It is important to always ask patients about their hobbies, especially when they are enquiring about sun protection.
We often assume that a patient just wants sunspecs for a holiday, or general sun protection, but many people also participate in different sporting activities, so you should be equipped to advise them on the best protection for their chosen sport.
For example, cycling is a popular sport but there are different types of cycling, so question your patient carefully. For instance: do they take part in competitions?; do they cycle on or off road?; do they cycle all year round and in all weather conditions? These questions are important as there are different lenses for different conditions.
Lens materials
For sports specs, the lens material must be impact resistant. The three main materials to choose from are Trivex, polycarbonate and CR39. Trivex and polycarbonate are the most impact resistant and should be the first choice materials for most sports specs. CR39 does offer protection and can be used when high speeds are not involved.
For industrial use, the centre thickness of a CR39 lens is increased to make the lens more impact resistant, but this will increase the overall weight and thickness of the lens – so is not usually a good option for sports specs. Polycarbonate and trivex also absorb 100 per cent of UV light, which is important for any outdoor use. If CR39 is chosen, a UV-blocking coating should be applied to the lens.
Coverage
When choosing a frame for sports use, consider the coverage needed. For cycling use, the problems often encountered are wind, dust and even flies entering the eyes, and so the frame should fit snugly with no gaps. This is also important to keep the sun out, as it can be very distracting to have stray light entering the eyes from gaps around the frame.
The cycling position is important too, as you will need to ensure that someone leaning over the handlebars with their head down has a frame that sits high enough so the top of the frame is not distracting. Frame material is also important, and many sports specs are made from impact resistant material.
Tints
There are different tints available including polarised, mirrored, photochromic and dyed tints. Polarised lenses are good at cutting out reflected glare, mirrored tints will reflect light, and photochromic lenses will adapt to different light conditions. Dyed tints can be dyed to almost any colour, and this can be useful when dispensing sunspecs for sport. Yellow and orange tints will increase contrast and so are good for low light, hazy and foggy conditions.
Amber and brown tints will enhance contrast compared to a grey tint, and so are good for brightening vision on cloudy days whereas grey tends to reduce brightness and provides a more neutral tint. This is a consideration where colour differentiation is important, such as an artist painting outside. Green tints have a degree of contrast enhancement and can work well for precision sports such as tennis and golf.
This article has only touched on lenses for sports use, and there are many other options available. Having a good knowledge of sun protection for sports use is invaluable to a practice and patients alike, so why not research the subject further and become a sports lens specialist.
Sue Deal FBDO R is a practising dispensing optician, ABDO College examiner, senior tutor and supervisor for dispensing opticians. She is also a practice visitor and external moderator for ABDO. She was recently awarded the ABDO Medal of Excellence for her outstanding services to the profession.