Contact lenses and sport
Sport is increasingly seen as essential to our health and well-being, rather than simply a lifestyle choice, and more than half of people in the UK regularly take part. Whatever your chosen sport or level, wearing the best form of vision correction can help you achieve the best possible performance and most enjoyment from your sporting and leisure activities.
Contact lenses have many advantages over glasses for sport, not just from the practical point of view but for visual reasons too. Some of the benefits of contact lenses are given in the following table (adapted from Performance, Vision and Sport, courtesy of Dr Martin Cardall and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care). It’s important to consider the specific visual requirements of the sport and any need for eye protection.
Benefits of contact lenses over glasses for sport
|
Benefits |
Reason |
|
Wider field of view |
Contact lenses provide all-round vision – with glasses, lenses and frames restrict field of view |
|
Greater stability |
Less risk of dislodging contact lenses |
|
Not affected by fogging up or rain |
Contact lenses are not as exposed to environmental conditions as glasses |
|
Less susceptible to dirt |
Glasses are susceptible to smearing and dirt |
|
Protective eyewear / sunglasses can be worn |
Glasses often interfere with eye protection |
|
Protect against peripheral and oblique UV (if incorporate UV protection) |
Contact lenses offer additional protection when used with sunglasses |
|
Low risk of damage to lens during wear |
High risk of damage to glasses during wear and potential trauma from lenses and frames |
|
Can be thrown away |
Lost or damaged glasses are costly to replace |
|
Fewer minification / magnification effects |
The size of viewed objects is more constant with contact lenses (‘real-world’) |
|
Less adaptation may be needed |
After initial adaptation, changes in contact lens power need very little adaptation |
|
Better depth perception |
Contact lenses allow more stable vision and better depth perception (due to less magnification difference between eyes) |
|
Fewer distortions |
Contact lenses move with the eyes so the centre of the lens is always in the line of sight |
|
Fewer reflections |
Glasses wearers may experience reflections off the lens surfaces |
Elite athletes often have high visual demands and there is some evidence that optimal vision correction can enhance sporting performance, even with very low levels of short and long sight. Correcting small amounts of astigmatism, or short or long sight in one eye, may also be beneficial.
Types of contact lenses for sport
When choosing the best type of contact lenses for sport, many factors need to be taken into account, including the length of time it takes to play, the environment in which it’s played, and the physical demands of the sport, such as body contact and extreme eye and body movements.
Soft lenses are generally best as they move less on the eye than rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lenses and are less likely to be dislodged. RGP lenses are not suitable for contact sports, such as rugby. For sports that are particularly dynamic, such as tennis, the extra stability of soft lenses is also advisable.
Daily disposable soft lenses offer many advantages. Some sports are played in dirty environments with potential for lens contamination and handling problems. Daily disposables are discarded after each use and are particularly suited to part-time wear. They’re also convenient, as cleaning solutions are not needed, and inexpensive to replace. If re-usable lenses rather than daily disposables are worn but not used every day, don’t forget they need to be cleaned and disinfected after each use.
For endurance events − such as mountaineering, ocean racing and rally driving − and in environments where lens handling is impractical, lenses approved for extended or flexible wear may be advised, in which case highly oxygen-permeable silicone hydrogel lenses should be worn.
Your contact lens practitioner will discuss these options with you to find the best solution for your chosen sport and individual needs. An alternative for some sports, such as boxing or karate, might be orthokeratology, where specially designed RGP lenses are worn during sleep then removed during the day.
Sport is often a factor in the choice to opt for refractive surgery. As with any choice of vision correction, it’s important to consider the pros and cons and to discuss these with your eye care practitioner. Potential concerns for the athlete are dry eye symptoms, visual disturbances (glare and haloes) and complications from trauma.
Your practitioner can also advise you on any regulations governing your sport. In some sports, such as rugby, glasses are not allowed and in others, such as amateur boxing, neither glasses nor contact lenses can be worn. In karate, soft lenses or orthokeratology are the only contact lenses of choice. Protective eyewear is also either mandatory or recommended for some sports, such as squash.
Remember that you should not use contact lenses for swimming or water sports unless you wear tight-fitting goggles over the top. If reusable lenses are worn, they should be discarded if they accidentally come into contact with water. Daily disposables may therefore be a better choice for swimmers.
Ask your BCLA contact lens practitioner to help you decide which type of contact lenses is best suited to your sport and lifestyle
Click on the links below to find out more
Finding a contact lens practitioner
Wearing contact lenses overnight
Astigmatism and contact lenses
Bifocal and multifocal contact lenses
Contact lenses for children and teens
Cosmetic contact lenses (coloured and special effects)
Contact lenses and keratoconus
Aftercare for contact lens wearers
Dos and don’ts of contact lens wear
Acanthamoeba and contact lenses
Contact lenses versus refractive surgery
Regulations on contact lens fitting and supply
Facts and stats on the UK contact lens market
