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. When that interference is your own eye sensitivity, however, 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.
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 glasses 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 if you suffer from 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 occur 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 glasses that provide wrap-around 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 glasses on golf day? We understand.
Read on to see what makes them 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.
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
Hands down, the number one requirement is top and side shield protection. Top shields provide protection above the rim of your glasses all the way to your brow bone, which can be especially beneficial if you’re playing in 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 glasses and protect the area near your temples.
Impact Resistance
Sports glasses usually carry an impact resistance. It goes without saying if there’s a chance for a 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 dropped from a distance to ensure the glasses don’t shatter on impact. 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 glasses that look clear but offer UV blocking capabilities). The 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 glasses will be coated with a UV blocking material that blocks out both UVA and UVB rays. You need both for total protection. SunStoggles protect your eyes from UV rays (both A and B) and also give you the perfect amount of shade so that you’re comfortable while you play. 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.
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 SunStoggles are all blue light blocking, which means they filter out blue light to keep your eyes protected.
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 glasses 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 glasses.
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.
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
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.
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 glasses protect your eyes with the specs you’d expect in a high-quality pair of safety glasses but retain 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
What Are Eye Allergies? | AAO.org
