A Buyer’s Guide for Prescription Sports Glasses for Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is an energetic, high-speed game coupled with sharp skates and a hard puck. As one of the fastest-growing youth sports in the country, players also get to master multiple skills such as skating, passing, stick handling, and goal shooting.
The action on the ice moves quickly and collisions are part of the game, which makes it imperative to have the right safety gear before you step on the ice.
The right pair of sports glasses can improve your visual performance on the ice and is key for optimal depth perception, hand-eye coordination, concentration, and ability to track the puck at high speeds.
Take note that your everyday prescription glasses won't provide adequate protection during games and practices for a few reasons:
- They don’t fit well under the helmet and create pressure points
- They get pushed out of place every time you put your helmet on
- They fog up
What to consider when choosing a new pair of ice hockey glasses
Frame Fit
Gear Compatibility
To achieve maximum protection and comfortability, it’s important to consider that your helmet and goggles have a good fit. Rec Specs glasses and goggles allow the use of helmets, either full-cage or full-shield, to balance your vision needs with your game performance.
Lens Technology
Impact Protection
A shatterproof, polycarbonate lens should always be worn during games and practices to withstand the risk of any impact especially of falls and high-speed blows from pucks.
Tints
Just like any sport, ice hockey requires a lens color and tint that is suitable for providing the best eye care and comfort possible. It’s best to evaluate your lenses that match your conditions.
A clear tint is most recommended as it allows the most light that gives you greater visual comfort and optimal performance inside the rink. If you play several sports that differ in lighting conditions and environments, you may want to consider a transition tint that stays clear (or nearly clear) indoors and darkens automatically when exposed to sunlight.
Polarized Lenses
Polarized lenses are not recommended for ice hockey as it affects depth perception. Hand-eye coordination and movement around the rink is a big part of the sport so anything that will interfere with tracking your steps, the puck, or your opponents is not something we would recommend.
Coatings
Lens coatings impact the quality of your vision and the comfort you feel while playing. We highly recommend 2x2 ProCoat, which is included at no additional charge with your Rec Specs prescription lenses. It features dual coating, double-sided AR and fog block brought about by high-intensity movement and being on ice. The AR coating works best against any reflections off the ice from indoor lights.
It features a dual-sided coating of Fast-Fog Recovery for those moments brought about by high-intensity movement and being on ice, and Anti-reflective (AR) coating to fend off any reflections off the ice from indoor lights.
Top Recommendations for Ice Hockey Glasses & Goggles
We have picked out some of our best options for ice hockey glasses that will help protect your game.
Sports Shift: Designed for multi-sport athletes, this frame features an interchangeable temple and goggle attachment in one.
Helmet Spex: Known to keep goggles in place under a helmet, this frame maintains peak comfort and vision performance.
Maxx Air: Engineered with fast fog recovery to ensure clear vision for maximum vision performance via its 9-point ventilation system. Available in youth and adult sizes.
Maxx Series: A crowd favorite! Available in both frame and goggle styles and a variety of colors to match your team. Engineered for protection, style, and confidence to get after it on the rink.
By protecting your vision and enhancing the way you see, you are giving yourself all of the tools you need to achieve optimal sports performance. Our Outfitters are here to help in case you’re unsure of what prescription sports glasses or goggles to get. Click here to start shopping or chat to our agents from the ‘chat’ icon.
You can also use our easy at-home try on process to test out ice hockey glasses from the comfort of your home. Click here to get started building your kit for FREE. Don’t forget – we also offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on your purchase!
