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What are Sports Glasses? What Are Their Benefits?

What are Sports Glasses? What Are Their Benefits?

04 Sep 2023

Are you a professional athlete or an avid enthusiast of all things outdoorsy? If yes, then sports glasses are a must-have in your arsenal. In the popular imagination, knee pads, helmets, and mouth guards form the safety gear for sports persons. But, let me tell you that eyewear is the unsung hero when it comes to on-field safety for sports persons, both professionals and beginners.

Of course, in 2024, the recognition regarding the significance of sports glasses and prescription sports goggles has increased, but there is a long way to go. The knowledge regarding sports eyewear is pretty limited, and the options offered by popular brands are also not up to the mark. But, Specscart aims to twist the narrative by making sports eyeglasses accessible, affordable, and high-quality with our ACTICS range. In this blog, we will check out the A to Z of sports glasses, and why opting for a pair is worth it!

What are Sports Glasses?

As the name suggests, sports glasses are spectacles designed specifically for use during physical activities, outdoor games, and sports. They are intended to streamline the on-field experience of an athlete by offering exceptional vision, colour contrast, UV and glare protection, impact resistance and comfort. Sports glasses can be both prescription and non-prescription. Lastly, you can find customised sports eyewear for different game types, such as basketball, cycling, running, etc., - each with its unique features.

Why Do You Need Sports Glasses?

Sports and outdoor games are agile activities, with an ever-present risk of injuries. Therefore, it is essential to be extra safe and gear up with the right equipment. The head, face, eyes, knees, and elbows are some of the most vulnerable parts of the human body, which require an additional layer of protection. For instance, according to the NHS, approximately 2 million people in the United Kingdom end up in Accident and Emergency departments of hospitals every year due to sports-related injuries.

In addition, an article in The Guardian mentions that a majority of people are also unaware of how to minimise the risk of injury. Therefore, the need of the hour is to increase awareness of sports safety and ensure that high-quality protective equipment is readily available for players. To achieve this pressing goal, Specscart is making sports eyewear affordable while keeping its resilience and durability intact!

Now that we know why sports eyewear is important, let us check out some of the tangible ways by which they can help.

Top 5 Benefits of Sports Eyewear

Protection from Physical Harm

The risks of being physically harmed or sustaining an injury are always present in sports. Whether you are a professional athlete or an enthusiastic player dabbling in sports for personal satisfaction, the prospect of getting hurt is equal for everyone on the field. Therefore, it is essential to protect your sensitive organs from any physical injury by wearing face masks, prescription sports goggles, eye shields, etc. The polycarbonate lenses and impact-resistant frames of sports glasses protect you from blows to the sensitive eye region.

Our TURNER 4 is a reimagination of sports eyewear. Made of resilient polycarbonate lenses and a strong TR90 body and affixed with protective coatings, these sports frames are sure to boost your performance while offering stellar protection against physical harm and impact.

UV Protection

Most outdoor sports take place under the harsh glares of the sun. Thus, playing a game under harsh sunlight for prolonged time periods can cause eye strain, and increase the risk of vision problems like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cornea damage, cataracts, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid excessive exposure to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays by opting for sports glasses with UV protective coatings. In addition, you also have the option of considering sunglasses that come with a dark lens as opposed to a transparent one.

Along with UV protection, the right sports glasses will also shield you against the distracting glare of the sun. They can hamper your performance on the field, and therefore choosing the right eyewear with anti-glare properties is very important.

Improved Visual Contrast

The third benefit of using sports glasses or prescription sports goggles is an improvement in visual contrast. As we all know, outdoor games can be played in clear daylight, foggy conditions, and rainy days. Therefore, you must enjoy crystal clear vision for enhanced performance and a reduction in injury risks.

High-quality sports spectacles are affixed with anti-reflective coatings, polarisation, and tints, that help keep the vision clear and minimise the amount of glare reaching your eyes while minimising colour distortion and maximising contrast. For instance, if you are a tennis player and are unable to follow the ball on the field because of the enmeshing of the colour of the surroundings and the tennis ball, your performance is bound to falter. However, prescription spectacles and sunnies with tints and polarisation enhance the contrast and visual acuity so that your game is on fleek, always.

