Sports goggles are proving a game changer for athletes across the globe as they not only protect eyes, they boost player potential – allowing them to worry less about the safety of their eyes and more about making winning moves.
Whether you’re a quarterback, soccer player, or basketball pro, having a clear sight of vision is critical to your sporting performance.
Read on to discover more about this trend and how it can boost performance on the track, field, or road.
What are Sports Goggles?
Unlike your standard eyeglasses frames, Goggles are designed to actually protect the eye providing a lens that covers the full eye socket area and padding to absorb impact to the face.
Whether you’re skiing, playing baseball, or cutting moves on the basketball court, similar to safety eyewear, sports eyewear protects eyes and improves performance.
This unique eyewear is not only designed for those with a prescription but also for athletes wishing to protect their eyes from bats, balls, fists, feet, and more. This is especially important for people who have had a previous eye injury or Lasik surgery as your eye is in a weakened state and more susceptible to injury. Even slight impact to the eye could end up with blindness due to the weakened state of the eye”.
Different Types of Sports Eyewear
With almost 30,000 eye injuries occurring in sports every year, sports eyewear has become a high priority for both amateur and pro athletes. That being said, there are now sports goggles tailored to the demands of almost every sport.
We evaluated a variety of sport glasses on the market, based on their fog resistance, durability, UV protection, fit, style, safety ratings, and available lens tints.
- Rec-Specs Maxx 31 Sports Goggle
One of our favorite styles is the Rec-Specs Maxx 31 Sports Goggle, which is suited to paddleball, handball, soccer, basketball, racquetball, tennis, squash, pickleball, and a range of additional stick and ball sports.
This goggle style is one of the first to be awarded the AOA seal of Acceptance and comes with ASTM F803 impact resistance as standard, as well as a range of prescription lens options, adaptable sizing, and a unisex shape.
- Wiley-X WX Crush Sports Glasses (for kids)
Looking for sports glasses for kids? If that’s the case, Wiley-X’s Crush model can make things easier for you. Talking about its specifications, Youth Force™ styles are cordially tested to the prescription eyewear classification and pass ASTM F803 testing for different sports like soccer, racquetball, basketball, badminton, squash, tennis, paddle Ball, and last but not the least, handball.
Moving on, the glasses come with earpieces and a full wrap strap, which are interchangeable from glasses to goggles).
- World Rugby Trial Approved Goggles
These top choices have been fashioned to create no additional risk to the wearer, their teammates, or opponents.
These goggles boast high-level specifications comprising anti-fogging, impact resistance, an improved field of vision, and a hassle-free unlocking and retention system.
- Sport Shift Goggles
Last but not least, Sport Shift goggles are a versatile option designed with multi-sport athletes in mind. The frames on these goggles can be alternated between different sports, removing the need for multiple glasses.
How Do Sports Goggles Boost Performance?
From protecting your eyes from UV rays to reducing glare or simply preventing a fly to the eye, sports eyewear can give you an added edge in a variety of physically demanding situations:
Protection From Eye Injury Whether from flying objects or UV Rays, goggles add that much-needed level of protection for our eyes, especially when taking part in high-velocity sports, such as racquetball, basketball, and baseball, which are responsible for the bulk of eye-related injuries.
UV Protection: When engaging in outdoor activities, such as tennis or rounders, anti-glare goggles improve reaction times in brighter conditions, making all the difference to that winning serve or strike.
Heighten Contrast: Improved contrast allows athletes to distinguish distant objects from their backgrounds. This is key in sports like hockey, tennis, baseball, and golf. For Indoor sports lenses could be tinted for those with sensitivity to bright indoor lighting. Moreover, goggle lenses can be tinted to increase contrast. They don’t increase contrast by themselves. Ultimately, if you tint your lenses, it can add to the contrast quotient.
Allow Our Eyes to Adapt: Sports goggles can be fitted with photochromic lenses that adapt to lighting conditions, allowing our eyes to adapt at a much greater speed when switching between dark and bright environments.
Key Considerations when Choosing Sports Goggles
When selecting a pair of sports goggles, it’s important to consider the following:
Frame Material: Polycarbonate is durable and lightweight, allowing the frame to withstand high impact without injuring the wearer.
Lens: Lens must be made of polycarbonate. That said, polycarbonate is the only material that can absorb the impact of a ball. If you require a prescription, ensure the goggles are prescription-friendly. You must also opt for an anti-fog lens; if not, you’ll quickly lose sight of the ball, road, pitch, teammates, and opponents.
Safety Standards: For impact sports, you will need to ensure your chosen goggles adhere to your country’s safety standards such as ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials), as well as those of the sport
Style: Look for goggles boasting anti-slip temple cushions and nose pads, as well as a removable retaining strap for ease of use and comfort.
Conclusion
Sports goggles come with various benefits, irrespective of whether you have a prescription or not. Although the decision to don them is a personal one, it is a hugely important one, primarily as more and more eye injuries are being obtained through sport.
Opting for glasses crafted from lightweight yet durable materials that boast anti-fog coating and feature all the relevant safety ratings is a must. It’s also essential to pick a pair tailored to the sport you play.
Following these tips will not only improve your precision and reaction times, but they’ll ensure both comfort and safety.
The bottom note? Investing in a pair of sports goggles is critical for two solid reasons: they protect your eyes and enhance performance.
So, what are you waiting for? Go pick a pair today!