Your Saturday afternoon golf game is as important to you as your own children (or furkids or spouse), and anything that interferes with it can easily find itself on the chopping block. However, when that interference is your eye sensitivity, the solution isn’t as easy as eliminating the perpetrator.
Clearly, you need your eyeballs — and for more than just perfecting your golf swing. When your eyes become sensitive while you’re playing your game, it can make it virtually impossible to concentrate on anything other than the fact your eyes are (literally) weeping with every shot.
It gets even more complicated if you need corrective lenses. Your regular frames don’t offer protection against external stressors that cause you to lose focus on your game.
Stoggles can help. We protect eyes from debris, chemicals, wind, and allergens, and we do it with finesse. Together, we’ll learn what’s causing your eyes to be so sensitive (and disrupt your golf concentration) and how wearing prescription sports glasses can help.
How Your Eyes Protect Themselves
Your eyes are incredibly intricate in design and function, and they have some really cool built-ins that help protect them from external stressors. This is important since your eyes are an open orifice that sits squarely on the front of your face.
Tears
Tears aren’t just for displaying your emotional side. The main functions of your tears are to lubricate your eyes and help move debris out of them. Your tears are important, and while you probably don’t think much about them (unless they’re interfering with your ability to see clearly), they’re constantly in production.
Your eyes stay lubricated by the production of tears and from specialized oils released from glands in the corners of your eyes. These oils cover your tears and help them stay longer without evaporating.
Tears can happen due to irritation or from your repeated chunk shots. Either way, the waterworks are flowing.
Irritation, Swelling, and Redness (Oh My)
When your eyes are seriously irritated, you’ll end up with redness, swelling, and general irritation that can make it virtually impossible to see comfortably. Unfortunately, all this irritation means your eyes are working properly.
Irritation and inflammation are your body’s responses to triggers that it sees as potentially harmful. The sand that just blew into your eye is one such trigger. The solution? Don’t get stuck in a sand trap. Or, just wear protective eyewear to make sure the sand doesn’t interfere with your eyes until you’ve seriously perfected your swing.
Conjunctiva
The conjunctiva is the protective membrane that covers the whites of your eyes. This membrane extends underneath both of your eyelids to protect areas of your eyes you can’t see.
The conjunctiva is your eye’s second line of defense against, after your eyelids and eyelashes. Any irritants or debris that make it past your lashes and lids get trapped in the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva can become irritated, though, which can make it hard to keep your focus.
Your eyes are powerful, but sometimes they need a little help. That’s why Stoggles, the safety goggles for the stylish sportspeople (and also everyone else), are here to boost your vision so you can boost your game.
What’s Wrong With Your Swing?
You’ve spent months trying to assess what’s wrong with your golf swing (it can’t possibly be your level of skill), and if you experience eye sensitivity, that could be the culprit. Unfortunately, the very protective features that keep your eyes safe can also cause your eyes to become irritated and uncomfortable.
Excessive Tearing
When your eyes come in contact with an allergen, which can be common while you’re out on the golf course, the immediate response will be to produce more tears. The wind can also cause your eyes to produce more tears than normal, which can make your eyes water and make it impossible to see.
Irritants like perfumes and cigarette smoke can also cause excessive tearing.
Dryness
If tearing isn’t bad enough, some people will develop dry eyes, which can become completely irritated and feel itchy. It can feel like you need to squint to even keep them open. If you’re out on a windy day, the wind may cause your eyes to feel dry.
If you already deal with dry eyes, being outdoors in the wind can make it worse. Excessive, chronic dry eyes are at risk of developing dry eye syndrome, a condition in which your eyes don’t produce enough protective lubricating tears to keep your eyes hydrated.
Dry eye syndrome can also cause you to produce low-quality tears (not a judgment, it’s just what they’re called). Tears that don’t contain enough salts or oils can evaporate too quickly to sustain your eye’s necessary hydration levels.
Blowing Allergens
You already know that you experience allergies, but we know you’re going to hit the greens no matter what. Your allergy tablet might help keep your nasal passages clear, but your eyes may still become irritated from pollen circulating in the air.
When your eyes become irritated due to seasonal allergies, you may develop seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. This condition causes the eyes to be uncomfortable, red, itchy, and watery when you are exposed to pollinating plants.
