Burning eyes

How can your eyes burn when it is absolutely pissing down rain?

That is an interesting question.

Monday morning was solid drizzle. Most rainy mornings, I will leave the house during a dry spell, thus having a bit of time to warm up before running into a patch of rain. Monday was different. I walked out to my bike in the rain. I saddled up in the rain. I rode all the way to work in the rain.

I got very, very wet. Even my ear canals were full of water. I had water up my nose. I am sure my bladder was fuller than usual from water being forced up the end of my knob. It was that kind of day.

What I did not expect was piercing, burning pain in my eyes about halfway in. I was rolling down a slight incline when it happened - it was like acid being poured into my eyes. It was agony to keep them open, but keep them open I had to do to avoid smashing into the back of a parked car. I managed to pull over in one peice, and a quick rub cleared the pain. I have no idea what caused it, but I have my suspicions.

I think the likely culprit is my helmet. Namely, the lining of my helmet. I reckon the lining is full of salt from sweat coming off my head, and that salt got washed out by the rain, accumulated in my eyebrows and then ran into my eyes as a concentrated brine solution.

Ouch.

Either that, or we are suffering from localised patches of acid rain.

I don't believe the acid rain option. I am simply going to wash out my helmet more often.