Keeping a Colorful Eye on the Ball
Tinted contact lenses are designed for better sport performance
By Diana Gonzalez | Friday, Jan 20, 2012 | Updated 9:40 PM EST
Tinted contact lenses are designed for better sport performance.
Keeping a Colorful Eye on the Ball
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At the Jewish Community Center in North Miami Beach, professional football and baseball players from all over the country come to train with Pete Bommarito.
He works with them on speed and strength. But some athletes are turning to colored contact lenses called Sports Tints to give them an edge.
NFL wide receiver Jason Hill is a believer. He has played with the San Fransisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It made a huge difference for me personally. I felt like a new player out there," Hill said. "The grass was greener, everything was brighter more vivid."
The lenses come in several hues. The color used depends on the sport. Football players usually wear blue, golfers gray-green, and baseball players amber.
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Ophthalmologist Linda Kaplan fitted 20-year-old Max Pomeranz with amber contacts to help with his baseball game.
'When I’m batting and looking at the pitcher trying to see what pitch is thrown I want to be able to read the seams coming off the pitcher's hands,' Pomeranz said.
Dr. Kaplan explained that the red seams on the baseball stand up when you're wearing the amber lenses.
Right now Bommarito is focusing on the physical, but is looking into the possibility of using visual aids to enhance performance.
Amber: Blocks high amounts of blue light to heighten contrast and visual acuity. Particularly useful to improve contrast on grass and against blue skies.
Sports: baseball, softball, football, cycling, fishing (especially in waters with grassy bottoms), golf, hunting, skiing, water sports.
Grey Green: Heightens contrast (mildly) while preserving color balance and reduces brightness.
Sport: golf
Bolle Blue: blocks blue light to heighten contrast and visual acuity.
Sports: Football, Tennis
Green: Heightens contrast (mildly) while preserving color balance.
Application: Use in bright outdoor light
Yellow: Heightens contrast in overcast, hazy, low-light conditions outdoors or for indoor sports. Filters blue light for sharper focus
Sports: Hunting, Football (night games)
Sun Tac: Reduces overall brightness while preserving 100 percent normal color recognition.
Applications: Great for outdoor sports, especially running.