A Look at the MaxSight Performance Enhancing Contact Lenses

Athletes everywhere (and non-athletes too) know that Nike is one of the top athletic gear companies, from shoes to clothing to equipment for any athletic activity you can think of. Now athletes can wear that familiar swoosh on their eyes as well, as Bausch & Lomb and Nike have released a series of performance-enhancing contact lenses known as MaxSight. Performance-enhancing? Yes, but don’t worry – these lenses are nothing like other “performance-enhancing” products that make the news as of late.

What makes these soft lenses different from traditional contact lenses? While traditional lenses are tinted at the portion that covers the iris and enhance or change eye color, MaxSight lenses are tinted throughout the entire lens, in order to enhance contrast sensitivity. This helps active contact lens wearers who engage in outdoor sports and activities. Currently there are two tints available – a grey-green tinted, designed for bright, sunny conditions and an amber tint, designed for cloudy or variable light conditions. They are not available at this time for individuals with astigmatism.

The MaxSight lenses come after seven years of research and development, and have been made available a limited number of professional athletes in various sports for testing and promotion. And because many sports are played under artificial lighting at night, a night vision contact is in the works, as well as other tints for different sports.

The lenses reduce sun glare and filter 95% of ultraviolet light and more than 90% of blue light, but they are not a replacement for sunglasses, as they do not cover the entire eye. Available in prescription and nonprescription varieties, the Nike MaxSight lenses cost the same as normal contact lens prescriptions, and should be replaced monthly. However, one must keep in mind that the MaxSight lenses are not replacements for a wearer’s current contact lenses. They are designed for outdoor sporting activity only and distort color perception, so they should not be worn for normal daily activities.

Individuals and parents of children and teenagers involved in athletic activity and looking to get the Nike MaxSight lenses should look into scheduling an assessment with an eyecare professional.