healthspin
by Addie Smith, OD
Athletes Find Colored Contact
Lenses Improve Performance
By Addie Smith, OD
North Oaks Eye Care Clinic
26
If you’ve set your sight on a hole-in-
one, you might want to consider wearing
sport tint contact lenses like the ones 12-
time PGA Tour winner Justin Leonard
wears.
Custom tinted contact lenses are not
just a fashion statement. They are being
worn by many professional athletes to
enhance their visual performance. The
use of sport tint lenses is spreading
– especially among golfers, baseball
players and runners. People who suffer
from migraines often find custom color
lenses also help alleviate pain.
If you don’t require contacts for your
vision, no worries. BioSport contacts are
offered in non-prescription lenses too. Six
colored tints boost players’ surroundings,
and are available in full iris tint and pupil
only tint.
Gray green lenses offer sun protection
and reduced brightness, making them
ideal for golf. Many golfers will find it
is easier to differentiate distance on the
golf course. Leonard has observed that
the lenses make it easier to separate every
blade of grass.
Amber lenses block blue light to
heighten contrast sensitivity and visual
acuity. These are recommended for
baseball, softball, football, skiing and
water sports. They help reduce glare
during competitive sporting events
without the athlete having to wear bulky
or loose-fitting sunglasses. Baseball greats
Mark Macguire and Chipper Jones have
worn these lenses, which accentuate reds
like a baseball’s seams.
For tennis, football and daytime
baseball, the bolle blue lenses “brighten”
yellow light. (These are also suggested
for migraine sufferers.) NFL players
Mario Williams, Kroy Bierman, Charles
Tillman and Marques Colston are
wearing these, as is soccer player Kevin
Hartman.
Yellow lenses heighten contrast
in overcast, hazy, low-light outdoor
conditions or in indoor sports under
fluorescent light. They filter blue light
for sharper focus and are most effective
for nighttime football and baseball, night
driving and hunting and shooting.
Runners are attracted to Sun Tac
lenses, which reduce overall brightness
while preserving 100 percent normal
color recognition such as with sunglasses.
Because they perform well in treating
light sensitivity issues, they are perfect for
outdoor activities on sunny days.
Whatever sport you favor, check out
the BioSport lenses to improve your
game. To schedule an appointment for
a custom contact lens fitting, please call
North Oaks Eye Care Clinic at (985)
230-EYES [3937].