The safety of eyes needs to be given utmost priority whether it is for kids or adults. There could be several serious problems caused due to eye injuries. This is the reason why one should always take care of the eyes in the best way possible.
Children are very much enthusiastic, and they would never think twice before participating in any sports activity. Whenever kids take part in sports, the safety of their eyes should be taken very seriously as the effects of eye injuries could be very severe, long-term, and devastating.
The sunglasses or the eyeglasses used in everyday life cannot provide enough protection against flying balls, elbows, and pucks. This is the reason why parents should consider purchasing prescription sports glasses for their kids. These glasses offer enhanced comfort as well as protection to your kids in every sports activity.
There are plenty of features that one should look for while purchasing kids sports glasses. So, before we move towards the features, let us explore why your kids need sports glasses.
Why does your kid need sports glasses?
According to Prevent Blindness America survey, there are approximately 40,000 eye injuries related to sports that require emergency care. With the use of right sports glasses, 90% of these injuries could be prevented from happening.
The type of kids prescription sports glasses that you should purchase would depend on the sports played by your kid. For instance, soccer involves fast-moving balls that could hurt the eyes, while basketball also involves close contact of arms and elbows that could poke your kid’s eyes. So, you need to purchase the glasses after considering various factors.
These glasses also protect your kid’s eyes from the dust that is kicked up while different sports. No matter what sport your kid loves to enjoy, but to enhance the level of protection, it is important to get proper sports glasses for your kid.
Features to look for in Kids Sports Glasses
Once you have decided what type of sports glasses you need for your kid, there are certain features that you need to look for in them. RX sports glasses are much preferable if you are looking for multi-focal glasses for your kid as it could be used for sports, reading, and also computer work.
Fitting and Protection
The American Society for Testing and Materials has come up with a protective eyewear standards rating for every sport. Among these ratings, F-803 is the most protective rating. Not every sports glass comes with this rating.
Once you check the protection of that particular sports glass, the next thing you need to consider is it’s fitting and comfort. If your kid’s sports glasses are loose, then they won’t be able to provide proper protection. You must look for adjustable bands along with nose pads so that they provide enough protection to the eyes.
If your kid has to play the sport under the sun, then you can even look for sports sunglasses that offer protection against harmful UV rays. The anti-fogging or anti-reflective coating will prevent distractions caused due to fog or perspiration during humid climates.
Material of the Lens
The material of the lens matters a lot as it would affect the weight as well as the comfort of the sports glasses. For instance, Trivex and Polycarbonate are lightweight materials as compared to regular plastic lenses. This makes them more comfortable as well as secure for your kid.
The majority of sports glasses are available in both non-prescription and prescription lenses so that even if your kid does not require corrective lenses for seeing, the enhanced protection through the sports glasses are pretty much beneficial.
You can opt for durable and comfortable styling bands as per your kid’s sport. The material of the lens should be as comfortable as possible, so that the kid likes to wear it while playing sports, and don’t need to focus too much on them.
Right size of Temple
Temples help the glasses to remain intact and prevents them from dropping or sliding down off the child’s face. Usually, these wraparound temples are available only in metal frames. Kids sports glasses must have a wraparound temple, as their glasses might fell down easily when they are busy having fun. An alternative for the wraparound temple style is an elastic strap that would go around the head of your kid and keep the glasses intact at its place.
Modern and Attractive Style
When your kid would wear the sports glasses for the first time, then he/she would be very self-conscious. You must choose a frame that is attractive and modern in style so that your kid loves to wear it at any place. Other than that, if the glasses have photochromic lenses, then that would darken the glasses automatically in sunlight. This would temp your kid to wear these sports glasses every time they are out for playing any sport.
Thickness of the lens
The prescription of eyeglasses is the primary factor of consideration before you start choosing any glasses. You must take your child to an optician before choosing the frame for the sports glasses.
If the prescription demands strong lenses that are thick, then you must avoid purchasing heavy or large frames as they would increase the thickness of lenses. Other than that, even if the lenses are smaller, then they might have fewer higher-order aberrations, which could increase the chances of distorted or blurred vision.
These are some of the features that you must look for while purchasing kids sports glasses to prevent their eyes from any kind of injuries in sports activities.