Benefits of contact lenses over glasses for sports
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 below (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
|
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 |