Sporteyes Blog Posts
Best ski goggles for Kids 2020
It's great to see kids on the slopes and having fun with their families. Whether they are snowboarding or skiing, make sure that you outfit your kid with the best ski or snowboard goggles to help protect their eyes. Tips for Buying Snow Goggles If you haven't read our previous BLOG on how to choose the best ski goggles, read Tips for Buying Ski Goggles to understand what lens colors are best for different situations. Best Snow Goggles for Kids There are lots of good options for kids ski or snowboard goggles, but here are a few of our favorites for 2020. All of the options below provide 100% UV protection and can be fitted with a prescription insert. Smith Rascal The Rascal is a great basic snow goggle with RC36 (Rose Copper) lens for everyday use. With anti-fog coating and funky strap designs for both boys and girls, it's a winner. Limited Lifetime Warranty. Fits Youth size S Spy Optics Cadet Fun designs on the straps and goggles with a great anit-fog lens. This is one of the few kids ski goggles that has replaceable/interchangable lenses. There are multiple lens color options, so you can buy additional lenses to swap out depending on the conditions. The face foam is covered with fleece for a super cozy feel. Bolle Explorer OTG If your little one wears glasses, this is a nice goggle that fits Over the Glasses (OTG). Most of the lens color options (Vermillion, Rose Gold, Aurora) are designed for everyday use in most conditions. Fit kids aged 9+ Julbo Atmo A stylish, minimalist frame with a spherical lens and mirror coating for a wide field of vision. Fits ages 4-8. Bolle Rocket Plus This high performance goggle has all the features of an adult goggle including advanced anti-fog and anti-scratch technology, and multiple lens choices. Fits ages 6+ Get your kids out there, protect their eyes, and show them how fun skiing or snowboarding can be!
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Tips for Buying the Best Ski Goggles or Snowboard Goggles 2020
The best time of the year is almost here – Ski season! Or Snowboard season. Whether you are a snowboarder or a skier, you are most likely dreaming about fluffy powder and Blue Bird days. You already have your boots and jacket and hopefully your helmet, but don’t overlook one of the most important pieces of equipment – your goggles. Your ski goggles or snowboarding goggles protect your eyes from flying snow or ice when zipping down the slope, from branches hitting your eyes when going off piste, and protects them in the event of a wipe-out. What color lens is best for ski goggles? The color of lens you choose will depend on what conditions you typically ski in. You will see a category rating of 0-4 on the packaging. The category indicates what percentage of light is allowed in – known as VLT (Visible Light Transmission). Different brands of goggles offer their own variety of lens colors, but the basic idea is the same. For Night Skiing: Category 0 (VLT 80-100%) The lens is clear or almost clear, which allows almost all visible light to enter. Even though there is very little tint, a polycarbonate lens will provide 100% UV Protection when worn during the day. For Storm Riding: Category 1 (VLT 46-79%) These are typically yellow-based lenses to improve a skier's visibility in whiteout conditions. The yellow base provides excellent contrast to easily highlight jumps, moguls, and any other terrain obstacles. For Mixed/Overcast Days: Category 2 (VLT 18-45%) Lenses in this category tend to be pink/rose, orange, or amber. These colors will be best for your average day of skiing. If you only have one lens, look for a Category 2 lens for the most versatility. Any of these colors will provide nice contrast on the slopes. For Sunny Blue Bird Days: Category 3 (VLT 8-17%) We all dream of sunny, clear blue skies with mountain views that go on forever. You may be able to get by wearing sunglasses, but a good quality ski goggle will protect your eyes from the sun above, the glare below coming off the snow, and the wind which can dry out your eyes. An amber, brown, or grey based lens with Visible Light Transmission (VLT) of around 15% will feel like a nice pair of sunglasses. A mirror coating can help reflect even more light without adding any additional darkness. For High Mountain Conditions: Category 4 (VLT 3-8%) Sking or hiking on high mountains, such as Everest or McKinley, requires an extra protection not required on ski resorts. The higher up you go, the higher the concentration of Ultraviolet rays. For these extreme conditions, look for a Category 4 lens with a dark grey or dark brown tint. Please note that it is illegal to drive with a Category 4 lens in the United States. What lens is best if you ski in all types of weather? If you just want one lens that you can use in a variety of conditions, Photochromic/Light Changing Lenses may be for you. Just like many daily wear glasses can go from clear to dark when you move from indoors to outdoors, many ski and snowboard goggles do the same – becoming lighter or darker outside as needed. Photochromic goggles are best used when skiing in overcast to sunny days (Categories 1 - 3). They don’t typically start at clear, so they would not work for night skiing. Some ski or snowboard goggles allow you to easily swap out interchangable lenses for different conditions. On other goggles, the lens is fixed, so make sure you have an idea of what your needs will be before buying. Do I need Polarized Ski Goggles? Glare coming off snow or water can sometimes be so bright that regular sunglasses or goggles are not strong enough. Polarized lenses absorb 98% of glare and can provide a more comfortable skiing experience on sunny days. The only drawback is that sometimes you may not be able to see an icy spot as the glare has been absorbed by the lens. Can I wear ski goggles if I wear glasses? There are several options available if you wear daily glasses but still want to wear a ski or snowboard goggle. The first option is to get a pair of goggles specifically designed to be worn over glasses called OTG goggles (Over The Glasses). They have cutouts in the side of the foam that allows your glasses to be worn. It’s always a good idea to try on the goggles with your glasses to make sure they fit comfortably. The second option is to buy an Rx Insert with your exact prescription. The removable insert sits inside the goggles and can be made as a single vision (distance only) or you can add your reading prescription to the lens so you can look at the Trail Map. They do tend to fog, so it’s a good idea to get a fog coating on the insert. Ski or snowboard goggle prescription insert A Sight for Sport Eyes has a huge selection of ski and snowboard goggles. See our picks for the best goggles for 2020. Best Ski Goggles for Women Best Ski Goggles for Kids Best Ski Goggles for Over the Glasses (OTG)
