March 29, 2024

Why It’s Important to Wear the Right Sports Sunglasses

If you’re a keen sports person, and are making do with your normal sunglasses, or worse, not using any eye protection at all, then perhaps you don’t know the benefits of proper sports sunglasses.

Here’s why you should be wearing dedicated sports sunglasses.

1. You might currently be wearing the same sunglasses for women for cycling, or playing cricket in, as you wear on the beach. By having dedicated sports sunglasses, you can have the eye protection you need, and have the performance you. Your sports sunglasses are likely to be more substantial and more suitable for wearing whilst playing sports.

2. You might need to wear sports sunglasses all year round, depending on your sport. Even on the darkest days you’ll want to be able to see down the fairway whilst you’re playing golf, or want to know you’re your eyes are protected from grit and insects whilst cycling. You might even need different sports sunglasses depending on the time of day. I you’re teeing off first thing in the morning, there’s likely to be less light than if you’re playing golf at midday.

3. You might only be wearing your sports sunglasses for a few seconds or minutes at a time, or maybe you’ll wear them for hours at a time. A 100m runner will have different requirements to a test cricketer, or golfer

4. Depending on the amount of time you have, you might prefer to have changeable lens. This means that you can have the right lenses for the weather conditions. Sometimes you’ll want a yellow lens, or maybe a clear lens, and other times you’ll want a red lens. If you can’t spare the time to change lenses whilst you’re sailing, or competing in a marathon, you’ll want polarising lenses. These lenses change automatically to suit the weather conditions.

5. Your sports sunglasses need to fit well. Whilst it might be inconvenient for your sunglasses to slip during a round of golf, for a 400m race, it can be the difference between winning and losing.

6. UV protection is essential, and just because it isn’t blazing sunshine, your eyes are still at risk. The more time you spend outside, the more important having the right protection is. You’ll need to check that your sunglasses offer the right levels of protection.

7. Depending on your sport, you might need a wide field of vision. Playing cricket, golf, or downhill mountain biking might require you to be able to see a lot more, and in more detail, than if you’re competing in track and field events. You’ll need to know that you can see all that you need to be able to see. Having to slow down, or wait a few seconds so that you can see, really can make the difference between winning and losing.

8. The sunglasses you wear for sports need to be comfortable. Even if you’re not a cyclist spending 6 hours in the saddle, you’ll still want to put your sunglasses on and forget about them, so you can concentrate on giving your best performance, whether you’re training, or competing.

9. You’ll need your sports sunglasses to be durable, so that they last a long time. Running or fishing is very different from downhill mountain biking, and your sunglasses need to be able to cope with the conditions. You’re not very likely to fall if you’re fishing, but if you’re a mountain biker, cricketer, triathlete, or sailor, you’ll want to know that your sunglasses are up to the job, and will last for many years.

10. Value for money is important when choosing sunglasses. However, eye protection, fit and performance are more important. There’s not point in continuing to use your designer sunglasses when you’re playing cricket, or running. You’ll regret not getting a better fitting pair when you’re part way through a marathon, and your sunglasses start slipping. You’ll be lucky to escape serious injury if something breaks the lens of your designer sunglasses whilst you’re on a high speed descent, or when you’re playing golf.