Howells touts his Pilla glasses for their technology, and stresses the focus on performance, not just protection, saying that they help him see better. Originally created for highly skilled shooting sports professionals, Pilla eyewear comes at a premium price point, with different lenses to swap into the frame based on preference and situation.
It’ s not only the pro players who need to worry about getting hit. Spinwave Pickleball reports that almost half of pickleball players are“ hit in the eye or face during play,” and often the ball can come at you as it ricochets off your partner’ s paddle( which makes the Vantage Labs peripheral protection more relevant).
New York City rec player Taylor Fields equates wearing glasses on court with wearing a seat belt in a car:“ You may not need it for 1,000 trips, but it only takes one time to do some serious damage. If I got an eye injury and was out of the game or couldn’ t see my wife or baby, I’ d be devastated.”
Pickleball has a way of converting skeptics. What I didn’ t expect was how quickly glasses became automatic for me, and now I won’ t play without them. Whether you’ re a social player or grinding toward a 5.0 DUPR, your eyes are one thing you cannot upgrade or replace. •
Lydia Hirt is a New York City-based marketing executive, pickleball player and community organizer who believes that the sport’ s greatest power is in the people it brings together. Connect with Lydia on Instagram @ lydia. pickleball and via her newsletter at loveatfirstdink. substack. com.
HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE OPTIONS FOR PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR ON THE PICKLEBALL COURT.
JOOLA: A brand often known for innovation, it offers a performancebased eyewear line to go with the latest paddles. You can find the COLORBOOST technology in glasses for indoor and outdoor play.
RIA Eyewear: Ria was an early option for protective eyewear on court, offering HD + technology in an array of frames for indoor and outdoor play.
Wilson: An iconic racket sports brand offering pickleball glasses at a great price.
Kitchen Blockers: The original lensfree design, custom-engineered for pickleball.
Vantage Labs: Glasses designed specifically for pickleball and performance enhancement.
Pilla: Glasses created for elite athletes with a focus on performance.
Bolle Safety: An under- $ 20 entry point available on Amazon for safety glasses you can wear on court.
Tifosi: Offers pickleball eye protection in an array of frames and colors, including a prescription option, at a reasonable price point.
NO FLINCHING AT THE NET HERE. KITCHEN BLOCKERS HAS HER COVERED, LITERALLY. PHOTO CREDIT: THE ROBINS NEST PHOTOGRAPHY.
Dink Eyewear: Engineered for pickleball with colorboosting technology, promising both“ protection and confidence.”
44 TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 412.914.8294 OR GO TO PICKLEBALLMAGAZINE. COM