Rodenstock
Individualised single vision lens
German lens manufacturer Rodenstock offers several sport lens products. For single vision users, Perfalit Sport lenses are constructed to take into account the position of the lenses in front of the eye, with a more wrap-around sports style compared to a traditional fitting. This design aims to eliminate aberrations and distortions caused by tilted lenses.
Impression Mono Sport 2 is an individualised single vision lens that aims to provide greater safety in sports due to the best possible spatial vision. Rodenstock says that the individual matching of visual fields guarantees sharp vision up to the edge of sports spectacles. Meanwhile, Impression 2 Sport, which according to Rodenstock was the world’s first individual progressive lens, is tailored to the dynamic vision demands of sports while allowing athletes to wear progressive lenses in fashionable sports frames.
For sporting sun protection Colormatic IQ Sun 2 are patented photochromic sunlenses that are said to adapt to all light situations with base tints from 40% to 55% allowing a range of outdoor activities. The contrast enhancing effect is said to provide natural colours and exceptional recognition of details.
Rodenstock also highlights Solitaire Protect Sun 2 coating, which is a dirt-repellent, water-repellent and tough AR coating, and SunContrast sport lenses, which offer greater contrast and natural colours, particularly in diffuse or very bright light with 100% filtering of UV radiation.
Bushnell
Polycarbonate and mineral choices
Bushnell Optics supplies well known sports brands Bollé and Cébé. Cébé offers sunglass and optical sports lenses in polycarbonate or mineral materials. The company advises that mineral is the best lens for superior optics, offering maximum scratch resistance and durability.
However, polycarbonate is significantly lighter and offers greater impact resistance. Photochromic options Variochrom Perfo and Variochrom Peak are said to adapt in less than 20 seconds. Base tints include grey, brown, green and yellow while sports relevant coating options include anti-reflective, anti-fog, anti-scratch and mirrored.
Bollé’s B-Clear NXT lenses are made out of Trivex, which is said to couple optical clarity with the impact resistance of organic lenses. Also they are available in prescription and polarisation versions.
Adidas
Colour fastness in and out of shade
Adidas’s sports lenses feature Light Stabilising Technology (LST). This is said to work like a colour equalizer, enhancing the perception of pure primary colours and resulting in improved colour perception and high contrast vision. Therefore, lenses featuring LST are particularly marketed to sports performed in and out of shaded areas.
The sports behemoth also offers polarised versions to protect from dazzle and a photochromic option – Vario – for variable light conditions. Vario lenses are said to boast a transmission range from 14 to 89%, which is achieved by a wafer inlay injected directly into the lens.
Carl Zeiss
Wraparound with precision
In the view of leading lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss, if you want to enjoy unimpaired vision when playing sports then you need eyewear that meets many diverse requirements. The company says that its Zeiss sunglass lenses for sports are light and durable, with a tint-intensity of over 80%, and feature an optional coating for protection against dirt and scratches while being individualised for your eyes.
This high performance is based upon Cosmetic Edge Technology within the Zeiss sports lenses, which is said to provide a wearer with clear vision all the way to the edges of the lens – even with highly wrapped lenses with a high prescription.
‘This ensures all-around flawless vision and protects the wearers’ eyes from dirt, sunlight or small dust particles in the air,’ says Peter Robertson, marketing and communications director, Carl Zeiss Vision UK. ‘No matter if you’re biking, running or playing water sports, tennis, football or golf. Moreover, Zeiss sports eyewear is also available with single vision or progressive lenses.’
Zeiss is also able to achieve this with thin lenses for superior aesthetics.
‘Creating a wrapped lens presents a unique challenge,’ adds Robertson. ‘It should be as thin as possible, even in the peripheral areas, while still optimally correcting the wearer’s visual defects. With Cosmetic Edge Technology, we are able to manufacture flatter lenses with optimum vision correction, even if we have a very large lens diameter and highly wrapped frames. This is not only good news for fans of sports eyewear, but also for those who enjoy fashionable sunglasses or wear prescription eyewear and want that wrap around look.’
