Sport Eyeglasses
Did you know that sport eyeglasses can give you a competitive edge in sports?
Good vision is a prerequisite for doing any sport well. Sport glasses that enhance already perfect vision are now available to not only boost athletic performance, but also to protect the eye, to improve visual contrast and visibility, and to provide light control.
As children, we learn to perfect our hand-eye coordination as we participate in sports such as baseball, football, basketball and Racket sports. If vision is only slightly impaired, or blurred, it can markedly reduce our ability to see and react to objects. Superior vision is absolutely necessary to perform at a peak level, according to industry research.
But good vision and healthy eyes are just part of visual acuity. Depending on the sport, other vision enhancing options are available to the serious athlete who desires keener vision.
Eye Protection
The two areas of concern when considering eye protection for sports are safety and UV protection.
Eye injuries can occur in any sport. If you are a skier, ice and driving snow become projectiles that can seriously injure your eyes. Ball players know too well the hazards of an errant throw or kick. Protective eye wear, including safety glasses and face shields, are designed to keep debris out of the eyes as well as providing a barrier against getting hit in the eye.
UV protection is particularly critical for outdoor athletes. Golfers, runners, tennis players, soccer players, even horsemen and boating enthusiasts, need to block damaging UV rays which may cause cataracts and/or cancer later in life.
When choosing protective eyewear, choose eyewear designed specifically for that sport. You will want to look for impact resistant frames and lenses as well as the correct lenses for the light conditions each day.
Color/Contrast Enhancement
More contrast between a ball and its background, or between undulations in the landscape, allows athletes to see objects better. This is the theory behind color enhancing eyewear – to see the outlines of objects with greater clarity.
Skiers know full well that light changes throughout the day. The dreaded “flat light” skiers experience makes it difficult to discern the angle of the slope and the existence of hazardous conditions. Changing lens colors allows skiers to adapt their eyesight to different light conditions during the day.
Similarly, ball players can accentuate the contrast between an airborne ball and its background by choosing the appropriate tinted lens for their particular sport and conditions.
Light Control
There are three types of sunglasses that control light and reduce glare.
Polarized sports sunglasses have been around for a while and are useful for reducing glare during daylight sports activities.
For day or night play, choose eyewear with an anti-reflective coating that works in sunlight or artificial lights and helps to reduce glare.
Finally, Photochromic lenses or self-adjusting lenses (such as Transition lenses) adjust themselves depending on the light level. Inside, the lenses are perfectly clear. As light intensifies (from a cloudy day to a sunny one), the lenses self-adjust becoming darker and darker. These lenses are great for outside sports such as golf and baseball.
Photochromatic lenses are available in two forms, either plastic form or polycarbonate form which is better for sports eyewear because it is lighter, thinner and has more ability to resist the forces of sudden impacts,so help to protect your eyes from injury.
No sport eyeglasses are complete without a thorough eye exam from a qualified optician or optometrist. Your eye doctor will make sure that your eyes are healthy and that you have the correct eye prescription to perfect your vision.
Your eye professional will also know the right type of sport glasses for your particular sport and playing conditions and will be able to make recommendations as to lenses that will help you maximize your performance. A personalized fitting guarantees that you will achieve the optimum vision for your sports activities.
