Protective Sports
Eyewear specifically designed to protect the eyes during sports has been one of the fastest growing segments of the eye care industry. Some protective sports eyewear originally was developed for professional athletes, but the need for this type of protection has spread rapidly to non-professional sports enthusiasts as well.
Today, sports eyewear can be spotted on almost anyone who picks up a ball, bat, racquet or stick — whether they play in the major leagues or the Little League.
Fortunately, coaches, parents and players now realize that wearing protective eyewear for sports pays off in several ways. The risk of eye damage is reduced, and the player's performance is enhanced by the ability to see better. In fact, many athletic and fitness clubs today do not permit their members to participate without wearing proper eye gear.
Initially, there was some resistance by children to "looking funny" when they wore protective eyewear. Today, sports goggles are an accepted part of everyday life, much the way bike helmets have become the norm. In addition, both children and adults like the image that wearing protective eyewear gives them: It shows they mean business on the playing field. More »
Rec Specs has been the leader in the growing national movement promoting eye safety during scholastic and recreational sports. Introduced in 1978 as the first Rx-able protective sports eyewear, today over 20,000 eyecare professionals in the USA and the world, rely on Rec Specs when it comes to providing the best possible protective sports eyewear to both children and adults.
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 approximately 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.
You might find yourself asking, “Why should I use Rec Specs?”
Rec Specs is the world's leading brand of high quality protective eyewear designed specifically for sporting applications. Most Rec Specs are tested to withstand the ASTM F803 impact resistant standards for racquetball, basketball, handball, squash, paddleball, and tennis when fitted with 3 mm polycarbonate lenses. Other Rec Specs designs provide use during activities in the water for things like swimming and jet skiing: to winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. Please refer to our descriptions below to find the correct model for you and the standards for the particular sport it is approved for.
“WARNING”
Although Rec Specs sports eyewear is intended to offer the best protection available, there is always the possibility that the wearer may sustain an eye or facial injury due to severe impact or because of the nature of the athletic activity. If the eye protector incurs a severe impact or is neglected or misused, the degree of eye protection provided may be reduced. In any case, the frame must be replaced. Failure to do so may result in permanent eye injury.
THE DESIGNER, DISPENSER (A Sight for Sport Eyes), MANUFACTURER, AND LIBERTY OPTICAL MFG. CO. INC. DO NOT CLAIM THAT REC SPECS SPORTS EYEWEAR IS UNBREAKABLE OR ELIMINATES THE POSSIBILITY OF EYE OR FACIAL INJURY.
Safety Eyewear
Today’s safety glasses no longer look like the old shop glasses of the 1950’s and 60’s. Instead safety eyewear looks much like eyewear you would wear every day. They can be a prescription with safety bifocals, trifocals and progressive focus lenses as standard.
All these new safety eyewear models and materials can be coated a variety of tints, both cosmetic and functional. Goggles except for in extreme requirements of industries find little use in agriculture. They fog easily and do not provide great optical clarity not to mention the discomfort in wearing them.
At Woodlands Eye Associates we carry OSHA approved safety eyewear which carries a stamp “Z-87” on the lens or temple piece. This stamp denotes Z-87 Certification which meets or exceeds OSHA standards.
So for work or hobbies, advances in chemistry continue to push safety glasses to style boundaries while protecting users from almost any hazard and make them virtually indistinguishable from trendy and expensive brand name sunglasses.
Please visit us for your safety glasses.
