The pros and cons of contact lenses for sport and other activities

Have your glasses been holding you back on the field? Slipping down your nose in the gym? Or bouncing up and down as you run? Then contact lenses could be a great option for you – as they are for the majority of glasses wearers. But there are pros and cons to consider before deciding whether lenses would be the right choice for you and your sport.

Pros of Contact Lenses for Sports

There are so many great benefits of wearing contact lenses for sports, from comfort to safety. And Leightons offers some of the best contact lenses for sport on the market! Check out why we love them:

? Concerned contacts won’t carry your prescription? Contact lenses actually come in a wide range of prescriptions to fit most people’s needs. Just ask your optician!

? See the whole pitch with a more natural field of vision. Contacts give a 360-degree view, so you can keep your eye on every aspect of the game with increased spatial awareness. Perfect for fast-paced sports like football and hockey.

? Been eyeing up some specialised sports sunglasses? With contacts, you won’t need to worry about getting your prescription fitted to your sunglasses too – bringing down cost and giving you more frames to choose from.

? A huge advantage of contact lenses during sports is that they can’t fall off or break – helping avoid injury. Great for contact sports like rugby or karate!

? Getting hot and sweaty in the gym? Contact lenses won’t steam up like glasses, so you can focus on the gains and not on cleaning your spectacles.

? If you play a sport that requires another type of headgear – such as goggles or a helmet – contact lenses won’t get in the way. Making them a more practical, and safer choice for skiers, horse-riders and scuba divers.

friends in gym on fixed bikes

Cons of Contact Lenses for Sports

Of course, contact lenses are not for everyone, or for every sport. And there a few aspects of wearing contact lenses for you should bear in mind:

?? Contact lenses can take practice, but we will make sure you are confident applying and removing the lenses from your eye. Clean hands are required to do so – meaning they might not be the best idea for sports that involve a lot of mud. Of course, you won’t actually be putting them in on the pitch though, so with a bit of practise, you should be right as rain.

?? If you prefer to keep your glasses for daily wear and only need contact lenses for your sport, there is of course the chance of losing your lenses amongst bags and belongings. But that’s where daily contact lenses are a great option, as you can always get the next pair out of your pack and carry on!

?? Sadly, contact lenses don’t do well with water, so it’s best not to swim while wearing contact lenses. Getting them wet increases the risk of bacteria getting into your eyes and causing infection. In particular, a bacteria called acanthamoeba can cause painful infections and even loss of sight if left untreated. So contacts aren’t the best choice for casual swimmers. However, if you invest in a pair of goggles to stop the water getting in your eyes, you’ll eliminate the risk, freeing you up to wear contacts with a whole range of water sports.

Plus, there are plenty of water-based activities that don’t require you to submerge your whole head in the water! Making contact lenses perfect for sports like fishing, canoeing, kayaking, or paddleboarding.

?? Another consideration with contact lenses is wind. Contact lenses can become uncomfortable when your eyes dry out, which could be an issue with sports like sailing, windsurfing, or kiting. But if you want to give them a go, we’d advise to get lenses with UV protection, as well as having eye drops and a pair of back-up glasses on hand.

?? It’s also worth mentioning that there are some professional sport associations, such as boxing, that don’t allow contact lenses. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to check with your sporting body what the rules are. Having said that, plenty of professional athletes – such as Novak Djokovic and even Cristiano Ronaldo – do wear lenses while playing. So if you end up choosing contact lenses for sports, you’ll certainly be among excellent company!

men playing football

Alternative Options

If you are unable to wear contact lenses for water sports, or other reasons, there are alternatives available that will meet all your requirements.

Ortho-K

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K for short) is a corrective eye treatment that’s great for people with an active lifestyle, especially if you regularly play contact sports or water sports.

Instead of wearing glasses or contact lenses during the day, you wear special Ortho-K lenses only at night. These work to re-shape the surface of your eye as you sleep – giving you natural, crisp vision throughout the day after removing them when you wake up.

Of course, these aren’t suitable for every type of sight loss. They can be prescribed for either:

  • Slowing childhood myopia
  • Correcting issues with refraction such as astigmatism, myopia or presbyopia
woman windsurfing

Specialised sports glasses

With features like wraparound frames, anti-glare, UV protection, polarised lenses (great for activities like sailing) and more, there’s a whole range of sports glasses you can opt for if contact lenses aren’t suitable.

At Leightons we carry some of the best sports frames, such as Oakley, Nike and Maui Jim. With plenty of sizes and colours available to suit children and adults alike.

Book an appointment

Of course, you can always buy contact lenses online. But if you’ve never used them before, you’ll need to get a special prescription from your optician – as prescription contact lenses aren’t the same glasses prescriptions.

At Leightons, our expert opticians will measure your prescription and advise you on the best contact lenses for your needs. Whether that’s contact lenses for sports, or just for daily wear. And we have a whole range from cheap contact lenses to more expensive, high-tech solutions, to accommodate every budget.

You can book an appointment online, or over the phone on 0800 40 20 20. We look forward to welcoming you at your local branch soon!

