If you are nearsighted or suffer from any sort of eye condition, ensuring that your eye vision is at the top of your game can be the make or break factor towards achieving the desired results in a sports competition – or towards staying on top of your daily training goals. Most athletes opt for contact lenses, since glasses create unnecessary distraction, provide poor side vision and can fog up easily reacting to sudden peaks in temperature, to name but a few reason. Wearing lenses is safer – they cannot be knocked off, for starters – and can prevent dryness thus boosting eye health. That being said, there are few exceptions, such as swimming, where contact lenses should be ideally paired with goggles.
But how can you choose the correct type of contact lenses? This is not as tricky as it sounds, but you have to make sure that you speak with your doctor about your options and that you are clear about your needs on the field. If you are doing sports competitively, it might be a good idea to seek out even more specialized advice from an expert on athlete eye health. Your ideal type of lenses should take into account the specific sport you are doing, the position you have in the field, your general lifestyle and your safety.
Soft, Hard or Maybe Tinted?
There are several options to choose from: monthly or daily contact lenses, for instance. With the former, you will get more stable results, but you have to watch out for dryness a bit more, while daily contact lenses are perfect if you are constantly on the go and need a fresh pair each day to keep your eyes moist, and you tend to always forget bringing your solution with you. Once you speak with your eye care professional and figure out your specifications, it is easy to get access to contact lenses with no prescription and stock up – you don’t even have to go to your local pharmacy, as contact lenses are easily available from Vision Direct and similar online stores.
Getting tailored advice is crucial, but the general rule of thumb is pretty much shared across sports. Soft lenses are generally preferred by athletes, as they tend to stay firmer in place than hard lenses, they are more comfortable to wear and do not fall out as easily. Thus, they are perfect for harder sports that require a lot of contact, like football, rugby or basketball. In general, roughly 45 million Americans wear lenses, and more than 90% of them opt for soft lenses. Lately, tinted lenses are talked about a lot: Some athletes claim that the increased contrast they provide is ideal for sports that require a lot of accuracy and precision in vision, such as baseball.
Whatever you opt for, make sure you talk to your doctor first and that you take good care of your lenses for optimal results. And do not shy away from experimenting a bit – in the end, it’s all about what works best for you on the day!
