Is it Safe to Wear Soft Contact Lenses whilst Boxing?

Contact lenses have been the preferred mode to achieve visual acuity. Sportsmen or athletes find it way more comfortable to wear contact lenses in ball games, racket games, cycling & for even adventurous stunts & activities i.e. Bungee jumping, free-fall Tandem jump or Snorkeling. Boxing on the other hand, is a sport that involves strong hits & serious blows that have possible risk of lenses being knocked out. Are contact lenses really safe to spar in?

Also Read: [Contact Lenses VS Glasses for Sports]

Under right minds no boxer will consider glasses as an option. A boxer does not need to have 20/20 vision to compete. This means that fighters must have to make a selection between the two options for sparring with their partners when in the ring. Glasses can cause irrevocable damage if on a hit they get broken. The shattered pieces of the glasses can injure you, your partner or anyone standing close by. This is why glasses are prohibited to be used in the ring. Soft contact lenses on the other hand pose minimum risk.

According to England Fighting club, boxers can wear soft contact lenses. However, losing contact lenses during a bout means losing the bout. It is fortunately rare for a contact lens to fall off. Some blows at the head or punches at face can slightly dislodge your contact lenses but they are bound to relocate themselves within a fraction of a second.

Best Type of Soft Contact Lenses for Boxing

Dan Hardy Former English Mixed Martial Artist wearing Red Contacts

The best contact lenses for fighting is “Hydrogel Contact Lenses”. These lenses retain moisture, prevent your eyes from dryness & irritants. Hydrogel Silicone lenses boast smoother surfaces with less ridges that deter the accumulation of bacteria & protein.

All kinds of sports train us to overcome our limitations. Visual impairment must not deter us from life’s enthusiasm. Use soft contact lenses to combat the vision problems and even for sports as they are less likely to get dislodged than glasses. 

Derek Brunson, a professional MMA fighter wears contact lenses and has never had an issue. He had tweeted back in 2012 whilst discussing a row about Ohio Athletic Commission. Slightly short-sighted people can easily sport soft contact lenses in the ring as it does not require precise vision to spar. If only you are severely impaired you will be barred from a fight.