The importance of vision to sports has long been documented. Good vision and superior visual processing are the keys to success. For example, a baseball batter must quickly identify the type of pitch, as well as the location and speed of the ball, all before making the decision to swing. This is more than just providing 20/20 vision, and there are unique visual challenges compared to normal everyday life. The daily disposable modality offers a major advantage with just about any sport. The flexibility based on the specific sport can be discussed with patients to provide the optimal vision experience.

1. Flexibility with prescription: Some sports require a different vision prescription when compared with a normal work setting. For example, golfers need to have sharper distance vision with very little near vision demands while on the golf course. For those reasons, many golfers may prefer wearing a different prescription when they are heading to the golf course. Additionally, many golfers and other athletes may prefer wearing sports-specific sunglasses or protective eyewear during that activity. Daily disposables provide the flexibility for those specific needs.

2. Flexibility with environment: There are many sports and activities that take place in water, on snow, and in extreme conditions. For example, snow skiers will most often choose contact lenses in conjunction with goggles when compared to any other option. For those reasons, daily disposable contact lenses provide an excellent option for avid skiers. Additionally, extreme sports like many motorsports often have dirty, muddy, and dusty environments. Daily disposables may provide the best option as those lenses will most often need to be discarded at the end of that activity.

We live in an active society, and it is important to understand your patients’ specific visual needs for those activities. Dig in and find out whether the patient is a skydiver, a deep-sea diver, a swimmer, a runner, a surfer, a motorcross racer, etc. For many of those activities, daily disposable contact lenses provide the most flexibility and are the best option most of the time. Then, patients will also have the option to include sports-specific eyewear along with their daily disposable lenses. Most importantly, eyecare practitioners must understand their patients’ visual needs and make the recommendation.

 This content is supported by CooperVision.