I’ve got a special interest in helping patients see their best while playing sports, because I’ve been playing sports my whole life — from baseball, basketball and bowling for the high school team, to racquet sports, cycling, skiing and golf.
My job is to ensure that you’ve got the best possible prescription for your sport, and recommend protective eye wear when needed. We carry a wide range of sports glasses and goggles — prescription versions, too.
Here are a few situations you might recognize:
Tennis:
Slightly blurred vision can affect one’s tennis game. We may be able to tweak your prescription to make a difference.
Racquetball, squash:
Hard, fast balls hitting your face is the threat here. Protective goggles are the solution. Because of the close quarters of these courts, fast moving racquets may also hit your face.
Baseball:
Especially for outfielders, slightly blurred vision can delay picking up a batted ball when precious split seconds can make the difference on reaching the ball and making the catch.
Cycling/skiing:
Goggles are almost essential to protect the eyes from wind. The problem of course is that they can fog or freeze up in bad weather.
MY PRESCRIPTION: if you’re an active athlete and wondering whether your vision is helping or hurting your game, let me know. Optometry can often help.
Of course, there are times — I’m remembering when my sons and I went skiing last year in Vermont on a brutally cold day, futilely trying to scrape ice off goggles — when nature wins out. My best advice then is to find a bar with a fireplace and large screen HDTV!