Nikon
Same design for sportwear and everyday
Nikon Lenswear offers a range of lenses for sport, aiming to provide superior aesthetics and visual performance regardless of frame choice. Matching lens availability with frame selection has always been an interesting challenge when dispensing sports lenses and Nikon’s customisable lens portfolio with large diameters is said to overcome this.
Known for producing flat, low base lenses, Nikon’s complete lens range can now be customised with base options from 2 to 8, enabling customers to wear the same design in both their sportswear and their everyday spectacles.
In addition, Nikon’s Viewfit technology incorporates position of wear measurements. This is said to optimise lenses for each individual wearer and drastically reducing aberration to provide optimum comfort and visual performance, even with high base lenses and wrapped frames.
With a wide range of polarised lenses available up to 1.67, flash mirror coatings, solid, graduated and customised tints, Nikon’s sunwear range is also applicable to sports use. Furthermore, the company says its UK production enables quick delivery with a fast track service available.
Transitions
Rapid reaction force
Photochromic market leader Transitions’ lenses can benefit sports participants by adapting to varying lighting conditions. The company markets its Signature collection as perfect for sports as the lenses combine the strengths of Varilux Transitions and Crizal products, meaning rapid reaction to changes in outdoor light, leading anti-UV and anti-glare technology, and resistance to smudges, dust and water.
‘Transitions lenses adapt to varying lighting conditions, which is very common in many active outdoors situations,’ comments Laurent Dosseville, marketing director Transitions Europe. ‘The Transitions Brown shade enhances contrast and colours, particularly with greenery as it allows reliefs and obstacles to appear crisper and sharper. Transitions Graphite Green also enhances contrast and keeps natural vision.
Dosseville feels that Transitions lenses are best used for sports like golf, tennis and cross country running.
‘They are good in situations that aren’t too extreme in terms of sunlight or reflections. There are other products better suited for sailing, skiing and fishing. Transitions lenses are available in most designs and materials appropriate to sports: Trivex, Polycarbonate and others. Obviously, in certain sport situations – like cycling and running – you would need an appropriate frame to ensure lenses don’t fog.’
Lenstec
More than a fashion accessory
Lenstec is well known for its collaboration with French sports eyewear brand Julbo. The two companies combine to offer UK practices the RX Trem prescription sunglass sports lens.
‘When practicing sport, good vision is essential to read the terrain correctly,’ comments Paul Walden technical and sales director Lenstec Optical Group. ‘More than 70% of our movements are guided by our vision so sunglasses and goggles are much more than a simple fashion accessory and can be used as a tool to improve performance.
A glasses wearer who would like to be able to use prescription sunglasses is no problem for Julbo. Using its expertise in sunglasses solutions and sports eyewear, Julbo can help you through its RX Trem prescription sunglasses programme. The full spectrum of Julbo technology is adapted to your vision and your favourite discipline, from daily use to the most extreme sport.’
With RX Trem, Julbo offers high-tech prescription sunglass lenses that are said to be specifically cut to perfectly match the curved shape of frames and provide greater viewing comfort in all situations and from all angles, in both single vision and progressive versions. The lenses are available lenses in PC or NXT, light materials that are low-density (1.11 for NXT, 1.22 for PC) and ultra-tough, and therefore particularly suitable for sports and outdoor activities.
Lenstec also offer Julbo’s Reactiv photochromic technology designed for dedicated athletes on all types of terrain in all weathers. More than 10 years in development, Reactiv is said to offer outstanding performance across various technical criteria: reactivity speed, photochromic range, lens colour, efficiency of the polarising filter and special coatings to meet specific needs.
According to Lenstec, Reactiv has resulted in five lenses adapted to different sports, and they can also be used in RX Trem prescription sunglasses. Manufactured using casting technology, the lenses benefit from photochromic treatment throughout the body of the lens and come with a lifetime warranty.
