Lenses help athletes keep their eye on ball
 

Lenses help athletes keep their eye on ball

WASHINGTON -- Outdoor athletes and exercisers might start singing "I can see clearly now" later this summer, in response to the quantum leap in contact-lens technology. The latest innovation is performance-enhancing lenses. We've known for years that specific lens colors in sunglasses can help us see better in certain outdoor conditions. For example, some colors allow in green light but filter out blue and red to enhance visual acuity and contrast on the golf course. Now, contact lenses are adapting the technology. The Food and Drug Administration last week approved Nike Maxsight sport-tinted contact lenses by Bausch & Lomb. These are soft contact lenses that can be worn every day for nearsightedness and farsightedness. The lenses enable the eyes to see more vividly and with greater clarity visual elements such as a ball or a background. The lenses also reduce distracting glare from the sun or lights outdoors. In late summer, the lenses will be available in two tints: gray-green, for sports played in bright sunlight such as golf, football, running, cycling and rugby; and amber, which blocks blue light, for fast-moving ball sports played in variable light such as soccer, tennis, baseball and softball. Prices are not yet available.