If you commute by motorcycle--whether frequently or occasionally, long road trip or short errand--your sunglasses have a much bigger job to do than just keeping the sun out of your eyes. That’s because they also need to protect your vision from road hazards and conditions that would otherwise be handled by the windshield of an automobile--debris and dust, snow or rain, even bugs. Obviously, you won’t get this level of protection from any old pair of sunglasses; you need motorcycle sunglasses. They’re made specifically to stand up in any conditions you might face on the open road, keeping you in control with clear sight.

Features, options, and their benefits

Motorcycle sunglasses boast a variety of features--some you’ll find with regular sunglasses, others that are unique to this specialized eyewear--all of which offer certain benefits. Here are the most popular ones:

• Polarized lenses : block certain orientations of light waves that correspond to glare from water (on the road or by a body of water), bright highways, ice and snow, or the sun
• Prescription lenses : if you wear prescription corrective lenses in regular eyewear, you can get the same prescription built into your motorcycle sunglasses for the clear vision by all standards
• Transitions lenses : a photochromic dye is interspersed in the lenses material to respond to varying intensities of UV light. Brighter light induces deeper lens tint, which dissipates in dimmer conditions.
• Interchangeable lenses : these allow a similar adaptability to that afforded by Transitions lenses, only you manually change out multiple different lenses as appropriate for riding on any given day. The one advantage you get with interchangeable lenses is they make it easy to replace a worn or broken lens on your own.
• Foam inserts : these are designed for the frames, rather than the lenses, but they’re just as important to safe riding and the functionality of the sunglasses. They cushion against impact, shield discomfort from wind, and block light from peripheral angles. Oftentimes they’re replaceable so you don’t need to shell out for a whole new pair of sunglasses due to wear-and-tear on the foam inserts.

Want more advice, and even some tried-and-tested reviews? No doubt involve the advice of your eye doctor, and other seasoned riders.