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In competitive sport the smallest advantage can make a huge difference. At Classic Eyes we can tailor your eye care needs to be sport specific. Products, materials, therapies and vision correction can be used to provide the best competitive advantage.
No matter what your sport of choice or your level of competition, your eyes need to be protected. However, the right sunglasses for golfing may not be appropriate for cycling. Therefore, many manufacturers have allocated additional resources toward the testing of sports specific products, both in the factory and out in the field. The result has been an overall improvement in performance as well as a growing number of product enhancements specifically addressing the concerns of athletes.
Manufacturers are careful to test the safety and durability of their frames and lenses, as well as their material construction, before the eyewear hits the slopes, courts or field of play. Employing much of the same technology used in other industries, these companies are able to simulate conditions such as wind, rain, cold and heat to determine the short-term and long-term effects these elements can have on the performance and lifespan of their products. In addition, high-tech refrigeration and/or heating units are used to determine how the glasses will perform in extreme conditions.
Several companies also conduct wind tunnel testing to ensure that products withstand extreme wind conditions. For example, to test eyewear for both mountain and road cycling, a rider fitted with test eyewear is placed in a wind tunnel. Tests are performed on different types of cycles to determine how the wind affects the rider at different angles, since the head angles are much different for road and mountain biking. Additionally, the tunnel may be outfitted with UV lamps so that the light protection of the glasses can be checked.
Manufacturers also test the impact resistance of their lenses by hurling objects at the proprietary lens surface from a variety of angles and distances to see how it holds up. They also launch projectiles at various parts of the frame to measure material durability. Design people have been known to intentionally sit on and/or step on finished prototypes to ensure survival in a variety of "accidents".
However, despite all of these activities, nothing matches the real-word examination of a professional athlete. Companies such as Adidas, Bolle and Nike frequently involve sponsored athletes in the eyewear development and testing process. Athletes know what they need in order to do well in their sports. Their feedback is used to improve products and to develop new ones. For example at Adidas, the company’s stable of athletes is literally its "initial testing ground". The athletes are interviewed about what they need and want from sports eyewear and the Adidas R&D team goes to the drawing board to design eyewear based on those specifications. The company credits many of the marathon runners they sponsor with helping to develop it’s Gazelle model. Despite their lack of true "optic" expertise, athletes have been known to comment on (and request and receive improvements to) the visual acuity of the lens (i.e. clarity in the periphery and colour differentiation) as well as the overall comfort of the frame (i.e. the fit, weight and size). One major issue, of course, is ventilation. Fogging of lenses because of sweat in extreme temperatures is perhaps the biggest negative in sports eyewear performance and athletes are constantly making recommendations in this critical area.
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