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Being involved in sports and maintaining an active lifestyle while wearing prescription eyeglasses can be a frustrating experience, to say the least. Between trying to keep the glasses on while moving your body at rapid speeds, to avoid dangerous contact with other players, chances are there is going to be a time or two where you’ll end up in a risky situation where your glasses will either break or need replacement or cause an injury to yourself or someone else. It is recommended though that you talk with your Orlando LASIK doctor to find out how to safely play with your glasses, or if there is an alternative vision solution that is right for you such as contact lenses, sports goggles/glasses, or LASIK.

What Sports Can You Wear Glasses For?

Despite the inconvenience of wearing glasses for certain sports, there are several that you can participate in while wearing your corrective lenses. These are, namely, non-contact sports, such as:

  • Racquet sports: this includes games like badminton, tennis, squash.
  • Shooting sports: this includes activities like archery, rifle shooting, pistol shooting, crossbow shooting, and clay pigeon shooting.
  • Team sports: this can include games like rowing, cricket, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee.
  • Solo sports: this can include games like golf, pool, darts, cycling, or bowling.

While you can get away with wearing glasses for the majority of these activities, some of them may require you to consider sports goggles as an option instead. For instance, cricket, which is a bat-and-ball game, has a ball “bowled” at you, at a relatively high speed. Wearing glasses in this instance may not be the best choice, since they are more fragile than sports goggles. This also applies to games like squash or racquetball. For shooting sports, you may be required by law to wear a specific type of eye protection.

What Sports Should You Seek Alternatives For?

If you play high-risk sports that require a lot of motion or contact with other players, glasses are not the best choice and may not be doable at all in the case of water sports.

Minimal Contact

In sports like baseball and basketball, there is minimal contact with the other team, but between blocking shots, sliding into bases, and running up and down the court/field, glasses that are not fitted properly are easily able to slide off or get knocked off and trampled. A good alternative here is contact lenses, as these are lightweight, and won’t get knocked out or around with minimal contact.

Full Contact

In sports that have true, rough contact with other players, like soccer, football, and hockey, “regular wear” glasses that are not designed for sports, are far more likely to cause blunt injuries, abrasions, and penetrating injuries to the eye. An accidental elbow to the face during a defensive move in soccer is enough to bend the frame or knock them off your face completely. With football and hockey, you’re getting tackled on the field, or pushed into the boards, which can easily shove the glasses into your face, causing abrasions, and breakage. A good alternative here is sports goggles, as these tend to fit under protective headgear, and can withstand heavy contact with other players.

Water-Based

With water sports, like surfing, sailing, swimming, water polo, kayaking, and board sailing, glasses are a no-go completely. Not only are they not water-tight, leaving your eyes to be exposed to harmful bacteria in the water and chemicals like chlorine, but they are also easily lost in the waves. The alternative here are either sports goggles or LASIK surgery.

4 Tips When Wearing Prescription Glasses During Sports

If you want to wear glasses while engaging in physical activity, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  1. Notify your optometrist about your intentions. They can pair you with a set of frames composed of unbreakable, indestructible polycarbonate. This means that even if they get knocked off by accident, they are less likely to be damaged.
  2. The frames should contain rubber padding where the frames meet your nose and head. This will keep the frames firmly fitted against the face and will reduce the risk of injury to the surfaces that are in direct contact with the glasses.
  3. Get lenses that are made out of impact-resistant materials to prevent shattering.
  4. If you need protective equipment on your head, get sports glasses that are destined to specifically fit under your helmet. These will be curved to fit tightly to your face, be light in their weight, and have a special coating to prevent slippage due to sweat.

If you enjoy playing sports and maintaining an active lifestyle but have been struggling with your prescription glasses, we want to help. One of our Orlando LASIK doctors can work with you to come up with the best solution that protects your vision while you participate in your favorite category of sport. Schedule your Laser Vision Correction Consultation today or give us a call today at (407) 843-5665 so that one of our helpful staff members can answer all of your questions about these solutions and find the right vision option for you!