Pickleball is a fun, social, and friendly game that was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island. The game’s activities involve a perforated whiffle ball that flies back and forth over a net while players run around a court to hit the ball with a paddle. The rules of this game are straightforward, and beginners can easily learn.
However, it’s a fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. The debate of whether pickleball players should wear safety glasses has been on for some time, and finally, there’s a conclusion. According to experts, an eye injury can happen at all levels on the pickleball court.
Both beginners and experts are up against a ball moving at a fast pace, its chances of lending on the eye are high. Even though the game itself does not require players to put on protective glasses, experts who are sports opticians strongly advise wearing pickleball safety glasses to decrease the risk of injury. After all, prevention is better than cure!
We have researched and compiled a list of the best types of safety glasses for pickleball available on the market today. Take a look at the detailed list below:
1. ONIX Pickleball Owl Eyewear Modern and Lightweight Design
These safety glasses are modern, lightweight, and consist of an impact-resistant frame. The lenses offer 99.9 UV protection and anti-fog or anti-scratch features. The glasses also come in two different colors which are clear and blue tint.
They are designed to fit the owner perfectly, so you don’t have to worry about them falling as you play your game.
2. NoCry Safety Glasses with Clear Anti Fog Scratch Resistant Wrap-Around
These types of safety glasses are designed to be protective; they keep your eyes from direct peripheral threats such as sun rays, etc. The glasses are also customizable for ultimate fit and comfort. The best part is that the glasses are protected or backed up with a guarantee for your piece of mind.
3. Unique Tourna Specs Blue Tint Sports Glasses for Tennis, Pickleball
These eyeglasses allow you to see well when playing pickleball or any other types of games such as tennis, golf, etc. The design is super comfortable with ½-inch adjustable temples for a customized fit. The ultra-lightweight protective eyewear features a blue, distortion-free, shatterproof polycarbonate lens that meets the strictest standard for ASTM F803.
Also, polycarbonate eyewear is 10 times more impact resistant than other plastics.
4. Gearbox Vision Eye Wear
These eyeglasses consist of rubber pads and have anti-scratch and anti-fog features. They are overall great safety eyeglasses that you can wear to play the pickleball game. Gearbox safety glasses are also known to be durable and inexpensive.
5. ONIX Pickleball Falcon Eyewear Modern and Lightweight Design
Here, you have glasses that are lightweight and offer 99.9% protection from harmful UV rays They also consist of soft ear pads for a secure fit and safer play. They come in three color options which are; clear, smoke, and blue tint. Onix is a trusted brand known to produce quality products so you can be sure that these glasses won’t disappoint on the court.
6. Python Full Framed (Clear Lense/Black Frame) Racquetball Eye Protection
These glasses are made of a super high-impact resistant frame to keep all flying objects at bay. The lenses are vented for enhanced airflow, and they’re also scratch resistant and anti-fog. You’ll be glad to know that they’re lightweight too, which is an important feature to look for when choosing the right glasses.
7. Bollé Safety 40305, Tryon Safety Glasses Platinum®, Black/Blue Frame, CSP
The design of these glasses is super cool and provides great projection from any eye injury that could take place as your play the game. According to reviews on Amazon, they offer great comfort, allowing players to fully concentrate on the game without worrying about projectiles injuring their eyes.
8. Gearbox Vision Racquetball, Pickleball, Squash Eyewear
These glasses are very effective when it comes to protecting the eyes as they’re specially designed to protect from harmful weather conditions such as wind, harmful sun rays, etc. Of course, they’ll act as a shield against any flying objects.
9. Python Full Framed (Clear Lense/White Frame) Racquetball Eye Protection
Despite their clear lens, these types of safety eyeglasses are equipped with impact protectionist lenses for enhanced airflow, Anti-fog, and scratch resistance. They consist of a super high impact resistant frame, soft molded rubber nose pads, and earpieces for greater comfort.
10. WILSON Lynx Eyewear
These glasses are some of the best pickleball eyewear on the marketplace today. The lenses are distortion free and anti-fog. They’re also known to be scratch resistant, lightweight, and they’re super comfortable.
11. RAPTOR Eyewear
These are very stylish safety glasses to wear when playing the pickleball game. They are modern and lightweight; they are anti-scratch and have anti-fog-treated polycarbonate lenses. Most importantly, they are comfortable and players can wear these for hours without feeling any discomfort.
They have interchangeable lenses included, which is awesome. They are as well UV-resistant so you don’t have to worry about the sun damaging your eyes when playing outdoors. These great safety glasses are durable and inexpensive too.
12. Wilson Aviator Eyewear
If Amazon reviews are anything to go by, these are the ideal safety glasses for pickleball players. They feature two-way adjustable side arms that help customize the glasses to perfectly fit your face, and you can elongate or reduce the length of the side arms to find the optimal size for you personally. They are anti-fog and anti-scratch, so you don’t have to worry about that either.
They are comfortable enough so that you’re able to focus on the ball without any disturbance. They also come in different colors to match your various pickleball outfits.
Reasons to Wear Protective Eyewear when playing pickleball
There are several reasons why pickleball players should consider wearing safety glasses when playing the game, and we take a look at the advantages of doing so below:
1. They prevent eye injuries
Even though pickleball is a simple, fun, and friendly game, pickleball-related eye injuries are becoming quite common in the sport. The injuries often occur when an errant ball flies at a player’s face, and a player’s elbow or paddle can accidentally lend on one’s face. Wearing safety glasses can prevent any serious injuries, making the game a safer and more fun sport for everyone.
