Category: Lenses and Frames

Whether you’re playing or watching the game, one incident everyone dreads is an injury. Injuries can prevent players from finishing the game, or worse, end an athletic career. Protective sports eyewear helps to prevent injuries and allows players to continue to play their sport. In today’s world, many sports facilities and fitness clubs require athletes to wear proper eye gear in order to minimize injury.

Why is it important to wear protective eyewear?

Emergency rooms treat more than 40,000 sports-related eye injuries every year, and up to 90 percent of those injuries could have been prevented by using protective eyewear. Any sport in which a ball, racquet, or other flying object is present poses a risk for injury. However, injuries can also result from close contact with others in the way of pokes or jabs with fingers and elbows. Protective eyewear is important because it keeps your eyes safe from a variety of injuries. As an additional bonus, the sharper your vision, the better you will perform in your sport of choice.

Features to look for:

• Various sizes and shapes designed to fit the user.
• Customized to best suit the sport including reflective lenses, space for headgear, and wrap around bands.
• User’s prescription can be added to the lenses, which allows for better clarity during the game and increased overall performance.
• Lenses are often made of polycarbonate, an impact-resistant material, to protect eyes from high speed and high impact objects.
• Sports frames are also made of impact resistant material and often come with rubber padding where the frame comes in contact with the head or nose.
• Wraparound sports glasses help to ensure the eyewear remains in place for the duration of a sporting event and prevents dust or debris from entering through the sides of the glasses.

Get the Facts

Experts agree sports-related eye injuries can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. Parents and coaches should ensure athletes are wearing safety glasses during sporting events, especially considering 43 percent of all sports-related eye injuries occur in children younger than age 15. Regular eyeglasses are not safe to use as protective sports eyewear because they do not have impact resistance and could shatter or break upon impact.

It is imperative that protective eyewear properly fits the user. Resist the urge to buy children’s eyewear with “room to grow.” Purchasing protective eyewear too large for the user could cause eyewear to be less effective and increase the risk of injury. Additionally, be sure the user has not outgrown protective goggles as this increases the risk of injury as well.

Sports using Protective Eyewear

• Badminton: sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
• Baseball/softball: batting and baserunning- helmet with polycarbonate face shield. Fielding- sports goggles or sports sunglasses with shatterproof lenses and head strap
• Basketball: wraparound sports goggles
• Bicycling: performance sunglasses with anti-fog and anti-scratch lenses
• Fencing: full face mask made of rigid metal
• Field hockey: all players- sports goggles with a head strap. Goalies- full helmets and face masks
• Fishing: polarized sunglasses
• Football: polycarbonate shield attached to a helmet
• Hunting and shooting: polarized shatter resistant shooting glasses
• Ice hockey: full face helmet
• Lacrosse: form fitting and padded face mask
• Paintball: full face helmet
• Racquetball: sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
• Skiing and snowboarding: ski goggles or wraparound polarized sunglasses with mirror coated lenses
• Soccer: sports goggles
• Squash/Tennis: sports goggles with wraparound frame
• Swimming and diving: swim goggles and diving masks
• Volleyball: sports goggles or sunglasses
• Water Polo: swim goggles with polycarbonate lenses

Have you ever been tempted to buy cheap glasses you see online or the reading glasses you found at a discount store? They look just as good as the prescription eyeglasses you paid full price for, right?

The hard truth is they are not the same as the high-quality prescription eyewear provided by our office. Unreliable eyeglasses are more likely to break, scratch, and discolor over time. Your goal should be to buy glasses that will last and will not need frequent replacement. The cost of replacing cheap glasses can add up to the same cost as purchasing a more expensive, quality pair, originally.

1. Know what you lose

When comparing costs, there is always a compromise to be made. One of the biggest elements lost when buying cheap eyeglasses is individual care. Opticians recommend eyewear based on your daily routine, provide professional fittings, and ensure the quality of your eyewear is examined.

2. Same top quality?

Online glasses retailers often state that they offer the “same top quality” as eyecare practices. How do you know what their definition or range of top quality is? Cheap price often means cheaper materials.

3. Try before you buy

Usually, when buying glasses from an online retailer, you sacrifice the opportunity to try the glasses on and see how they fit your face. A virtual try-on does not allow for an accurate representation of how glasses look and fit on your face.

