Colored to
Win:
Using Color to
Enhance Sports Eyewear
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We have all heard that clothes make the man. Well, in the case of performance, eyewear can make the athlete. By supplying the proper lens color for a given activity, the ECP can give the patient an edge over the competition.
Safety First
According to the Rhode Island Journal of Medicine and Health, 100,000 eye injuries occur each year. Many of these injuries require hospitalization, with some resulting in permanent loss of vision. A majority of these injuries would be prevented if the proper eyewear was worn. The first step in providing the patient with superior sports glasses is picking the proper lens. Trivex® or polycarbonate is the lens material of choice for sports eyewear, due to the inherent impact resistance of the materials.
Polycarbonate has been used in eyewear since the 1970’s. A strong, lightweight and highly durable lens, polycarbonate has a large market share within the United States for impact resistant eyewear. It does have some major drawbacks, however. Polycarbonate, with an ABBE value of 29, has the lowest clarity value of any lens on the market. In addition, polycarbonate is very difficult to tint because of the hardness of the scratch coat that is needed to protect the soft poly material. When tint on a sports lens is desired, if ordering polycarbonate, be sure to specify a tintable scratch resistant coating. Tintable polycarbonate lenses are available from every manufacturer; however, the two largest manufacturers are Essilor and Vision-Ease. Vision Ease markets tintable polycarbonate lenses under the Continua® name.
Trivex is the latest advancement in impact resistant lens materials. Developed by PPG Industries in 2001 for the United States military, Trivex combines the impact resistance and benefits of polycarbonate, with the ABBE value and clarity of CR-39. Although Trivex is more expensive than polycarbonate, Trivex can be easily tinted in a wide range of colors. Keep in mind that Trivex absorbs tint very quickly so the ECP should tint the lens at a lower temperature than polycarbonate and it should be checked frequently.
Both materials are available in polarized, single vision, lined multifocal and progressive lens styles.
Coloring the World
Although there are many different color combinations and tinting densities to choose from, the following are common colors that work well with athletic activities.
Yellow and Orange: These colors heighten contrast between objects and blue or green backgrounds. Sometimes marketed as “blue blockers”, yellow and orange tints are good for hazy, foggy or overcast conditions. Yellow and orange are not appropriate colors for an activity that depends on accurate color perception, but they are an excellent choice for low light and indoor activities. A word of caution, yellow and orange can cause discomfort to the eyes when used in extremely bright light conditions.
Rose and Red: Although these colors heighten contrast in partly cloudy and sunny conditions, they may cause significant color imbalances. The main benefit to these colors is that they allow the patients’ eyes to adjust quickly between alternating light conditions.
Purple: Commonly used as a fashion tint, dark purple can shade the eye while maintaining natural color perception.
Dark Amber, Brown, and Copper: These colors help reduce glare and perform best in hazy sunshine. They are especially advantageous in improving contrast on grass and against blue skies; as well as activities where glare and depth perception can be a deciding factor.
Green: A mild, contrast enhancing tint, green is generally used to reduce eyestrain under bright lighting conditions. A soothing tint, it offers the best contrast and visual acuity of all tints due to the human eye being most sensitive to green light wavelengths.
Here are some common athletic activities that work well with tinted lenses, along with the best colors for each of them:
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Hunting/Shooting- yellow/orange, rose/red, and dark amber, brown and copper, purple
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Cycling- yellow/orange, rose/red, dark amber, brown, and copper
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Fishing/water sports- yellow/orange, rose/red, dark amber, brown and copper
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Golf- dark amber, brown and copper, green
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Winter sports- low light conditions: yellow/orange; normal lighting conditions: dark amber,
brown and copper
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Baseball- dark amber, brown and copper, green
Enhanced Polarized Lenses
Tints, although an effective option in sports eyewear, are not as efficient as polarized lenses. Tinting only makes the lens darker, thereby blocking the amount of usable light entering the eye while allowing glare to pass through.
Polarization on the other hand, acts as a filter. Polarization is a film that is applied to the lens and acts like a Venetian blind, blocking reflected light that causes harmful glare. As a result, colors can be used in a wider range of athletics in a more proficient manner.
Dark Gray- 25% light transmission; truest color recognition and is ideal for bright sunny days and high glare activities such as deep water fishing and driving
Light Gray- 55% light transmission; ideal for being used with tints to create a custom colored polarized lens
Dark Brown- 25% light transmission; a true blue blocker it is ideal for improved contrast, visual acuity and depth perception, and is useful in activities such as driving and shallow water fishing
Light Brown- 45% light transmission; ideal for being used with tints to create a custom colored polarized lens
Melanin- 25% light transmission; a relatively new lens to the market, it contains the pigment that normally occurs in the body and is ideal for anyone with macular degeneration and works well in bright conditions and activities in which the light varies such as golfing
Red- 55% light transmission; a high contrast lens that is ideal for low light fishing and as a shooting lens in bright light
Orange- 50% light transmission; blocks blue light, increases contrast and is most commonly used for clay target shooting, biking, and skiing
Green- 60% light transmission; true color balanced lens that works well in varying light conditions such as golf and tennis
Violet- 55% light transmission; increases contrast and darkens certain backgrounds so it works well with shooting in average to bright, golfing and for winter sports
Blue- 60% light transmission; lets in the maximum amount of blue light so it works well with sports activities against green backgrounds, for example tennis and golf
Yellow- 80% light transmission; lets in the maximum amount of light so it is good for low light situations such as night hunting and shooting
Polarized polycarbonate lenses are available from Seiko, Essilor, Hoya, Shamir and Zeiss, to name a few. The first Trivex polarized lens is the NXT Polarized Sunlens by PPG. Polarized Trivex material lenses are available from Intercast Europe (NXT lenses) and Hoya (Phoenix lenses). They are available in a growing range of colors, including polarized photochromic versions.
Sports eyewear is an excellent way for the ECP to help the patient live a more fulfilling life as well as to help the dispensary improve their bottom line. An excellent option for a second or third pair, a proper pair of sports eyewear may help the patient exceed his or her performance goals.
Photo: Courtesy of PPG Industries
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