One of the leading selling points of contact lenses is the fact that, unlike eyeglasses, they can be worn while playing sports. Contact lenses also offer a wider field of vision than most pairs of glasses, which is helpful when it comes to throwing, catching, kicking, and dodging tackles. When compared to eyeglasses, contact lenses offer a clear competitive advantage, but is it the best solution?
If you are trying to decide between glasses, contacts, or corrective laser surgery for yourself, there are several factors worth considering. Let’s look at the strengths and weaknesses of wearing contacts while playing sports.
Advantages of Contact lenses for Sports
- The biggest advantage of contact lenses versus eyeglasses is the improved peripheral vision offered by contacts. For most eyeglass wearers, there is a drop off in clarity in the peripheral field of vision.
- Wearing glasses during a contact sport can also increase the chances of them breaking, bending, and can seriously threaten the safety of your eyes.
- Contacts are a different form of visual aid, they are still subject to possible damage (and injury), but not to the same degree as eyeglasses are.
- You do not have to worry about smudges on your glasses, dirt, or any other substance getting on your glasses!
- Some, though not all, contact lenses offer protection from ultraviolet radiation, thereby preventing further damage to your eyes.
- Contact lenses are also able to facilitate sports-related safety equipment much more comfortably than eyeglasses can. After all it is pretty difficult to wear goggles (in hockey or marksmanship, for example) over bulky eyeglasses. Contacts conform quite closely to the eye’s natural form factor, making it easy to wear all types of protective gear.
Disadvantages of Contact Lenses for Sports
Wearing contact lenses for sports does come with its own disadvantages. Ask anyone who wears contacts, sometimes those tiny clear lenses fall out! When you’re playing a full-contact sport, the last thing you want to be concerned about is your lenses. And if you wear lenses to repair your vision for astigmatism, having a lens forcibly ejected from your eye can not only halt your game, but can prove costly when it comes time for replacement. And nobody has time for that!
If your only contact lens option is rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses then you know that merely wearing them can be uncomfortable. That discomfort can result in outright pain on the playing field.
The iLASIK Alternative
If you’re someone who wears contact lenses to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism and you are actively involved in sports, you may be the perfect candidate for iLASIK laser eye surgery. However, not everyone is a candidate for LASIK, so you will need to consult with an ophthalmologist who specializes in laser surgery to see if it’s recommended for your vision.
iLasik might possibly be the best vision correction solution, you will be able to hit the playing field totally unencumbered in a way that neither contact lenses nor eyeglasses can provide and that’s an advantage you simply cannot beat. Correct the most common vision problems and toss out those corrective lenses.