All of us at one point or the other in our lives suffer from visual disturbances and for us, wearing corrective glasses may not be a hindrance in our day-to-day life. However, it is a totally different ball game if you are an active sportsman or athlete.
Wearing glasses not only creates interference, but may also lead to severe injuries. The advent of contact lenses has played a pivotal role in ensuring that an athlete’s career is not derailed just because he/ she has to wear glasses.
That said, there are a few athletes who still wear special prescription glasses while playing, others who work with companies like contactlenses.co.uk for prescription contact lenses they can wear during the game, and believe it or not, there are some athletes who love wearing colored contacts such as yellow or natural green contact lenses!
Want to know which athletes wear eyeglasses? Here it goes!
Athletes Wearing Glasses
Mack Horton (Swimmer)
This Olympic gold medalist swimmer is best known as the ‘Clark Kent’ of swimming, owing to his signature thick-rimmed glasses! This swimmer has an awe-inspiring rise to fame as his extreme short-sightedness made it unable for him to even see his hands in front of his face.
That didn’t deter him and his ambitions at all. He has been wearing prescription goggles for swimming, while outside the pool, he wears his glasses.
Lydia Ko (Professional Golfer)
Lydia Ko is the youngest ever professional golfer who was ranked number one in 2015. The Korean-born, New Zealand pro-golfer was always seen wearing glasses. Although she has switched to wearing contact lenses a couple of years back, when she won the title, she was still wearing glasses.
She has inspired a lot of young individuals and has shown that short or near sightedness should not stand in the way of your success.
Daniel Vettori (Cricketer)
The all-rounder from the New Zealand cricket team burst at the international scene way back in 1997 and went on to play till 2015 when he retired. Although he was one of the key players of his team, he was also famous for his glasses and his slight resemblance to Harry Potter!
He never switched to wearing contact lenses and till date, he can be seen wearing his amazing glasses.
Chung Hyeon (Tennis Player)
In January 2018, history was made at the Australian open when a South-Korean reached the semi-final of a grand slam tournament for the first time and that too, wearing glasses! He suffers from astigmatism which makes it difficult to focus on anything but that didn’t stop him from playing his favorite sport and excelling in it, too.
Edgar Davids (Football Player)
This list would be incomplete if we don’t mention the former Dutch footballer. He started his career in 1991 with perfect vision but it was during his tenure with Juventus when he was diagnosed with glaucoma.
He was operated upon and was prescribed special glasses which he had to wear on the field, as well, making him just one of the few football players who wore glasses during the game.
Athletes Who Wear Contact Lenses
From wearing prescription contact lenses to colored contact such as natural green contact lenses, there are a huge number of players, from both present and past who have been using contact lenses to aid their vision and improve their game.
Keep in mind that although wearing glasses can be an option, it may not be as comfortable an option for everyone.
Novak Djokovich
The number one in men’s singles in Tennis, Novak Djokovich suffers from far-sightedness and has to use contact lenses while playing. He has been wearing daily disposable lenses while playing and when off the court, he is generally seen wearing glasses.
The use of contact lenses has vastly improved his game over the years, as per Djokovich himself.
Dwight Howard
This NBA superstar has won player of the year awards, thrice in three years!
He is also known for wearing contact lenses to improve his vision as he also suffers from visual impairment.
Wearing contact lenses has only improved his game and made him the player he is, as we all know how important perfect eyesight is when you have to dribble the ball across the court!
Cristiano Ronaldo
Who doesn’t know about Cristiano Ronaldo? Even if you are not into football, Cristiano Ronaldo is a name that you wouldn’t have missed!
This player is known for his perfection on the field and his charitable work off the field. He is also known to wear contact lenses while playing to correct his visual defects.
Phil Mickelson
Golf is one of those sports where you need 100% perfect vision and it has nothing to do with the size of the ball! It is the distance at which you have to hit the ball that matters. Phil Mickelson is a regular PGA tour golfer and is known to use contact lenses while playing.
Athletes Who Wore Colored Contact
Believe it or not, there have been a number of athletes who have experimented with wearing colored contacts to the game and have sworn that it actually improved their vision.
From yellow to natural green contact lenses to amber colored lenses; there have been quite a few interesting colored lenses seen on the field! It is claimed that these colored lenses improve vision by allowing players to focus on certain colors and objects.
Here are just a few of the players who have experimented with colored contacts.
- Santonio Holmes is a former American football player and he was noticed wearing red contact lenses on the field. He claimed that it improved his focusing ability on the field.
- Bryce Harper is an American baseball player and he has also been seen wearing rose-tinted contact lenses on the field. It is claimed that these lenses not only improve the focusing ability but also help in reducing glare.
- Brandon Inge is also a former American baseball player and he was mostly seen wearing yellow colored contacts on the field.
A Perfect Vision is A Must if You Want to Excel in your Game!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