Protection against Debris

Several sports of today’s times, such as football, cycling, volleyball, etc., are extremely fast-paced and adrenaline-inducing. So, there is a high chance that rogue insects, debris, dust, and other elements might come in contact with your eyes, without you even having the time to dodge them. Even a speck of dust entering your eyes can have catastrophic consequences. Therefore, precaution is pertinent.

Sports glasses and prescription sports goggles act as a shield against harmful elements coming towards your eyes. Thus, you can focus on your game, while the impact-resistant and crack-resistant glasses protect your vision.

Boost Performance

Last but not least, sports glasses also help boost your performance on-field. A victory is always a sweet and memorable experience for every athlete, whether they are experienced or amateurs. But, when practical aspects like glare, discomfort, and debris hamper your performance, the chances of winning go down even. In such a context, sports glasses emerge as the knight in shining armour. They can help boost your performance in the following ways -

By reducing glare so that you can react faster under bright light conditions.
By helping your eyes adapt swiftly and quickly between transition bright and dark surroundings.
Increasing the contrast helps you distinguish objects from their background at a distance (this feature is especially in sports like tennis, golf, hockey, and basketball).
By protecting your precious eyes against harmful UV rays, debris, dust, and other objects flying towards you at high velocity.
So, there it was, a comprehensive overview of the top 5 reasons why sports glasses are so helpful! Now, let us delve into the topic in further detail by checking out some tips and tricks to choose the right sports eyewear.

How to Choose the Right Sports Glasses?

Some of the things that a good-quality and high-utility sports glass must have are -

Lightweight Frames and Lenses

Comfort is the priority for any sportsperson on the field. Thus, it is essential to opt for sports glasses made of feather-light materials. You do not want to have something bulky and heavy sitting on your nose while indulging in a game you love. The best lens materials for sports glasses are polycarbonate, as they are lightweight, durable, and impact-resistant.

A Snug Fit

The sports monocles you buy must have a snug fit and ample coverage. Your trusty eyeglasses should never fly off in case of an impact on the field. Likewise, if you are dabbling in an underwater sport, you would not want to lose your glasses at a crucial moment. Thus, the best sports glasses have a snug fit and a secure clasp.

Lens Tints for Prescription Sports Goggles

The lens colour of the prescription sports goggles you choose must be customised as per the sports’ requirements. For example, if you are into games like beach volleyball, then lens tints like green, blue, and red are ideal, as they mitigate glare and brightness facilitate clear vision and reduce eye strain. Similarly, there are different lens tint requirements for different sports, and our lens tint guide will help you better navigate the process.

Extra Features

The sports glasses you choose should also be equipped with additional features, like anti-glare, anti-UV, and scratch-resistant coatings. These are, in fact, necessities and pivotal to improving your on-field performance.

Durability, Strength, and Resilience

The main aim of sports glasses is to protect you against impact and keep your eyes and the surrounding sensitive area safe. Therefore, it is indispensable that they are made of strong polycarbonate lenses and durable frame materials like TR90. Besides, your sports glasses should also come with a certain life expectancy, as you would not have to keep buying new pairs again and again.

Best Glasses for Different Sports

Let us wrap up the blog by skimming through some of the best glasses for different sports.

Cycling - High-performance and resilient sports glasses with anti-fog and anti-scratch coating and amber or rose tints.
Football - Impact-resistant polycarbonate glasses with grey lens tints.
Baseball Lightweight and snugly-fitting sports eyewear with an orange tint.
Running Glasses - Feather-light spot frames with a secure fitting and polycarbonate lenses to protect against wind and debris.
Golf - Comfortable glasses with anti-glare coatings and brown lens tints.
Horse-riding - Durable, strong, and resilient sports with polycarbonate lenses and yellow tints.

Buy the Best-quality Sports Glasses and Pamper Your Eyes

So, there we have it, a crisp overview of sports glasses and prescription sports goggles and how helpful they are. Specscart’s ACTICS range redefines the athletic spirit with frames that are super strong, ultra-light, and extra-resilient. Besides, sports eyewear is not bland or boring, as they are created to offer immaculate style off-field. So, explore our collection today!