Sports Sunglasses and the Summer Season go Hand in Hand
The most noticeable thing about the sporting calendar when it comes to summer is the switch in focus on popular sports. The football and rugby union seasons all but finish in May, unless of course there is a major international tournament. Sports such as fishing, cricket, golf and watersports become much more prevalent, both in terms of the more suitable conditions and in their participation. A massive difference between sports such as football and rugby is their physical nature, it would usually be deemed dangerous for a footballer or rugby player to wear sunglasses. The obvious exception being Edgar Davids, the former Dutch international footballer, who had to wear specially adapted prescription sunglasses or goggles to protect his eyes due to a glaucoma operation.
Wearing everyday sports sunglasses in a physical sport could indeed cause injury and decrease performance levels. However less physical sports can require maximum concentration and hours of exposure to the suns UV rays. Sports such as fishing, cricket and golf require the use of sports sunglasses to maximise visual perception and also to protect the eyes.
Golf enthusiasts can spend hours in the summer months on courses that are exposed to the sun. Playing early morning and late evening will see the sun at low levels and often directly in the golfers eyes, whilst during the day the sun is at its brightest and UV rays increase. It is therefore imperative for golfers to protect their eyes and it goes without saying that golf sunglasses go hand in hand with the summer conditions. Performance on the greens and fairways is improved by wearing golf sunglasses. Increased vision and the enhancement of objects such as flags, trees, bunkers and holes are major benefits to the wearer. Whilst blocking the bright rays of the sun, which causes irritation and minimises performance levels through squinting, allows the wearer to try and focus on the challenge ahead. Choosing lenses that perform in different conditions in such sports is essential. Coloured lenses such as amber, copper, brown or yellow increase contrast and the end result is maximum visual performance for putting and picking out light colours, such as a golf ball.
Darker lenses help in the brighter days, whilst yellow and clear lenses are ideally suited to dark or overcast day. Choosing an interchangeable pair of sports sunglasses could be the answer if budget is a concern. Interchangeable sunglasses offer various types of lens colours suited to different conditions, this also saves having to purchase multiple pairs of sunglasses for your chosen sport.
A cricketer is generally exposed to the sunlight on bright days for many hours from morning until early evening. It is essential that the chosen sunglasses compliment the changing light conditions throughout the day. Cricket sunglasses will ideally be light in weight and have a wrap around design to offer maximum peripheral vision. This will almost certainly improve and influence depth perception, which is vital for judging a balls movement in full flight. As with golf, interchangeable sunglasses would be a recommendation from any good cricket sunglasses retailer or manufacturer. This takes into account both cost and performance. Another major factor of cricket is that the sunglasses must be shatterproof; this protects the bowler, fielder or batter from injury to the eyes from hard, cork balls moving at high speeds. As such strengthened or tough polycarbonate lenses must be worn.
Choosing a pair of sports sunglasses with a head wrap is also a consideration. Cricket being the most demanding when compared to fishing and golf, as this can help prevent the sunglasses from falling off constantly.
In summary, it would be fair to say that sports sunglasses are both essential and synonymous with the varied range of summer sports on offer. Choosing the right pair for your chosen activity, protecting your eyes and maximising performance are the key areas to pay attention to when buying sports sunglasses.