweat and sunblocker. They come with extra lenses.

Tiposioptics.com

I got them from Title Nine which is geared toward women, (unlike most of gear world which is geared toward large men), but perhaps they are unisex or whatever.

Thanks for bringing up this important topic!

Happy s2s! Amy

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Michael Medler
05/23/19 #24912

I concur with Bill. I don’t really care where the fish are under the water, so I don’t need polarizationions best trick. The side effect is that water looks radically different in different sun-water angles. I am looking for super hydrophobic glasses that don’t distort the information I am getting about the water.

Paul Reavley
05/23/19 #24914

Then there is the question of which tint. I have not experimented with this enough. There are general guidelines like this: https://www.vsp.com/lens-tints.html but I don't know how accurate/useful they are. Any observations?

Nicholas Cryder
05/23/19 #24915

I use polarized, prescription lenses on my main glasses, which is fine everywhere but the Gorge. For some reason the color of the Gorge water totally messes with my depth of field with polarized lenses.

As for fog, it's only an early season issue and I just a product called cat crap from the ski industry. Works great.

Duncan Howat

05/23/19 #24917

Wearing a good bill shading hat all the time in the sun according to some Dr’s is best and allow some sun for the eyes as I guess they need it. But always wear them when on snow or water. Now it would seem that not wearing them for just a hour and half race 3or 4 times a year, with of course a good shading hat, wouldn’t hurt you in the long run. Having the best vision in the gorge for the races (without sunglasses) is kinda good. Especially if you take one in the face.50 years on the snow and water and eyes are still pretty good. Maybe just lucky. D

Larry Bussinger
05/23/19 #24919

I think tint is important after traveling in fog on my boat last week. Brown was amazingly better than gray.
Larry B