Eyewear - Sports Vision

Who should wear sports eyeglasses?
What features should ski goggles include?
How should safety eyewear for hunting and shooting be crafted?

Sports eyewear serves two functions -- to improve vision and to protect against eye injuries. Any eyeglass wearer who regularly participates in a sport should wear protective eyeglasses with unbreakable, scratch-resistant lenses. Frames made of polycarbonate or a similar impact-resistant material also screen out the potentially damaging ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. Sports frames usually have rubber padding around the nose area and the sides where they come in contact with the head.

Who should wear sports eyeglasses?

Young athletes need protective sports eyewear. Most of the 100,000 eye injuries that occur in this country every year happen to school-age athletes, and a large percentage of them could be prevented with appropriate eyewear, says the National Society to Prevent Blindness.

In fact, to protect their eyes from injury, all athletes -- even those who do not need corrective lenses -- should wear sports eyeglasses. Contoured, wrap-around goggles for such sports as biking, skiing, sailing and hang-gliding are available for either prescription or nonprescription lenses.

It's important that sports eyewear fits properly, especially for children. Cost-conscious parents sometimes buy goggles that are too large for a child, on the theory that the child can grow into them. But when the eyeglass frames are too loose, the frames lose their effectiveness and a flying ball or puck can cause eye damage. Frames that are too tight are not only uncomfortable but also obstruct peripheral vision.

What features should ski goggles include?

When selecting ski goggles, look for features that offer protection as well as good outdoor vision.

• Ski goggles often have frames made of soft, flexible material, such as rubber, nylon and propionate, that holds its shape in cold weather and does little or no damage if the wearer falls or has a high-speed impact.
• These frames can be held in place by a thick strap that is flexible enough to avoid slippage.
• Side shields, some of them detachable, can keep windblown snow out of the eyes.
• Lenses usually are larger than normal to provide good peripheral vision.
• The impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses commonly used to meet industry safety standards often have yellow-orange "blue-blocker" lenses that enhance contrast by blocking the hazy, blue end of the spectrum. Rose-colored lenses also enhance contrast.
• Ski lenses may also be polarized to filter out light reflected off snow and ice and the resulting glare.
• Skiers who do not want to give up their normal prescription eyewear can use large goggles that accommodate those eyeglasses.

How should safety eyewear for hunting and shooting be crafted?

Shooting and hunting also call for specialized eyewear, because the recoil of a shoulder-held shotgun or rifle can damage the eyes. Also, dust, sunlight and wind can present other hazards for the hunter or shooter. The kind of nonprescription goggles used in skiing or other sports are appropriate for hunting and shooting. Other features to consider are the following:

• a rounded frame -- eliminates sharp corners that can jab the face
• a sweat bar -- running the width of the frame above the nose, to add stability
• spring hinges -- on the temples of hunting glasses to allow the frame to flex, not break, under the impact of a recoil
• adjustable nose pads -- made of soft material such as silicone to assure a comfortable, protective fit
• break-resistant frame material -- such as titanium or polycarbonate
• polycarbonate lenses -- offer protection against ultraviolet light, can be polarized, and can be yellow or orange "blue-blockers" for improved contrast
• lens color
• light purple or vermilion lenses -- give the hunter better views of light-colored targets against a dark background of trees
• gray lenses -- effective in bright sunlight but not in the woods