Sports Contact lenses
If you exercise or play sports regularly, you could notice quite a difference wearing contact lenses rather than glasses. Whether you're into footy, tennis, spin or yoga, with your whole field of vision in focus, you can follow the action with perfect clarity.
Advantages of contact lenses for sports
- Unlike glasses, contact lenses won’t slip down your face if you’re sweaty, or bounce up and down while you’re running or working out.
- They’re great for fast-paced sports that require you to be at your most agile because they improve vision stability and give you a wider field of vision.
- They don’t get in the way of helmets or headgear, and you don’t have to worry about prescription goggles or sunglasses coming off if you’re into snow sports.
- During rough or contact sports such as rugby or martial arts, contact lenses also remove the risk of eye injury from broken glass and, of course, won’t snap like glasses can.
- Rain or shine, contact lenses won’t fog up, get covered in raindrops or get dirty in bad weather and, in dry conditions, they won’t get dusty.
- Contact lenses with a UV filter will protect your eyes from the sun all day long – whether that’s up a mountain, on the cricket pitch or playing beach games.
(UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area.)
Contact lenses for swimming and water sports
As a rule, contact lenses and water don’t mix. Not only can they dislodge or come out, water-borne bacteria can attach themselves to your lenses and cause infections.
Swimming
If you are a regular swimmer, we’d recommend that you avoid wearing contact lenses, and instead invest in some prescription goggles. If that’s not an option, daily disposable lenses are the safest type of contact lenses for water sports. Wear them with goggles over the top and throw them away when you've finished in the water to reduce your risk of infection.
Sailing
Protection is key when it comes to sailing. To cover all conditions try wearing contact lenses with UV protection and non-presciption wrap round sunglasses. This provides comprehesive UV protection and protects your eyes and lenses from the salty air and wind.
Scuba Diving
Prescription scuba masks are available but most people find contact lenses and a non-prescription mask are more practical. Use daily disposable lenses and remove them as soon as you've finished in the water, if you have extended surface time remove them during your break and use a fresh pair for the next dive. Make sure you use a well fitting mask to reduce risk water getting in while diving. When you're training you will need to remove your mask and allow water into your mask, if possible remove your lenses for these tasks to reduce the risk of water getting onto your lenses.
Contact lenses for winter sports
Contact lenses can be a real game changer for fans of winter sports and for people who like to soak up as much sun and fun as they can during the colder months.
There are benefits to wearing contact lenses instead of glasses for sports such as skiing, snowboarding and ice-skating:
- Contact lenses will fit comfortably under your protective eyewear for skiing and snowboarding – so there’s no need to buy prescription goggles.
- They won’t fall off or fog up.
- Contact lenses will provide you with a wider field of peripheral vision.
UV doesn’t just affect you in summer months, so consider UV protection when it comes to choosing your contact lenses. Ask your optometrist which contact lens brands offer UV protection.
Contact lenses for ball sports
Sports such as football, cricket, volleyball and tennis require you to have good peripheral vision so you can see the ball and other players. Contact lenses can provide clear and focused vision throughout the entire field of vision meaning you can play with complete clarity.
It’s also important to consider UV protection during the summer months, it’s not just about protecting your skin, your eyes are important too. Ask your optometrist which contact lens brands offer UV protection.
Frequently asked questions
As part of your free in-store contact lens assessment your optometrist will ask you a variety of questions to determine the best type of contact lenses for you and the sports you enjoy. You need to consider: the environment, length of games, body contact, and extreme eye movements. Soft lenses are likely to be the most suitable as they’re safer for contact sport as they are unlikely to be dislodged and can handle rapid eye movements.
Every sport is different, so it’s important that you carefully consider the right contact lenses for you. Wet sports, dry sports, long distance focusing, short range views all affect which contact lens will suit you best.