Eye wear protects or corrects your vision. Examples are

• Sunglasses
• Safety goggles
• Glasses (also called eyeglasses)
• Contact lenses

If you need corrective lenses, you may be able to choose between contacts or glasses. Either usually requires a prescription. Almost anyone can wear glasses. Contact lenses require more careful handling.

Many jobs and some sports carry a risk of eye injury. Thousands of children and adults get eye injuries every year. Most are preventable with proper eye protection. Everyone is at risk for eye damage from the sun year-round. It's important to regularly use sunglasses that block out at least 99% of UV rays.

People with different refractive errors need different types of eyeglass lenses to see clearly.

Reading glasses can help people with presbyopia read or see things up close. You can buy reading glasses at drug stores and convenience stores. Even though you can get reading glasses without a prescription, it’s important to get regular eye exams to make sure you’re seeing as clearly as possible.

Single vision prescription lenses correct near vision or distance vision, but not both. If you have nearsightedness, single vision lenses can help you see things far away. If you have farsightedness, they can help you see things up close.

Multifocal prescription lenses correct both near and distance vision. They can help people who have trouble seeing things up close and far away. For example, people who have both presbyopia and nearsightedness can use multifocal lenses for reading and driving.

• Bifocals correct near vision on the bottom and distance vision on the top
• Trifocals correct middle-distance vision in between the near and distance vision areas
• Progressive lenses are multifocal lenses that don’t have a visible line between the near and distance vision areas

Eyeglass lenses work by bending light — just like the lens and cornea in your eye. The eyeglass lens bends light to make it focus correctly on your retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye). Different eyeglass lenses can correct different errors caused by problems with the cornea, lens, or shape of the eye.

Glasses make your vision clearer while you’re wearing them — but they don’t change your eyes at all. Wearing glasses doesn’t make your eyes weaker or your vision worse.

If you think you may need glasses, the first step is to see an eye doctor.

Eye doctors can prescribe eyeglasses as part of a regular eye exam. The vision test is simple and painless. Your doctor will ask you to read letters that are up close and far away. Then they may give you some eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupil and check the health of your eyes.

After your eye doctor gives you a written prescription for eyeglass lenses, go to an optician to pick out frames and buy your glasses. Your eye doctor may have an optician working in their office. You can also find opticians in stores that sell glasses and contacts.

If you wear eyeglasses, get an eye exam regularly — as often as your eye doctor recommends. That way, your doctor can make sure you’re still seeing clearly.

Whether you're on the basketball court, in chemistry class, or sitting by the pool, wearing protective eyewear is the best way to keep your eyes healthy and injury-free. In fact, the majority of eye injuries can be prevented by wearing the right protective eyewear. Check out the list of activities below to see what you need to protect your eyes.

Eye injuries are a leading cause of blindness in children in the United States — and most of these injuries happen while kids are playing sports. The good news is that wearing the right protective eyewear can prevent 9 out of 10 sports-related eye injuries.

What is protective eyewear?

Protective eyewear is eyewear made of ultra-strong polycarbonate, a type of plastic that’s very impact resistant and also protects eyes from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Types of protective eyewear for sports include safety goggles, face guards, and special eyewear designed for specific sports.

Regular eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contacts don’t protect kids from eye injuries — but most protective eyewear can be made to match kids’ glasses or contacts prescriptions. Kids can also wear safety goggles over their regular glasses or contacts.

When do kids need to use protective eyewear?

Kids need to use protective eyewear whenever they are practicing or playing a sport that raises their risk of eye injury. Some sports have a higher risk for eye injuries than others.

Sports with a high risk of eye injury include:

• Baseball and softball
• Basketball
• Fencing
• Hockey
• Mountain biking
• Paintball
• Racquetball and squash

Sports with a moderate risk of eye injury include:

• Badminton
• Golf
• Soccer
• Tackle football
• Tennis

And sports with a low risk of eye injury include:

• Diving
• Gymnastics
• Road biking
• Skiing
• Swimming
• Track and field

Youth sports leagues don’t always require players to use protective eyewear. That’s why it’s important for parents, teachers, and coaches to know the risks and make sure that all young athletes use protective eyewear when they’re at risk for eye injuries.

What kind of protective eyewear do kids need?

There are different types of protective eyewear that are best for different sports.

Kids need safety goggles with polycarbonate lenses when playing sports like:

• Baseball and softball (when fielding)
• Basketball
• Mountain biking
• Racquetball and squash

Kids need helmets with attached polycarbonate face guards or face masks when playing sports like:

• Baseball and softball (when batting)
• Hockey
• Tackle football

Kids need swim safety goggles with polycarbonate lenses when playing sports that happen in water, like:

• Surfing
• Water polo
• Water skiing or tubing

Kids may need other types of eye and face protection for sports like fencing, lacrosse, and paintball, and when playing certain positions, like goalie. If you’re not sure what type of protective eyewear your child needs, ask your child’s eye doctor or coach.