4. You cannot receive a proper fitting

If you choose to purchase eyeglasses from an online supplier, you forfeit a proper fitting. As a result, you may purchase a pair of glasses that are too tight or loose for your face.

5. Cheap frames

A downside to cheaper frames is they are more likely to cause skin irritation. Cheaper metal frames can discolor your skin or even cause a skin rash due to allergy. With prolonged wear, cheap plastic frames will discolor in sunlight and the smooth finish will diminish.

6. Durability

Another inevitable loss with cheaper eyeglasses is durability. Frames made with inexpensive materials are not designed to withstand extended use as well as eyeglasses sold by eye practitioners are able to.

7. Reading glasses

A wide-spread myth: all reading glasses are the same whether you purchase them at a discount store or at an eye practitioner. The truth is, your eye practitioner is able to customize the lenses to fit your exact eye and lifestyle needs. Read more about progressive lenses available at our office here. (Link to Progressive lens resources – /resource/lenses-frames/progressive-lenses/)

8. Sunglasses lose UV protection

It’s tempting to buy cheap sunglasses because you are worried you might misplace or scratch them. However, it is crucial to protect your eyes from UV radiation damage. Don’t give up 100% UV protection for a cheap sticker price.

Most people think of sunglasses as summer gear, but in some ways it’s even more important to wear sunglasses in certain winter conditions than in the warm summer months.

Thanks to public awareness campaigns about the risks of skin cancer, more people are aware that UV rays and intense sunlight are bad for our skin. Sunblock, clothing, and shade are regularly used to protect us. Do you know that UV rays are damaging to our eyes, too?

Prolonged UV exposure raises risks for:
• Cataracts
• Macular Degeneration
• Pingueculae
• Pterygia
• Photokeratitis

In the warmer months, we think about protection from the sun because we expose so much skin and can experience sunburns when we’re not covered. In the winter, however, people are colder, and bundled up, so they don’t think of the sun as a risk. This is a problem because snow can reflect 80% of UV rays! That means you’re experiencing normal sunlight from being outside, and harsh glares from white surfaces.

The fatiguing effects of winter glares become apparent usually when doing outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding, or sledding, but driving in bright wintry conditions can also be damaging and dangerous. It’s important to be protected year-round!

When looking for appropriate winter sunwear, remember:

• Good sunglasses offer UV protection, so always be sure to check that they block 100% UVA/UVB rays.
• Larger glasses are in style, which is great because the bigger lens protects more of your eyes and the skin around your eyes from UV damage. Look for a large lens and wraparound style.
• Don’t worry about the color or darkness of the lens. Those things can vary while still providing adequate UV protection. Check the label for that information, or speak to an optician.
• Remember, polarization is for more than fishermen! Especially in the winter months when ice and snow can cause harsh glares, polarization can be a big help.
• Specialty eyewear exists for all of your favorite winter sports. Be sure your eyes are protected from the sun and safe during sports.

Talk to us if you have any questions about your UV exposure or any specialty eyewear you need to live your active winter lifestyle!

Picking eyewear for your child can be stressful. There are many options for lenses and additional features to make lenses better suited for the wearer’s needs. Children often want to be involved in the decision, but it’s ultimately up to the parent to be sure that their child has the eyewear they need. Well, we’re here to help make the process simpler, and to give information for every step of the way.

There are a few main things that you need to think about. After all, your child’s eyewear needs to be safe, durable, effective, and your child needs to actually wear them! Here are the main things you need to consider in making this decision.

Lens Material
Eyeglass lenses used to be made from glass, but modern lenses come in various materials that are safer and last longer. Children’s eyewear needs polycarbonate or Trivex lenses because these are more impact-resistant. These options also make the lenses thinner and lighter, even for strong prescriptions. They have built-in UV protection, too!

Coatings or Treatments
Anti-reflective treatments or non-glare coatings provide many additional benefits that you can consider when getting eyewear for your child. Non-glare materials on the front and back of lenses may help resist scratches, dirt, debris, water, and fingerprints. These coatings also usually protect against UV rays. Most notably, AR treatments guard against glare. Glares are distracting when looking at someone’s eyes, but the brightness on your lens can also wash out what you’re seeing and cause eyestrain. We suggest anti-reflective options for all glasses wearers.

