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One of the most
important pieces of equipment any athlete needs is eye protection.
Approximately 100,000 sports-related injuries occur
each year, according to the American Medical Academy. Nearly 50 percent of
these injuries require costly emergency room attention. School-aged
competitors are particularly prone to eye injuries because they are still
developing their athletic skills. Because accidents to the eye can occur
unexpectedly, it is important to wear protective eyewear during competition.
Sports eyewear can help to minimize and often prevent the damage caused by
90 percent of all sports-related injuries. That is why many professional
athletes wear protective glasses.
Sports eyeglasses
come in all different styles and there are special tints specifically
designed for each and every sport. Most are available in both prescription
and non-prescription. Kennedy & Perkin's staff is happy to assist you in
your search for the right eyeglass for the sport of your enjoyment. Please
feel free to discuss your options with one of Kennedy & Perkin's
optical staff.
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Football/Baseball/Basketball:
Protective eyewear is available in either a goggle design or a shield.
Sports goggles provide the best protection and can be fit with your
individual prescription. The frame must cover the entire eye socket, not
only the eyeball itself, fit snuggly to the face and be designed to fit
securely under a helmet if necessary. Both the frame and lenses should
be impact resistant. Many goggle styles are held in place on the head with a
large, thick strap designed to make sure that the eye protection stays in
place no matter how rigorous your activities become. You want something that
will be secured tight to the head so that it won't fall off. A frame with
temples will not hold tight enough, and a jab from a finger could lift the
frame off, and make its way to the eye. Polycarbonate lenses are the best
choice as they can withstand the impact of the ball. A tinted lens,
typically a brown in color, can help you distinguish the ball better against
the blue of the sky or the green of the grass.
Cycling:
A wrap style frame will shield your eyes from wind and road debris. To offer
proper ventilation the frame must have "air holes" at the top of the frame
to prevent fogging. An upper sweat bar can also help control fogging.
Polycarbonate lenses are recommended for their impact resistance. Glare on
the pavement will be reduced with polarized lenses and you will also need to
protect yourself from ultraviolet radiation. A photochromatic lens is also
available and is designed for varying light conditions to adjust for the
time of day and changes in weather conditions.
Driving:
The sun’s glare on the roadway and cars will be considerably reduced with
polarized lenses. Since polarized lenses cancel out unwanted reflections
they provide a comforting relief from prolonged surface glare and actually
have an improving effect on visual resolution. An Anti-reflective coating is
ideal for night driving in reducing glare from the headlights. A
photochromatic lens will lighten and darken with the changing light.
Fishing:
Polarized lenses are recommended to eliminate the glare on the water
surface. This will allow you to actually see the fish below the water
surface. Fishing sunglasses should offer 100% UV protection. Cable temples
will prevent your glasses from falling off into the water.
Golfing:
The frame should fit snuggly so that it does not slip when looking down. A
gray lens color is recommended to emphasize the ball on the green.
Photochromatic lenses are terrific for golf, where you're moving from light
to shade when walking from one hole to the next. Look for frames that do not
have a frame on the bottom to interfere with your line of sight, or
oversized frames so your gaze does not cross the frame border.
Winter Sports:
Anyone who has ever skied on a snowy or windy day knows the importance of a
good pair of ski goggles. Wrap styles or goggles are designed to fit snugly
around the eye area, preventing wind, snow and ice from penetrating and
interfering with vision. Side vents will help to eliminate fog. Plastic
frames are recommended as metal can become brittle in the cold and may snap.
Glare on the snow will be reduced with polarized lenses. Polycarbonate
material is best for their impact resistance. At high altitudes it is
critical that your lenses have UV protection. A brown or amber lens will
provide the best contrast against the white snow. Mirrored lenses are
available for those active in bright light conditions – ideal for skiing and
other winter sports.
Running:
A shield type of frame is recommended to protect from wind and sun. The
frame should fit securely and not bounce or slide off. The lenses should
offer UV protection. Photochromatic lenses will be helpful to adjust to the
light and time of day.
Water sports:
The frame must create a seal to be watertight therefore the frame size and
fit is critical. Large wraparound styles offer excellent protection
from the sun. Be sure you are also UV protected. Brown or amber tinted
lenses are recommended for water sports as they help to reduce the glare
reflecting off the water as do Polarized lenses. An anti-fog coating on the
lens is also recommended.
Shooting:
Polycarbonate lenses with a scratch-resistant hard coat and built-in
protection are the lenses of choice for shooting glasses. This lens material
is highly impact resistant to provide you with maximum "blow-back" and
"bounce-back" protection. Many shooters are comfortable in lenses that are
yellow or orange. Lenses in these hues block haze and blue light and enhance
the orange color of the target.
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