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Are contact lenses and glasses prescriptions the same?
Are contact lenses and glasses prescriptions the same?
While both glasses and contact lenses do the same job in correcting your eyesight, there are some obvious differences in how each is worn. Glasses rest on the nose and are positioned away from the eyes, whereas contact lenses are in direct contact with your eyeball. These differences are the fundamental reasons why contact lenses and glasses prescriptions are absolutely not the same. In this article, we’ll explain why in more detail. Contact lens vs glasses prescription – what’s the difference? Quite simply, the lenses in your glasses will be very different to your contact lenses. That’s because each type of lens refracts light differently and therefore during an eye test, different measurements have to be made. The measurements from one eye test are not compatible with the other. So, is the prescription for contacts the same as glasses? The answer is NO because you need to have 2 separate eye tests, which will result in 2 different prescriptions. Contact lens prescription A contact lens prescription comprises a set of measurements relating to the curvature, size and power of the contact lens along with other relevant information. These measurements are carried out by an optometrist, also known as an ophthalmic optician. Glasses prescription An optometrist or ophthalmic optician is also responsible for carrying out the actual eye tests for glasses and lenses. The tests are to determine the strength of the lenses you require, along with other factors such as eye dominance, pupillary distance and axis number. All this information will be included in your glasses prescription. Learn how to read your glasses prescription How to read your contact lens prescription Have you ever wondered what all the abbreviations and letters on your contact lens prescription mean? Read on to find out. What does Base Curve (BC) mean? Base Curve (BC) refers to the specific curve with which a contact lens is made. Different corneal curves will need different base curve lenses, although with modern more flexible contact lens materials, there is some lea way in this. What does Diameter (DIA) mean? This measurement refers to the Diameter (DIA) of the contact lens itself and corresponds with the size of your cornea. It is the measurement from one edge of the lens to the other and is measured in millimetres. What does Power/Sphere (PWR/SPH) mean? The term Power (PWR) together with Sphere (SPH) refers to the strength of the lens. For long-sightedness this figure will show a plus sign (+) and for short-sightedness, it will begin with a minus sign (-). Other contact lens prescription figures People who have an eye defect such as astigmatism, will need to wear toric lenses and therefore will see additional words or abbreviations on their prescription. The same applies to people who might have presbyopia or short-sightedness, and have a prescription for varifocal or multifocal contact lenses. Other contact lens prescription figures are Prism, which refers to a lens or lenses that are designed to correct double vision. Also, Pupillary Distance (PD), which is a term that relates to the distance between the centre of your pupils. It is measured in millimetres and it is important that this measurement is accurate to ensure clear and comfortable vision. OD - Stands for Oculus Dexter, which means ‘right eye’ OS - Stands for Oculus Sinister, which means ‘left eye’ BAL - Stands for Balance, which means both eyes are prescribed the same lenses. DS - Stands for Dioptres Sphere, which means the eyes are spherical in shape. VA - Stands for Visual Acuity, which is a measurement of how clearly a person can see with corrective lenses. This measurement is expressed as a fraction. Your contact lens prescription might also include the brand or manufacturer’s name. What does Cylinder (CYL) mean? The term Cylinder (CYL) refers to an astigmatic prescription. if you have astigmatism then your eye will be more oval-shaped as opposed to globe-shaped. With this condition, you would need specially designed contact lenses called Toric lenses. What does Axis (AX) mean? Axis (AX) refers to the angle that the cylinder or astigmatic correction is placed in order to provide clear vision. This is a number, which is measured in degrees from 0 to 179. What does Addition (ADD) mean? The term Addition (ADD) refers to the amount of additional correction required to see clearly nearby and is given over and above the distance contact lens prescription. Multifocal contact lenses will have an ‘add’ in their prescription. An ‘add’ is generally only required when you develop presbyopia (an age related inflexibility of the intraocular lens, that typically starts between age 40and 45) What does Dominant mean? Most people have a Dominant eye which they unconsciously favour slightly, and a non-dominant eye. Certain contact lenses are best fitted taking this into account (generally multifocal contact lenses). Typically the dominant eye is fitted with the D lens (for better Distance vision) and the non-dominant eye is for better Near vision (this would be the N lens). Can you convert a glasses prescription to a contact lens prescription? No, it’s not possible to do this because the optics of the lenses are different. Likewise, you cannot convert a contact lens prescription to a glasses prescription. How to get a contact lens prescription If you would like to know how to get contact lenses then you will first need to make an appointment with your optician for a contact lens prescription. Your appointment with your optician will include an assessment and a contact lens eye test. This is a different eye test to the type you would need for glasses. After your initial assessment and test, you will then need to have a contact lens fitting. Your optician will demonstrate how to safely insert and remove your lenses and how to care for them. Finally, you will receive your free written contact lens prescription. You can buy your contact lenses from the optician that carried out your eye test or you can buy them from another optician or an online supplier. Contact lenses need to be reviewed more frequently You should be aware that your eyesight can change over time so it’s important you get your eyes retested at least every 2 years. If you notice any changes in your vision at any time before that period then contact your optician for a check-up. Book a contact lens consultation today.
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