2. Protects against UV rays
Pickleball is usually played in an open area where players are exposed to the sun. While the rest of the body can be protected by UV-resistant creams and lotions, there’s no other way you can protect the yes except by wearing safety glasses.
3. Protects the eyes against wind
When playing the pickleball game outdoors, you’ll be exposed to the wind and other elements of nature as well. Yes, these elements can affect the entire game, but they’ll affect your vision, too. Having your safety glasses on can make it easier for you to play the game in less ideal weather conditions when outdoors.
4. Protects against excessive light
When playing the game outdoors, you’ll also face bright light from the sun during the day, and even at night, you can be blinded by floodlights. Wearing a good pair of safety glasses will help prevent these effects.
5. Protects against dust & pollen
Wearing pickleball safety glasses will also protect against dust and pollen when playing outside. Dust and pollen are very common when playing the game and moving around, and they may cause serious injury to anyone that’s always outdoors and exposed. Safety glasses always come in handy when it comes to such situations.
6. Protects against sweat
The sweat on your brow entering your eyes can be a great disturbance and can make you lose focus. Wearing pickleball safety glasses will help to prevent such things from happening, and you’ll have your eyes focused on the ball. Also, experts say that wearing a pair of safety glasses is important when playing any game that could lead to a serious eye injury.
Pickleball is one such sport and players shouldn’t take protecting themselves lightly.
Factors to Consider Before Buying a Pair of Protective Pickleball Eyewear
By now you should have a clear understanding of how important it is to wear safety glasses when playing pickleball. Now we’ll discuss the factors you need to consider before buying your pickleball safety glasses.
1. The glasses should be a perfect fit
This is very important because you don’t want to buy something that will give you a hard time while playing the game. The glasses shouldn’t be too loose or too tight. They should be just a perfect fit.
When safety glasses are too tight, you will feel uncomfortable and lose focus, on the other hand, when the glasses are loose, they will not stay in place and might distract you as well.
2. They should be lightweight
You definitely don’t want to wear something heavy and straining when playing pickleball. But this shouldn’t be an issue since most safety glasses manufacturers always ensure that they are lightweight. When playing the game, you need to feel as if the safety glasses are part of you.
The last thing you want is to feel as though extra weight has been added to your face. Thus, choosing lightweight safety glasses is very important.
3. The glasses should be anti-fogging
Eyeglasses that fog the eyes are complete nonsense. For starters, they impair your vision and as a result, you may lose focus while trying to remove the sweat. Yes, some sprays prevent eyewear from fogging but still, the best way to avoid the extra hustle is by simply purchasing safety glasses that offer anti-fogging properties.
These types will prevent the condensation of sweat on the glasses.
4. Should be UV resistant
As mentioned above, at times you may be required to play pickleball outdoors where you will be exposed to sun rays that contain harmful UV rays. These are known to cause damage to the human body and although we use sunscreens to prevent that from happening, the same harmful UV rays can damage your eyes, so you should make sure to purchase safety glasses that are UV-resistant as well.
5. Should offer better contrast
Some pickleball safety glasses are designed to offer good contrast between the paddle and the ball, which makes it easy for you as the player to focus on the ball. This is a feature that you must look for when selecting the best safety glasses for pickleball, even though such glasses can be a bit expensive.
6. Should offer impact resistance
Every sports eyewear needs to be resistant to breaking into small pieces when something happens during the game. This is an important feature to look for when purchasing your eyewear. Remember, the very reason you want to purchase safety glasses is to avoid any eye injuries, so obviously you do not want the same glasses intended to protect you to become the main cause of the injury.
7. Anti-scratch
You definitely don’t want to purchase glasses that will easily get scratches or marks on them. Scratches will make you lose focus as you won’t be able to see properly through the glasses and they’ll definitely be uncomfortable. So, make sure to purchase safety glasses that are anti-scratch.
8. They should be stylish
Safety glasses for pickleball aim to protect you from any type of eye damage. However, they do not have to look old-fashioned. It’s important that they look stylish so that you can look good while playing the game.
Luckily, there are many stylish safety glasses for you to choose from, many of which we have listed above. Hopefully, you now have a clear picture of what you should look for when choosing the right type of safety glasses for your pickleball game. These considerations are important and can help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth buying safety glasses for pickleball?
The game itself does not require players to wear safety glasses. However, eye injury cases are becoming common for pickleball players. Therefore, if you love your eyes and would like to protect them from any sort of injury, buying safety glasses is very important.
What benefits are there with buying safety glasses for pickleball?
You prevent any sort of eye injury that could happen while playing the game. Several accidents could happen while you’re playing, for example, the ball might fall on your eye, or the other players can accidentally hurt you with their elbows. All these incidents can be avoided by wearing safety glasses.
What factors deserve consideration when shopping for effective safety glasses for pickleball?
The factors to consider include features such as lightweight, anti-scratch, anti-fogging, protection against UV rays, etc. Yes, pickleball is a fun and exciting game, but you don’t want anything to stand in your way as you play.
Should safety glasses be required on the pickleball court?
Pickleball players are not required to wear safety glasses when playing the game (unlike in other games). However, cases of eye injury have become more common and there’s increasing debate about whether to mandate or require safety glasses when playing competitively.