How To Find Shatter Resistant Prescription Sunglasses For Baseball Players

From helmets and chest protectors to elbow guards and leg guards, baseball requires a good amount of gear to keep players safe from injury. But, when it comes to ensuring total protection, eye safety is often overlooked. Even Major League baseball players aren't required to wear eye protection, though the sport poses a high risk for eye injuries.

So, what can you do to protect yourself (or your child) from a baseball-related eye injury? Find out below, or at https://www.sporteyes.com/eyewear-by-sport/baseball-glasses.html.

Understanding the Risk

More than 32,000 sports-related eye injuries were treated in the U.S. in 2022, up nearly 20% from the previous year—and those are just the ones that were reported.

Typically, these injuries are sustained from a ball striking a batter or runner directly in the eye, which can be prevented by wearing baseball sunglasses or goggles. These products not only provide protection from injury but they can also be made with your prescription in them. On top of that, they're able to withstand the impact of a ball traveling up to 40 mph, the standard required by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Factors to Consider

When it comes to choosing the right baseball sunglasses or goggles for you, there are a few things you may want to consider before making a purchase, such as:

• Type of Lenses: This is the most important property of all protective eyewear. Quality polycarbonate (PC) is virtually unbreakable, with 2mm PC being the ASTM standard. Low-end PC will have a lot of distortion in the lens which may reduce reaction time, while high-end PC lenses tend to decrease distortion. Trivex or NXT-based products can also be considered.
• Frame Design: Frames need to be able to withstand ball impact, which is why those rated with the ASTM F803 standard are the best choice. A popular pick for baseball is also a shield design where the entire front of the frame is made of PC, with temples made of plastic or some other material. If you play at different times of the day, the shield can be interchanged with other colors to block sunlight (see below).
• Lens Color: If you’re playing during the day, the sun can be blinding, especially for outfielders. A tinted, brown lens can help you distinguish the ball better against the blue of the sky or the green of the grass. If you’re playing at night, you’ll want your lenses to be clear to provide the best visual acuity.

With these factors in mind, here’s a list of recommended brands that all meet the ASTM standard for sports eyewear and can be fit with a prescription lens or insert:

• Liberty Sport
• Hilco
• Progear
• Wiley-X
• Bolle 
• Versport 

Getting Your Glasses

Once you’re ready to buy a pair, you’ll want to get them from A Sight For Sport Eyes, one of the leading experts in the sports eyewear market for the past 25 years. They have a wide selection of baseball eyewear available at all price levels to fit all budgets, most of which are available with optional prescription lenses. They also let you use your FSA funds to make purchases.

“Our goal is to give you the same high-quality service and name-brand lenses made by the best optical laboratories in the country,” says a company spokesperson.

Now that you know how you can prevent a baseball-related eye injury and where to find the best protective eyewear, get yours today!