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7 Cool Sports Goggles for Teens
If you’ve got teens at home, you know how they prioritize their looks over everything. This includes protection and vision too. However, it is no big news that sports and the risks of injuries go hand in hand. In such situations, you must choose something that gives protection and looks good on your teens. Our list of sports glasses for teens combines clear vision, impact resistance, and a stylish look. Choose one today!
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5 Benefits of Wearing Prescription Sports Goggles
Being an athlete with a prescription can be difficult. While you think that you can brave it all and wear your regular glasses when you play, things can be difficult. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to forgo your glasses and play with blurry vision. Prescription sports glasses can help you amp up your game while helping you see better. Know how!
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5 Stylish Glasses for Dry Eye Syndrome
Red, painful, itchy, irritated eyes. Dry Eye Syndrome is no joke and can happen due to medical or environmental conditions. The most common reason is the tear ducts don’t produce enough lubrication to coat the eye. This can be due to allergies, the aging process, diabetes, lupus, or a number of other medical conditions. Certain medications, eye surgery, or radiation can also cause Dry Eye Syndrome. Occasionally, you may also find your eyes becoming sensitive in an air-conditioned office or car, when staring at a computer screen for extended periods of time, when walking in hot, dry weather, or riding a bike or other high-wind activity. Local air conditions can have a major impact on your eyes. Large fires on the West Coast and elsewhere are causing hazardous breathing conditions, which affect not only your lungs and general health, but can also cause swollen, burning eyes. Artificial tears, avoiding windy situations, and blinking often can alleviate minor cases of Dry Eye Syndrome. For those with more severe symptoms, or in cases of smoke and pollutants from a fire (Burning Man, anyone??) a physical barrier may be necessary. Dry Eye glasses have a foam or silicone seal to help keep irritants out and can make a world of difference. Here are some popular glasses to help combat Dry Eye Syndrome Panoptx Ventus These are a great pair of wrap-around glasses/sunglasses with a foam insert to prevent wind from entering the eyes. They can be worn with or without the foam seal, and are perfect for medium size faces. A huge bonus of the Ventus is that the tips of the arms are fully flexible meaning they can be easily bent and adjusted to stay on your face – no more slipping down or falling off while riding a bike or doing other activities. These are available in non-prescription or prescription (distance, reading, or no-line bifocals). Lenses can be clear, tinted/sunglasses, or transitions (the lenses change from clear when indoors to tinted when outside in the sun) and come in a variety of frame colors. Panoptx Ziena Nereus: These glasses are great to wear to work in an office building because they look like regular daily wear glasses. Inside the frame is a soft, flexible silicone eyecup that rests gently on your face. The eyecup is replaceable, so if it gets dirty from lots of use, it can be replaced without having to replace your full glasses. These are available in non-prescription or prescription (distance, reading, or no-line bifocals). Lenses can be clear, tinted, or transitions and come in a variety of frame colors. Panoptx Briza: While most of the other options on this list are unisex, the Briza is designed for women. The frame is larger, more stylish, and the foam insert is designed to be less visible from the outside. You can head to the beach or downtown and feel fashionable and stylish while still protecting your eyes. These are available in non-prescription or prescription (distance, reading, or no-line bifocals). Lenses can be clear, tinted/sunglasses, or transitions (the lenses change from clear when indoors to tinted when outside in the sun) and come in a variety of frame colors. Wiley-X Sleek: Not only are these shatterproof glasses great at keeping out dust, pollen, and smoke, they are also safety rated by OSHA and ANSI – meaning they can be used in construction sites and other hazardous workplace environments and are rated for military use, and shooting. It also has a removable/replaceable foam that traps irritants. A special lens coating helps prevent scratches in extreme environments. This frame is great for smaller faces and comes in matte black and matte violet colors. Polycarbonate lenses can be customized with your prescription and are available in clear or tinted/sunglass options. Wiley-X Tide: The Tide is another great option from Wiley-X. Like its sister, Sleek, the Tide is also both OSHA and ANSI rated. This frame will fit larger faces. Comes with an elastic strap and leash cord so you won’t lose them. In addition to the standard custom lenses available on all Wiley-X frames, a Polarized Blue Mirror lens or Polarized Gold Mirror lens is also available. Definitely A+ on the cool factor! Dry Eye Syndrome can be painful, but creating a physical barrier to keep out irritants and keep in moisture can be a huge help. See your doctor for persistent, painful conditions. Please see here for a link to all our Dry Eye Syndrome glasses
