Sportsguide Multisport Magazine

EYECARE  WITH CLASSIC EYES

 By bianca on November 9th, 2009

As the weather heats up, people flock towards sports and recreational activities. Just as spring brings the enjoyment of running, cycling and other activities, it can also bring sports-related eye injuries. A large percentage of eye injuries occur while playing sport. Most of these could have been prevented with the use of appropriate eyewear. This is especially important in children from as young as pre-school to teenagers, to young adults.

Sports Eye Injuries

The best way to protect your eyes, while still participating in your favorite high energy sport, is to be sure that your sports eyewear has polycarbonate lenses. 
Polycarbonate lenses are impact-resistant and are the thinnest, lightest lenses you can buy. Polycarbonate is also the most shatter-resistant material, and it filters 100% of UV light. 
To ensure improved safety, it is important to select the proper type of eyewear for the sport and most importantly the correct fit. 
Many of the top sports eyewear brands:

• come in smaller sizes for the smaller face
• are able to have prescription lenses fitted or inserted.

UV EXPOSURE

Children generally spend much more time outdoors than adults. In fact, experts say as much as 80% of our lifetime exposure to UV rays occurs by the age of 18. A child’s eye does not have a mature capacity for ocular protection, it takes about 25 years to develop!

UV radiation is cumulative, meaning that the danger continues to grow, as we spend time in the sun throughout our lives. Children and teenagers need UV protection even more than adults do! Exposure without protection is dangerous for the surface of the eye, as well as for the crystalline lens within the eye. 

Be aware that exposure to UV rays increases at high altitudes, in tropical locales and high reflective environments (such as snow, on the water, white sandy beaches and paradise).
The level of UV protection that sunglasses provide has nothing to do with the colour of the lenses. As long as your optometrist certifies that the lenses block 100% of the sun’s UV rays, the choice of colour and tint density is a matter of personal preference. Lenses that are brown, amber or copper in colour enhance contrast and this is a positive feature for outdoor sports and cycling.

What Parents Need to Know
Parents must be proactive in protecting their children’s eyes during sports activities. Many youth and children’s teams don’t require eye protection, so parents must insist that their children wear safety glasses or goggles whenever they play. 

Remember to set a good example by wearing eye protection yourself. More than 90% of all eye injuries can be prevented with the use of appropriate protective eyewear. This advice definitely applies to all who participate in sport.

It is never too early for kids to begin wearing good quality sunglasses outdoors. www.classiceyes.co.za

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