Conjunctivitis can also be perennial. If you are allergic to pet dander, insect droppings, or dust mites, you may find your eyes are uncomfortable year-round.
Both seasonal and perennial conjunctivitis occurs when the conjunctiva becomes inflamed.
Symptoms can include:
- Excessive tearing
- Redness
- Swelling of the eyelids
- Burning and itching
- Dryness
If you tend to develop conjunctivitis, wearing sports glasses can help.
Sun and Glare
Nothing will lower your skills more than a little sun in your eyes. Even if you’re wearing sunglasses, they could still be allowing light to penetrate through the tops and sides.
You can’t very well reposition yourself at a hole to avoid the sun, but you can wear sports and safety specs that provide wraparound UV protection so you can get the perfect shot. Bonus points if they don’t fog up, so you can actually see what you’re doing.
Not sure what you think about wearing specialized specs on golf day? We understand.
What Should You Keep in Mind About Prescription Golf Glasses?
Your golf game can go woefully wrong, even in so-called perfect conditions, if you aren’t wearing the right gear. You’ve got the perfect pair of golf pants and the Nike Tiger Woods shoes, but if you don’t have the best prescription golf sunglasses, you can count on a bad day on the greens.
Don’t panic and head to Pro Shop and end up shelling out hundreds for Oakleys or Maui Jims. While those brands are great, you actually don’t have to spend that much to get a great pair of golf sunglasses. In fact, you can get eyewear that does a lot more for a lot less.
Here are some of the most important considerations to make when selecting a pair of golf-specific lenses.
Polarization
Polarized lenses are tricky. They’re designed to remove horizontal wavelengths of light and block glare that would come from sand, water, or other reflective surfaces. Polarized lenses may help you prevent squinting, especially if you are sensitive to certain bright light conditions.
However, polarized sunglasses can also interfere with your depth perception and make it harder for you to read the green. Some golfers might notice these issues, and some may not. Whether or not polarization is a problem can also depend on the quality of the polarization in your glasses.
At Stoggles, we craft our Sun Polarized lenses with extreme care, and high-quality details that allow us to produce a lens that is tinted, polarized, and still gives you the ability to see crystal clear.
All Stoggles Sun Polarized lenses also come with a supreme and proprietary anti-fog formula designed to fight against sweat and body heat, ensuring perfect vision — even if you're walking under the scorching sun on those hot sunny California days.
Fit
You spent countless hours researching the best golf glove, you should definitely spend an equal amount of time on the fit of your golf glasses. Frame material is a huge consideration. Keep in mind that you’ll be outdoors and many days in hot conditions. Wire or metal frames might begin to burn.
Polycarbonate provides a durable and lightweight frame, making it incredibly comfortable to wear in any conditions.
Women, in particular, may have a hard time with fit, especially if you’re shopping for hyper-masculine eyewear. That’s why Stoggles avoids the hyper-masculine look (no offense, hyper-masculine homies). We’re committed to ensuring our eyewear fits everyone comfortably, which is why it’s available in a fit that ensures you don’t experience squeezing on the temples or excessive bulkiness on the frame.
Your Script
Your individual vision prescription may dictate what kind of golf glasses you can get. If you have a prescription for single vision correction, you’ve got a lot of options. For multivision correction, you’ll probably want progressive lenses.
Progressive lenses offer vision correction at multiple distances in one single lens with no visible lines on the lenses. Stoggles are available with progressive lenses and all the unique safety features you’ll read about below.
Transition Lenses
Golf sunglasses are one thing, but what do you do about eyewear on overcast days? It might seem tempting to pop on your regular corrective eyeglasses, but we promise, your optician would be seeing double.
Your regular eyeglasses aren’t designed for sports activity; they’re typically much less durable than sports glasses or protective safety eyewear, and that’s a two-part problem:
- You’ll risk breaking your glasses
- You’ll risk damaging your eyes
Instead, consider transition lenses. Transition lenses darken when exposed to UV light and return to clear when the UV light dissipates. These are also known as photochromic lenses, or “Dimmers” if you’re shopping on the Stoggles website.
It’s important to note that some golfers do not like photochromic lenses. If you’re golfing on a partly cloudy day, or if there’s not enough sun for sunglasses, your eyewear might still darken, making it harder for you to see the green.
