What Is Protective Sports Eyewear?

Protective Sports Eyewear are eyeglass frames or goggles specifically designed and manufactured to meet or exceed the appropriate US impact protection standards. All protective sports eyewear must also have polycarbonate lenses designed to withstand impact. At Looking Glass Optical we recommend Airwear polycarbonate lenses that are the first Essilor brand lenses to go GREEN! We are all striving to significantly reduce our environmental footprint, Airwear polycarbonate lenses do just that. Call or email us for more details.

The impact of a ball or other equipment as well as an opponent's hands and elbows pose a threat to an athlete's visual safety. According to a 2001 report by Prevent Blindness of America, there are over 38,000 sports-related eye injuries requiring costly emergency room care. This number could potentially skyrocket when you consider the treatment of eye injuries in a private practitioner's office. As sports participation statistics continue to climb, and newly identified "extreme" sports gain in popularity, the number of athletes who fall victim to eye injuries has the potential to grow at alarming rates. School-aged competitors are particularly prone to eye injuries since their athletic skills (hand-eye coordination, balance, reaction time and speed) are still being developed. However, regardless of an individual's age or skill level, every athlete's eyes are targets for injury. Under most circumstances, at least 90% of sports-related eye injuries are preventable with the proper use of protective sports eyewear.

Dr. Teles and Looking Glass Optical are committed to communicating and educating eyewear consumers on the performance differences between fashion eyeglasses and protective sports eyewear that is designed to prevent eye injuries.