Contact Lenses

Everyone from the sports enthusiast to the weekend warrior to the professional athlete can benefit from wearing sports contact lenses. Most experts in the field of sports medicine recommend wearing contacts over eyeglasses for a number of reasons, including enhanced hand-eye coordination, and a heightened peripheral awareness.

Depth perception is also enhanced while wearing sports contact lenses as opposed to glasses, which must be worn along with goggles in most cases. Many athletes feel that sports contact lenses offer a competitive advantage over glasses as they provide a wider field of vision, and also stay in place better. Sports such as skiing, paintball, and hockey all require the use of either a face shield or goggles, making sports contact lenses the more comfortable choice.

Thanks to recent advances in research and technology, there are new varieties of sports contact lenses being manufactured that are designed to enhance both vision and performance. These lenses should not be confused with colored contact lenses that are designed to change the color of the wearer's eye, but not affect their vision. For golfers, sports contact lenses that are tinted a green-gray color may heighten performance, and amber-tinted lenses may help baseball players filter out glare and help them to see the ball clearer.

Children and the sports contact lens

Regardless of chronological age, children of all ages should technically be able to tolerate wearing sports contact lenses. Even newborn infants with certain conditions that affect their vision can be fitted with contact lenses. The most important factor when deciding whether or not to allow your child to wear sports contact lenses is basically how mature they are.

Parents, along with their eye care professional, can make the best judgment as to whether or not the child's personal hygiene and level of responsibility are on par with caring for contacts, and something as important as healthy eyes and vision.

Swimming and sports contact lenses

There could possibly be organisms or bacteria in bodies of water that may be safe for you to swim in, but that shouldn't be allowed to come in contact with your lenses. Since a contact rests directly on the eye itself, bacteria can be trapped and allowed to grow on the surface of the eye, potentially causing infections, or even permanent damage. For this reason it is recommended that swimmers who are wearing sports contact lenses should also wear watertight goggles.

Besides the dangers of harmful organisms or bacteria, even tap water alone can harm a sports contact lens by actually changing its shape. As any contact lens wearer knows, their lenses are fitted specifically to the measurements and diameter of their individual eye, so any change in shape can cause impaired vision, discomfort, or even permanent damage.

Benefits of the sports contact lens

• Offers excellent peripheral vision
• Safer than glasses for certain contact sports
• Goggles fit better with contacts than with glasses
• Contacts don't fog up like glasses in warm, humid conditions or when sweating
• No need for special lenses and frames that can withstand impact

Extended Wear Contact Lens |