Size and Fit
Of course, a child’s head is smaller than an adult’s so they need a different sized frame. You don’t want frames that are too big and will look over-sized on their face, but you also don’t want wants that are too big because they’ll be too heavy and slide down the nose. Children’s frames come in many shapes and sizes to be sure you get a personalized fit for your child. Additional sizing can be done with certain adjustments. Many plastic frames don’t allow for a custom bridge fit, but metal frames have nose pads and a bridge that may be adjustable to be sure they won’t slide off your child’s face.

Style
Picking the frames is the funnest part! There isn’t a stigma with glasses now like there used to be. Celebrities and eyewear brands have made glasses cool. Even kids who don’t need glasses often want a pair as an accessory. This means that parents have an easier time helping their child settle on a nice pair of frames. Think about things like the color—do you want them to stick to a certain color that will look good with their eyes, hair, or wardrobe? Does a certain shape fit their face better than others? Do they like metal frame styles or trendy plastic ones? Set aside enough time to look at several options, then give them the decision between the final two. Kids can have a hard time choosing if you don’t narrow down the best options with them.

Backup Pair
We strongly suggest getting a backup pair for all children’s glasses. It is so common that children get caught up in activities, visit somewhere engaging, or simply forget and end up losing, leaving, or breaking their eyewear. Accidents happen, but it doesn’t have to be an emergency if you have a backup pair. Often we can do special pricing to make the second pair a great deal, too. You don’t want your child to go without glasses until you get a new pair (or find the ones that went missing).

If you need any help from an optician, don’t be afraid to ask questions. The optician can help inform you on features, prices, maintenance, and more.

Most people pick either one pair of glasses or one set of contacts, but often find situations where they wish they had an alternative option to their main eyewear. After all, why dress your face in the same outfit every day? Just like having a few pairs of shoes for different uses, or a special purse for evenings out, having multiple pairs of eyewear can be very fun and superbly functional.

There are many reasons why owning multiple pairs of eyeglasses is beneficial. Clumsy or not, you never know what could happen that would cause you to break or lose a pair. Unlike ripping a pair of pants or losing a shoelace, not being unable to see is quite a problem! Although some eye care providers may be able to create glasses in a very short amount of time, you don’t want to be stuck either unable to see, or in an old prescription that will hurt your eyes while you wait for your new eyewear to be created.

Maybe you know in advance that you’ll need a different type of eyewear for a specific activity and want to get fit for your specialty eyewear. Eyeglass wearers need at least one pair of regular glasses, but many also have a backup pair of glasses and may opt for a pair of sunglasses, too. Contacts tend to be the go-to for sporting enthusiasts who need varied functionality for their sport, but there are also prescription options for eyewear used in watersports, winter sports, driving, outdoors, and other activities.

Other specialty types of glasses that you may need are computer glasses or specialty eyewear for work or hobbies. Those that work long hours on a computer could benefit from investing in a pair of computer glasses. These glasses aid in preventing eyestrain, as they are designed specifically for the distance at which you view a computer monitor. They can cut down on glare and blue light, too. There are many options available for safety prescription glasses for work, and your employer may cover them if you need them for your job.

Occupational lenses can be helpful for those who wear bifocals because holding your reading material out far away from your face is not exactly practical nor comfortable. For those whose hobbies include close up work, reading glasses may be helpful for magnification.

Of course, the fashion-forward will also enjoy having multiple pairs of glasses to go with different looks. It is tempting to pick up a very colorful pair of funky frames to give yourself a signature look, but you may wonder if the bold look would feel awkward in other settings, like a serious family function or job interview. If you get more than one pair, you can be more creative with one of the frames and a little more conservative with the second pair. Unless you have a certain kind of prescription, the option of contacts is also great. They’re very practical and versatile. Some contact lenses even offer color-changing ability to give your eyes a totally new look.

Just like the way different accessories make you feel fancy, professional, or casual, glasses and contacts can do the same. Check your vision benefits to see what coverage is offered for additional eyewear, or ask your eye care professional about price breaks on ordering multiple glasses and contact lenses.