Cricket
Cricket, played competitively, can be an extremely fast game which means that increasing eye speed, reducing eye fatigue and enhancing eye protection are vital to player performance.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have conducted extensive testing in recent years in an effort to improve the team’s vision in differing light conditions. The research, jointly funded by the ECB, was conducted over a two year period and demonstrated that players could improve their ability to catch the ball by as much as 28 per cent.Cricket is among the most visually demanding of sports and sunglasses were found to be the easiest way of shaping sensory information; 82 per cent of which is known to come from the visual system. The research focussed not just on the importance of wearing sunglasses, but demonstrated just how vital it was to choose the right tint colour and density. Visual comfort reduces the risk of eye fatigue in the field and greater clarity minimises the potential of players dropping catches or missing run outs.
The importance of UV protection would be reason enough for any cricketer to wear sunglasses, but the opportunity to improve performance by 28 per cent should appeal to any competitive player. A good reason why some players may have chosen not to wear tinted lenses was highlighted in the research where grey lenses, which had traditionally been worn by most players, were found to be too dark, even in bright conditions, and consistently received low scores in the tests.
A lens with a rose based tint was found to be the best performing for clarity in bright conditions and an orange based lens proving more effective at dusk, or in flat to low light conditions, particularly with a white ball. With Oakley these are the VR28 Black Iridium lens for extremely bright conditions, the VR28 for medium light conditions and the Persimmon (orange based) for low light conditions. These are all tint options which will darken light by reducing blue and green light but increase contrast, particularly in the red end of the spectrum, to make the ball stand out from the background.
Prescription lenses are available in all these variants and can be supplied in many of Oakley’s designs especially the Jawbone and Radar which are current choice of many of the professionals. Of course we can also supply them without prescription and our Sunglasses Price Promise gives you the peace of mind that you will be paying a competitive price as well as getting expert advice.
It is important to reiterate the importance of protection against over exposure to sunlight which can be the cause of eye cancers and cataract as well as being linked to age related macular-degeneration; and this would apply to the spectator as well as to the participant. The player would also benefit from wearing sunspecs because they would provide some protection against impact.
Serious consideration also needs to be given to the fit of the frames as it makes no difference what level you are competing at, if a frame is causing distraction by constantly slipping, or moving around, then this could diminish your performance considerably.
In order to find out more and for your free full sports eyewear assessment please contact your local branch of Rawlings Opticians and we will help you see the difference that the right eyewear can make to your performance.
