Specialty Eyewear:
Glasses for All Seasons, for All Reasons
By Christie Walker
Just as "one-size-fits-all" doesn't always fit, neither does one pair of
eyeglasses for all situations. That's where specialty eyewear comes into the picture.
Falling into this category are computer glasses, driving glasses, protective eyewear and more.
According to a Vision Council of America (VCA) survey, the most
important reasons for purchasing specialty types of eyewear include:
- For a specific activity such as computer use, work, hobbies, sports or driving.
- The need to see better in general.
- Safety features that create an increased enjoyment of sports as well as protection from dust and glare.
- The wearer likes to be different and purchases them for cosmetic reasons.
Can you benefit from specialty eyewear? The descriptions below should help you to decide.
Computer Glasses
As people are spending more time in front of a computer, they are finding
that their eyes are focused at a very specific range for long periods of time.
Eyestrain and even muscle strains, due to adjusting your body to see better,
can be avoided with the correct pair of glasses.
Computer lenses are designed
specifically for the distances associated with computer use: the intermediate and
close-up zones. Computer-specific eyewear will give you the best correction
for these distances, helping to avoid eyestrain.
Work and Hobbies
Some people find that their regular glasses are great for most of their day,
but are not quite right for their job. For example, if you wear bifocals, you
may find that you need to tip your head back all day long to use the reading
portions in the bottom of the lenses, because what you're reading is not in your
lap. Instead of suffering neck discomfort to do this, you can get special
glasses for work that have the reading segments placed higher up in the lenses.
Read more about how special bifocals can
help you with your job or hobbies such as golf.
For those whose hobbies include close-up work such as beading,
needlepoint, crafting or anything requiring long periods of time working
at very close distances, a separate pair of reading glasses
may be helpful. If both your eyes need the same correction, then you can
purchase a couple inexpensive pairs of readers almost anywhere: drugstores,
bookstores, even craft stores. But if your eyes have different correction needs,
which is very common, then you will want to order a custom pair of readers
from your eyecare practitioner
that is designed to meet the visual needs of each eye.
Safety glasses are a must for those who spend a lot of
time working with power tools, as debris can fly into the eye and damage it.
Sports Eyewear
By changing the tint of a lens you can improve visual acuity on the tennis court,
golf course or on the slopes. Sport-specific eyewear can
enhance performance by improving visual clarity while protecting the eyes from
injury. Within this category you'll find both sunwear and eyewear with lenses made
from impact-resistant polycarbonate.
Read more about tints and other
features that enhance performance and protective eyewear for sports.
Driving Glasses
Driving glasses come in two different categories: sunglasses designed
specifically for driving and prescription eyeglasses. In the sunglasses category,
driving glasses will feature polarized lenses
that reduce glare and make it easier to see. Studies have shown that glare can be a causative
factor in automobile accidents, with drivers declaring that they couldn't see the other car or
a pedestrian because of the glare coming off of the road, or the sun shining in their eyes.
Polarized lenses reduce glare and make it easier to see in any situation where there may be glare.
Sunglasses tinted specifically for driving increase contrast and make it easier to see.
Prescription eyewear for driving will include your distance prescription and should have an
anti-reflective coating. This special coating on your
lenses will reduce the glare and starburst effect surrounding lights at night, making it easier
to see. An anti-reflective coating has the added benefit of reducing reflections on the surface of
the lens making your lenses virtually invisible, so people can see you better as well.
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