Is there a connection to being good at sport and having good eyesight? I’ve always been inclined to think there was, ever since two balls merged into one right before making contact superbly with my forehead in under-12s football. This was of course followed soon after by long years of optician appointments, various pairs of spectacles, and countless supplies of contacts lenses. I got laser eye surgery at Ultralase Ireland as I entered my twenties and it was only at this point that I re-engaged with my physical side. A whole frontier of surfing,cycling and swimming extended my 30 minutes of physical activity a day to a more satisfying life of surf trips to Lahinch, and cycling around Kildare. But as the Olympics starts off to a smashing start, read The Guardian’s catching headline, ‘Blind South Korean archer smashes London Olympics’ first world record’ – I wonder how 20:20 vision might affect some of the more popular recreational sports…
Skating
The main question with skating in terms of the aul spectacle is really the size of the glass. So easily is skating associated with oversized, heavily rimmed glasses, that really it’s easy to be sidetracked past the otherwise glaringly obvious question…how on earth does one maintain balance with such extraordinarily large curtain rings hanging out of their eyeballs??
The answer is they don’t.
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The True Life of the Hipster Skater
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Another option - tint the glass and use your board to balance some late afternoon sun-bathing
Cycling
'Another safe voyage Mam thanks to the specs'
This is one of those rare cases where the bigger the lense, the more capable you become. I’m not sure how much scientific evidence there is to support this, but I can only imagine how a large curved glass around your point of vision could be utilised to prevent side-on-kerb hitting, premature hard-shouldering, and I’m sure there must also be an argument for aero-dynamism with those cat lick shapes?
With glasses you're able to navigate around other cyclists
Surfing
Leroy Grannis - If at first you can't see, get a closer shot
Everyone knows the only lens to put in front of a surfer is a photographic one. Even Gisele agrees
Even Gisele knows not to mix surfing and glasses. I would also say the same for heels however...
Cliff-Diving
And in the spirit of the upcoming Red-Bull Cliff-Diving event taking place in Inis Mor this Saturday, it is worth mentioning a few words on the role of sight as you plummet 27 feet off a cliff into open water. It seems vision-enhancing spectacles are not a priority for the competitors. I’m sure it’s for all the practical reasons with regards water and glasses, as anyone who’s ever lost or broken a pair of glasses while cannon-bombing into water has ever experienced, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it was for entirely different reason altogether…