Interchangeable Lenses
Some golfers prefer eyewear that has interchangeable lenses. Light switching to a different club, the interchangeable lenses allow you to change to a different colored lens based on the light conditions you are currently in. While this is not a particularly convenient option, it might be good for golfers who have trouble with other types of lenses.
Stoggles Monochromes offer lenses that are tinted the same color as the frame, in golf-friendly colors like brown, blue, and violet.
Keep in mind that if you purchase a pair of golf sunglasses with interchangeable lenses and you need a prescription, you’ll be paying extra for the additional lenses.
Now that you know what to consider, Read on to see what makes your sports eyewear as crucial as your putter:
Sports Glasses and Safety Glasses
Sports glasses and safety glasses can keep your eyes protected from the sun, allergens, fog, and any duffer balls. But let’s be honest: Prescription golf sunglasses aren’t exactly budget-friendly. Golf glasses cost money that you might rather spend on greens fees. Let’s talk about golf glasses and whether or not investing in prescription lenses is something that golfers should consider, or not.
Here’s what you need in terms of specs to make sure you’re in the zone during your next game:
Top and Side Shield Protection
First things first, let’s talk about the kind of coverage you’ll get in the best golf sunglasses available. Hands down, the number one requirement is top and side shield protection. Top shields provide protection above the rim of the eyewear all the way to your brow bone, which can be especially beneficial if you’re playing in the wind and sun.
You’ll also get the benefit of side shield protection that can drastically reduce the amount of wind and sun that penetrates your eyes on the sides. Side shields connect to the frames of your specs and protect the area near your temples.
A quick note about wraparound frames. While these are popular options, they may not be the best if you need prescription lenses. Some brands of wraparound eyeglasses create a warped effect that can interfere with your peripheral vision — not to mention they have poor aesthetics, too.
Side and top shields, like the kind you’ll find in each pair of Stoggles, prevent any issues with prescription warping by keeping your vision correction right in front of your eyes and not on the sides. Plus, they give you the protection of safety glasses with a look that’s chill, easy going, and helps you feel your best — they don’t make you look like you’re taking part in the Tour de France when all you want is to play a round of golf.
Impact Resistance
Sports glasses usually carry an impact resistance. It goes without saying if there’s a chance for a golf ball in play to connect with your face, it could give you a black eye or even damage your vision. If you’re looking for the best of the best, ANSI Z87.1 certification is what you need.
ANSI Z87.1 certification means the glasses have been tested with a steel ball bearing shot from a small air canon to ensure the glasses don’t shatter on impact. The right pair of impact-resistant glasses is definitely a must-have if you’re playing with hackers or hit the 19th hole before the first.
UV Blocking
The decision of whether or not to wear sunglasses on the greens is entirely personal. Some people believe they play better with a visor, while others prefer the dark lenses of sunglasses. Regardless of your view, you’ll want UV protection at the very least.
UV protection doesn’t correlate to the darkness of your glasses (so you can have protective eyewear that looks clear but offers UV-blocking capabilities). The lens color of your shades only provides a comfort level for the wearer. You may prefer glasses that give off an amber color hue or glasses that are polarized.
A good pair of sports or safety specs will be coated with a UV-blocking material that blocks out both UVA and UVB rays. You need both for total protection. Stoggles protect your eyes from UV rays (both A and B) so that you’re comfortable while you play — day and night.
Photochromic Lenses
Some players find themselves square in the middle of wanting the protection of sports sunglasses and wanting the freedom of a visor. We recommend Stoggles Dimmers.
Dimmers work by adjusting the amount of light your lenses are receiving. How? Great question.
We created Dimmers with the same special lens technology you find on photochromic eyewear. These are perfect for golf lenses because they automatically adjust to the amount of light you’re exposed to. In other words, as the sun comes out, the UV reactive lenses darken to the perfect shade to allow you to still see clearly. When the sun retreats, so does the tint on your glasses.
Our eyes naturally do a great job of adjusting to the darkness, which is why you never actually feel the change. That way, the darkness of the lenses can automatically change based on the amount of UV there is, allowing the wearer to have a perfectly seamless experience.
No more switching between your sunglasses and your visor or your regular glasses and your sports glasses. Dimmers give you exactly what you need when you need it.
The fact that they’re also stylish is just a bonus.
Blue Light Blocking
“Blue light” isn’t just a social media trend word. It's a real scientific occurrence. Blue light refers to high-energy visible light emitted from sources like the sun and from devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and computers.
