Protect Your Eyes With Sports Eyewear
Sports Glasses for Children and Adults
The American Academy of Ophthalmology, through its EyeSmart Program is committed to informing athletes that the only way to prevent sports related eye injuries is to wear properly fitted protective eyewear. Sports related injuries can range from corneal abrasions and bruises to internal injuries such as retinal detachment, orbital fractures and internal bleeding.
Proper fit of your sports protective eyeglasses is very important. A licensed optician who is knowledgeable with protective sports goggles can help guide you in making the right selection.
Protective sports eyewear should always be made with polycarbonate lenses. Not only are they impact resistant, but they are lightweight and have UV protection. Sometimes a light tint might be helpful to reduce the intensity of bright sunlight during the day but will not affect your vision during night activities. An anti-reflective coating will reduce glare from the bright spotlights at night games. Photochromic lenses which change with the intensity of sunlight should be considered for activities that take place during the day and at night. They would give you the benefit of a tint that varies with brightness outdoors and clear lenses indoors.
Sports eyewear must fit properly in order to get full protection. Depending on the sport, they should be padded, which will provide a more stable fit and a barrier against any impact. An adjustable head strap is important to keep your sports protective eyewear in place. Proper size is essential. A eyeglass frame that is too small will lack necessary coverage and a frame that is too large will not stay on securely. Protective sports eyewear is not limited to organized activities such as baseball, soccer and basketball, but they offer protection and improved performance in many other lifestyle sports such as tennis, golf, biking, motorcycling and shooting.
Recognizing the seriousness of sports related eye injuries, some states have made it a law that children, who wear eyeglasses and participate in any sports activities, must wear protective eyewear. Eye injuries are not only the result of the equipment itself, but from the quick, hard physical contact that is involved in many sports. All protective eyewear must meet frame standards put forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and lens standards of the American National certain Standards Institute (ANSI).
Although, initially some children have resisted wearing sports protective eyewear, it has become accepted as the necessary equipment to participate in most sports, similar to bike helmets. Many fitness clubs will not allow you to participate in racket sports without protective eyeglasses.
The right equipment is necessary for every sport that you play. Sports protective eyewear will be the most important piece of equipment that you can buy.