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Distance Learning and the Invisible Risks to Kids Eye Health
With more and more school districts closing in person learning for the rest of the school year, kids are being forced to distance learn on digital devices. While technology is allowing our kids to continue to learn, staring at a digital device for hours upon hours a day is not healthy for kids eyes. While there is conflicting opinions from medical professionals about the damage blue light can do to the eye, we do know eye strain is an issue with staring at screens for too long. This can cause temporary headaches, dry eye, blurry vision and even neck strain. But there is also new evidence that should be very concerning for parents. Research that shows that myopia (near nearsightedness) is on the rise and linked to digital devices. When kids spend too much time looking at closer objects like a tablet or phone, it sends signals to the brain that is "distance" vision and grows accordingly. Researchers believe this is what is causing the steep rise in myopia since 2007. With distance learning, we are just exacerbating this problem. In a normal classroom setting, kids are looking at the teacher in the front of the classroom. This sends signals to the brain that distance vision is what is the "normal" vision and what the eye should grow to see properly. But when we change learning to be a tablet, we start to change the "normal" distance to near vision instead, thus creating a myopia problem. Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Is myopia that bad? First, it does mean that they child will need to wear glasses much earlier than they may have needed to. It could also mean that the child may need glasses when they may not have needed them under different circumstances. Before 2007, most myopia was hereditary. But now we are seeing kids that are myopic without the hereditary gene for it. This is what made researchers start to look at digital devices. But is wearing glasses all that bad? Myopia also puts the eyes at risk for other serious conditions that could eventually end up in permanent blindness. A nearsighted person has a 50% increased risk of spending the rest of their life blind. Is that enough to take this problem seriously? I think so. Photo by elena nikitina on Scopio So what can parents do when schools are mandating digital device learning? Take breaks. The Vision Council recommends the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, have your child look away from the device and stare across the room at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. After an hour or two of using the device, take a break for 15 minutes or more using distance vision only. Most doctors recommend kids play outside to ensure they are using their distance vision. Other experts go as far as to recommend no digital devices before the age of two and no more than one hour total under the age of 5. Luckily, this age range is not the range being dictated by the school district to be on digital devices. But it is something to consider if you have younger children in the home that are being home schooled as well. All school districts are going to be different. If the school is requiring the child sit and listen to a lesson in real time and the breaks are not feasible, just do your best and remind your child that they don't have to stare at the screen to listen to a lesson. Take breaks and just look above the screen for short spurts of time. White red green and blue light What about Blue Light? Blue light risk is a little controversial. We know that blue light does damage the eyes. Most of the blue light comes from the sun which is why it is important to wear sunglasses outside to protect from UV and from blue light (note: some sunglasses are better than others at blocking blue light). But what is under debate is if digital devices emit enough blue light to do any damage. Some doctors don't think that digital devices emit enough blue light to cause issues. Others think that the damage is real and needs to be taken into consideration with prolonged digital device usage. I am of the opinion it is better to be safe than sorry and I do my best to protect myself from blue light and recommend blue light coatings to patients, especially to those who are work outside. Also, we do know that blue light also causes digital eye strain which can cause temporary issues like headaches, blurry vision and dry eyes. Thus, it may be time to consider getting blue light blocking glasses for digital device usage. Blue light glasses can come in no prescription, or with slight correction that could help to ease the strain on looking at smaller screens. Or they can also come in full reading power strengths for mom and dads who may need reading glasses to use the computer or digital devices. Blue light blocking eyeglasses Let's discuss the slight correction. There are blue light readers mentioned above or prescription lenses on the market like Eyezen that have a little bit of reading power at the bottom of the lenses. This help the eye relax when looking at closer objects. One doctor explained it best this way. When you are working out with weights, the more reps you do, the more fatigue you'll experience. Your eye is a muscle too. Similarly, staring at a screen for long periods of time starts to increase the "weight" on your eyes causing fatigue. Giving the eye some "add" power can help to reduce the "heaviness" of the weight on your eye muscles. Everyone using digital devices can benefit from this including kids and millennials who would normally not need to wear "reading" power. It just lets the eyes relax more. One more thing to note about blue light. If you already wear glasses and have Transitions or other photochromic lenses in them, you probably have some blue light protection already without really knowing it. You can feel safe using your regular glasses if you already have Transitions in them. We are all trying to cope with the new world we are living in with social distancing. While technology makes it a lot easier for us to deal with, it also can negative effects that we need to be aware of so we can take the proper precautions. Stay safe!
