HIGH-PROTECTION
EYEWEAR
The best eyewear for sports and the outdoors not only offers protection
from the sun, outdoor elements and the activity the wearer is
enjoying, but it also takes into account customer wear and tear and
fashion and style.
By Troy Patterson
In today's market, there are frames for just about every sports and
outdoor activity, from biking, running and hiking to boating, fishing,
volleyball and other high-speed and high-impact sports and activities.
“Sport eyewear tends to have a more wrapped face form and larger
lenses for better coverage from the sun and better peripheral vision,”
says Paul Sim, a licensed optician and member of the Opticians Associa-
tion of Canada. “Licensed Optician Polarization and anti-reflection
coating can be added to reduce glare. Polycarbonate material is the best
option for a lighter, more impact resistant lens that provides protection
against physical damage to the eye and surrounding areas."
Sim says some manufacturers produce various lens tints or colours
that can enhance contrast with various colours, such as a yellow tennis
ball or a white golf ball against green grass.
“If prescription is needed, a free form lens is ideal as the Rx is
compensated based on wrap, vertex and pantoscopic angle, to achieve
the sharpest vision and increased peripheral vision,” he says. “When
playing any sport, the last thing you need is to be distracted by poor
vision, which results in reduced reaction time."
28 Optical Prism | October 2017