Athletes and Contact Lenses

"KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!!" -- a crucial bit of advice that any recreational athlete is familiar with. Whether one is teeing off, swinging at a pitch, or serving an "ace," the ability to see is the key to good performance in sports. The fact is, many millions of people-- many of them athletes -- require some type of vision correction. Fortunately, advances in contact lenses and lens care technology have revolutionized the way athletes are dealing with eye care.

Many sports enthusiasts are finding that contact lenses are more practical than glasses. Contact lenses provide:

• better depth perception
• complete peripheral vision
• they don't steam up from perspiration
• they don't smudge and get foggy if you go from cold to warm temperatures

Furthermore, today's contact lenses stay on your eyes, even during vigorous activity.

Whether an athlete suffers from nearsightedness, farsightedness, an astigmatism, or they need bifocal correction, contact lenses have a comfortable feel and natural look that offers a convenient way to deal with vision correction. Following are some important facts on the proper use of contact lenses for athletes:

A Competitive Edge

• Whatever the sport or activity -- aerobics, basketball, hiking, football, golf, ice hockey, running, rock-climbing, walking or tennis -- today's contact lenses can offer improved depth perception and peripheral vision.
  
• Contact lenses offer a wider field of view that is not limited by eyeglass frames.
  
• Contact lenses do not fog up or smudge.
  
• Contact lenses can improve an athlete's ability to judge the distance and speed of objects and other players.

Safety

• Contacts can be worn easily and are often recommended to be used with protective eye gear such as goggles, which can be cumbersome or impossible to wear with eyeglasses.
  
• With contact lenses, one can avoid potential injury that could result from broken frames and shattered spectacle lenses.
  
• Athletes can safely wear contact lenses with guidance from proper professional fitting and instruction in eye care and hygiene.

Contacts Lenses in the Water

• Contact lenses go well with water sports. Sailors, fishermen, and other water enthusiasts no longer have to worry about wiping off their glasses when splashed with water, or risk losing or breaking their glasses. For swimmers and surfers, tight-fitting goggles should be worn to protect the eyes and contact lenses.

U.V Protection.

During a sking holiday, your eyes are exposed to as much Ultra Violet radiation as your skin. However, since they don't tan or burn does not mean you don't need to worry about them.

As a skier you most probably spend a lot of time outdoors, enjoying fresh air, wide, open spaces and the pleasure of being among the elements. However, regardless of whether it's sunny or cloudy, hot or cold, summer or winter you are constantly exposed to harmful ultra violet radiation from the sun. You can protect yourself from these damaging rays by covering your face and arms with suncreams and lotions and wearing a cap, but what about your eyes?

Just like sand and water, snow reflects an average of 85% of U.V rays. These rays can damage our eyes, and, since eye tissue cannot regenerate it can lead to serious eye conditions such as cataract, loss of vision or photokeratitis ( snow blindness). That is why it is extremely important that we protect our eyes in these environments.

Contact Lenses with ultra violet protection were designed to help in these situations. Unlike sunglasses, which still allow scattered UV radiation to enter from the sides, top and bottom, contact lenses offer complete protection.

Several companies manufacture daily disposable lenses with built in UV protection which are ideal for outdoor activities e.g  Vistakon 1 Day Acuvue or Precision UV. Ask your Optometrist about lenses for sport.