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Wearing Masks with Glasses
With COVID-19, more people are wearing masks to protect themselves and help control the spread. People are also wearing glasses more because the glasses offer an extra layer of protection against COVID-19 and helps limit the touching of the eyes. But masks with glasses often causes fogging issues. So, how do we resolve this? First, you can get some over the counter waxes and gels. Just make sure they are safe for eyeglass use. Things like RainX for car windshields should not be used. You may need to try different formulas as we have found that one that works for one person’s body chemistry, may not work as well for another person and vise versa. These are some of the options we have: Hilco Fog Buster Hilco Fog Buster: This comes in spray form or in one time use disposable towelette (sold in sets of 10). Hilco Anti-Fog Combo Kit Hilco Anti-Fog Combo Kit: This is a little more of a process to do, but works a little better and lasts a little longer than the spray or towelettes. Barracuda Defogger Barracuda Defogger: This is more of a gel and tends to work better for swim goggles. It doesn't come with a cloth to clean off so you'll need to provide your own if you go for this option. Liberty Sport Fog Cleaner Liberty Sport Anti-Fog Lens Cleaner: This is a wax based product. Rub on and wipe with a cloth. It does not come with a cloth so you'll need a good microfiber lens cloth to use this one. If making new prescription glasses, you can get a higher end fog coating applied to the glasses when they are being made. This is good for those that live in cold climates and find that their glasses fog going inside/outside or those that cook over heat and experience fogging while cooking. We have two brands: Optifog made by Essilor. This includes a heavy duty scratch coating with a 2 year warranty as well. IC No Fog by Icoat. This coating can be applied to most products including sunglasses and bifocals where the Optifog cannot. Both products require the coating be "activated" every day or so. This is through included lens cloths or gels. This just gets those molecules in the fog coating activated but it is an extra step that we like to let people know about. Airflow is also a key to prevent fogging. If you have nose pieces on your glasses, they may be able to be adjusted to sit farther from your face to allow a little more ventilation in while wearing the mask. Having a tighter fitting mask may also make it so there is a gap between the eyewear and the mask again to allow for some air circulation. Note: this may cause those with high prescriptions or progressive lenses to be looking at a different part of the lens that may cause some distortion. You may have to hold the head differently if you do this. Fogging happens more often with a change of body temperature or air temperature. Thus, you may notice more fogging outside or when walking because more body heat is being generated and there is a bigger difference between air and body temperature. Again, airflow helps so if you move a little faster and generate a little more "wind", you may also have a better chance of having the glasses defog. There also have been suggestions by medical professionals that regularly wear glasses to tape down the top of the mask or tighten the mask to limit the airflow going up towards the eyeglass lenses. Thank you for helping to flatten the curve by wearing a mask. If you are still having fogging issues after trying the above, please feel free to reach out to us and we can discuss your individual needs.
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Why Do Healthcare Workers Need Prescription Safety Eyewear
Whether you are a nurse or a doctor, it is undeniable that having the right protective eyewear can save you from infections and much more. Disposable PPE eyewear may not be very effective and this blog will help you learn why.
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The Pros and Cons of Wearing Polarized Lenses in Sport
You’ve probably seen many athletes step out on the field with polarized glasses. Is it a fashion statement or do these lenses actually pose some purpose? Polarized lenses can bring a huge change to your performance. Want to know how? Keep reading!
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