Eyeglasses and Eyewear
Sports Eyewear
Sports eyewear combines impact resistant lenses with frames that stay put during activity. Most sport related eye injuries are preventable with appropriate protective eyewear, and standard glasses do not qualify.
Thousands of sport related eye injuries occur each year and the substantial majority are preventable. Standard prescription glasses are not protective eyewear: the lenses can shatter, and the frame can be driven into the face on impact.
Proper sports eyewear uses polycarbonate lenses, which are dramatically more impact resistant, in frames designed to absorb and distribute force. Retention straps keep them in place, and the frame geometry is designed so that impact does not transfer to the orbital bone.
Different sports need different things. Racket sports, particularly squash, need full impact protection because a ball fits neatly into the eye socket. Cycling and desert trail running need wind and dust protection more than impact resistance. Team sports need retention above all.
Questions and answers
Can I just wear my normal glasses?
Not safely for any sport with impact risk. Standard lenses can shatter and a standard frame can injure you on impact. Polycarbonate in a protective frame is a different proposition.
What about contact lenses?
Contact lenses correct vision and protect nothing. Protective eyewear over contact lenses is the usual answer for sports where correction and protection are both needed.
Which sports need protective eyewear most?
Racket sports, especially squash and racquetball, basketball, baseball, and anything involving a projectile that fits in an eye socket.
What tint suits Arizona conditions?
It depends on the sport. Contrast enhancing tints help on trails and courts, polarisation helps around water and on roads, and clear polycarbonate is right for indoor sport.
Talk to someone about sports eyewear
Appointments are scheduled two per hour, so there is time to answer questions properly. Call (480) 706-3937 or request a time online.