Younger Optics
Seven attributes of a great lens
‘There are seven important considerations that the expert sporting enthusiast or keen amateur will look for in a pair of sports glasses,’ says Julian Wiles UK/Ireland manager at Younger Optics. ‘Light weight for improved comfort, clarity of vision, impact and UV protection, contrast enhancement, glare protection and improved depth perception. Each benefit is relevant and meaningful in its own right because people will see better and be able to react faster. They will be safer and they will get greater enjoyment’.
With this in mind Wiles feels that one of lens materials supplied by Younger Optics is the best option for sports use. ‘Only Trilogy made with Trivex can deliver all seven benefits. All other lens materials compromise one or more of these benefits.’
The variable weather of the UK is a challenge with lighting changing from overcast to sunny within minutes while sporting activities like golf, archery or a sailing take place over several hours. Bearing this in mind Wiles highlights DriveWear.
‘DriveWear is an intelligent adaptive polarised photochromic prescription sunglass lens for drivers, however glare protection which adapts to the available light, contrast enhancement, improved depth perception and a lens that reacts to both UV and visible light has many more active uses than motorsport’, says Wiles. DriveWear is available in Trilogy single vision and a variety of varifocal designs.
Wiles also draws attention to the NuPolar range of polarised lenses.
‘NuPolar Gradient is a graduated polarised lens. Because the polarised film is graduated there is no tinting involved so you deliver greater consistency of performance. Golfers may find the lighter lower portion of the lens great for reading the scorecard and addressing the ball. NuPolar Infinite Grey is the world’s lightest and darkest polarised lens. With a transmission range from 40% to 9%LTF you can be pretty certain that whatever the ambient daylight it will be comfortable and still offer full UVA/UVB protection.’
Seiko
Ahead of the curve
Seiko was founded in Tokyo in 1881 and, appropriately for a watch maker, its name means precision in Japanese. Seiko entered the lens market more than 40 years ago and currently distributes in over 30 countries worldwide with a UK base located in Gloucester. Seiko’s Curved and Curved X products are said to both offer panoramic vision for sports use.
Seiko says Curved is a lens with a high basic curve made for active, fashion-conscious wearers and well suited for sports frames. Meanwhile, Curved X offers a progressive option for a high basic curve by combining comfort and a sleek look with a dynamic viewing experience.
Both Curved products use HCT (High Curved Technology) and design which is said to achieve brilliant imaging and sharp views. Seiko adds HCT allows sharp views up to the edge of a lens, even in the outer viewing zones. It combines individual parameters for the wearer with an optimised lens design for larger viewing areas for any base curve. The lenses can be combined with different coating options (mirror, polarised, photochromic) and are available in more than 200 different colours.
Shamir
Lenses with attitude
Shamir’s flagship product for sporting use is the Attitude III Sport, a prescription sunwear lens.
With the aim of ensuring patients see where they’re running, what they’re hitting and how far they must jump to reach their goals – Shamir has designed a high-quality freeform individualised progressive lens, suited to sport and active lifestyle.
Shamir Attitude III Sport employs a unique power profile that aims to ensure clear distance vision, uncompromised viewing in the all-important 1m to 5m range and 100% addition power to allow comfortable near vision tasks such as map reading, pedometers and score cards.
The lens achieves this through four of Shamir’s advanced technologies. Eye-Point Technology III, improving the viewing experience regardless of prescription or choice of frame; Natural Posture, minimizing discomfort and allowing for a natural near viewing posture; IntelliCorridor, providing an optimal power profile specifically for sports and fashion; and As-Worn Quadro, ensuring complete viewing comfort for any frame shape.
Other benefits include an extended range of base curves and face form angles, Shamir’s Glacier Sun coating package with Achromatic AR coating for the front surface and Anti UV reflection or Anti-fog coating for the rear surface, impact resistant and high index materials, as well as a wide range of tints and filters.
Shamir Attitude III technology is also available in single vision version that offers an expanded base curve range, to support sports frames. Shamir says that fully optimised design technology and freeform production ensures extreme viewing comfort for any frame, flat or wraparound, and for any activity including extreme sports.