The big problem with blue light is our sheer exposure to it. The biggest source of blue light is the sun, but because we get it from other sources, our eyes really never get a break from this intrusive light.
There’s still a lot of research ongoing with regard to blue light, but at this point, we know that blue light can make your eyes dry, red, itchy, uncomfortable, and fatigued. Too much blue light might even lead to headaches and eye strain.
Stoggles safety glasses and Stoggles Dimmers are all blue light blocking, which means they filter out blue light to keep your eyes protected. Trust us: You can’t blame your sorry putting game on exposure to blue light, even if that’s the true cause.
Anti-Fog
If the glasses you wear while you play aren’t anti-fog, chances are you aren’t even wearing them. Glasses that must be removed to wipe down are not only inconvenient; they’re also unsafe. Safety specs that you’d wear to offer your eyes protection should always be coated with an anti-fog compound so that you never have to worry about removing them.
You’ll find anti-fog lenses are incredibly convenient on the greens because no matter how high the humidity or how hot your temper gets, you’ll never have to wipe your lenses (or side and top shields).
And let’s be honest, using your golf towel on your pricey progressive lenses is not the best option. We’re 100% sure that towel has wiped off more than just your clubs.
Comfortability
If your sports glasses aren’t comfortable, you won’t wear them. Anything that distracts you from your game gets tossed, so it’s crucial your safety glasses are lightweight and as comfortable as possible.
One tip: Don’t confuse low-profile options with comfort. Nose pads and rimless options may have a sleek design, but they’re notorious for squeezing, pinching, and making it more difficult to focus on what you’re doing.
Instead, choose options that are ultra lightweight and streamlined.
Stoggles makes it easy by crafting all of our frames with polycarbonate, which is both incredibly durable and lightweight. Polycarbonate is the perfect material for glasses because of its translucent quality and ability to withstand impact without shattering.
Prescription Availability
Maybe not wearing glasses means that your astigmatism is out to play — aka, your depth perception is no more. Like literally most activities (besides sleeping), depth perception is pretty important. Yeah, your caddy might not laugh when you can’t judge how far you are from the tee, but you can feel their judgment regardless. So, yeah, bring out the specs.
Tired of changing between your corrective frames and your protective sports glasses just so you can see your scorecard? Don’t do it. Invest in a pair of prescription safety glasses, and you’ll never have to bring more than one pair of frames in the golf cart again.
Safety glasses that have to be worn over your corrective glasses are uncomfortable and make it nearly impossible for you to have clear vision. Safety goggles can be tight, ill-fitting, and create an additional layer of fogged lenses that make it hard to see.
A better option is to get a great pair of safety frames with your script, so you can shield your eyes from the wind, sun, and any other distractions without having to constantly swap them for your reading glasses to see information on your phone or scorecard.
Style
You’ve got the Bad Birdie shirt and Lululemon pants (and no one is saying you’re overcompensating for your swing). Don’t ruin your style by donning a pair of outdated golf glasses.
Stoggles effectively combine form and function to keep your vision crystal clear, your eyes safe, and your style impeccable. Choose from different frame shapes (like aviator and classic square) and numerous different low-profile colors to make sure you’re getting the perfect match for your preferences.
While you’re shopping Stoggles, be sure to pick up a Sports Strap (or two). These ensure you never lose your Stoggles, whether you’re doing a victory shot dance or violently throwing your clubs around. Either way, your eyewear isn’t going anywhere.
The Stoggles Difference
You know you need better eyewear when you’re playing golf, engaging in non-contact sports, or even attending outdoor events. Wind, rain, sun, and pollen can interfere with your vision and take your attention away from your favorite sports and activities.
At the same time, you want to maintain a level of style that is understated and doesn’t make your friends question your sanity. Goggles on the green? No way.
Stoggles offers the solution. Our safety eyewear protects your eyes with the specs you’d expect in a high-quality pair of safety glasses but retains the same great style you love about your favorite frames. Available in numerous different frame shapes and color combinations, you can customize your look to match your personality or your favorite golf shirt.
Stop letting the elements interfere with your game. Grab a pair of Stoggles and enjoy the freedom to golf like you want with the protection your eyes deserve.
Sources:
Protective Features of the Eyes - Eye Disorders | Merck Manuals
