Being able to see clearly is essential for traceurs and freerunners to avoid missteps, accidents, and potential injury. At the same time, sports eye injuries are also common, with nearly 30,000 sports-related eye injuries treated in American emergency rooms annually, according to recent estimates from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). While there aren’t specific numbers for eye-related parkour injuries, a seemingly minor injury like a bump to the head or a fall can result in more severe conditions and even impact your eyes and vision.
According to the AAO, 90% of serious eye injuries could be prevented by wearing appropriate protective eyewear. For traceurs, this includes wearing sunglasses to protect from bright sunlight and ensure visual clarity. Prescription eyeglasses are also an important accessory if you need vision correction, as poor or compromised vision can lead to injuries and accidents while doing Parkour.
At the same time, there is also the risk of breaking, dropping, or even losing your glasses when you parkour with them on. Aside from being a high-mobility sport, parkouring can generate a lot of sweat, making your glasses or other eyewear more prone to slipping off your face mid-jump. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate this and ensure you don’t compromise your vision as a traceur. Below, we’ll be sharing some tips for doing Parkour with glasses on.
Adjust your glasses’ nose pads
Nowadays, glasses come in different forms and designs. While some people wear glasses and other eyewear as a form of fashion expression, some eyeglasses are better designed for movement and mobility than others. Eyewear brand Ray-Ban makes eyeglasses with adjustable nose pads for better grip, ensuring your glasses won’t slip off mid-run and are perfectly fit for your nose. Models like the Clubmaster Optics and Aviator Optics have nose pads that can be widened or narrowed to fit unique nose shapes.
Many other eyewear brands and retailers do this to ensure that wearing glasses for long periods is comfortable. Other eyeglasses models from Ray-Ban are more tailored for faces with higher nose bridges, like the Ease Optics, which features a fixed nose pad. Ray-Ban also offers lanyards that you can attach to your glasses to prevent them from falling or getting lost when doing Parkour.
Get chains for your glasses
As mentioned above, another great tip for doing Parkour with glasses on is to ensure they don’t drop, even if they may slip off your face. Aside from lanyards from Ray-Ban, glasses chains have recently returned as a style trend. While the accessory has long been associated with the elderly, many of those from younger generations have reclaimed them as chic and statement accessories. Aside from the usual fabric or cheap-looking plastic materials, newer glasses chains nowadays use gold, silver, or beaded chains.
Brands like ASOS, for example, make waterproof and stainless steel rope chains for sunglasses. The material makes them a good option for traceurs who want to wear sunglasses or other eyewear while packing, as the metal won’t be easily damaged by sweat, water, and other outdoor elements mid-run.
Consider contact lenses
Finally, while doing Parkour with glasses on is certainly doable, some traceurs have opted to wear contact lenses instead. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global contact lenses market was expected to reach $10.35 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $15.4 billion by 2030. People use contacts as an alternative to prescription glasses for vision correction. As such, if you’re worried about your glasses slipping or breaking while freerunning, you may want to consider contacts instead.
Of course, it’s important to note that wearing contacts requires a lot of care and maintenance. Some people may recommend wearing contacts with other protective eyewear, like goggles, to ensure no dust or debris gets in your eyes or touches your contacts. This is because contaminated contact lenses may cause irritation or even infection if not removed and cleaned out immediately.
Ultimately, whether or not you should parkour with glasses on depends on your experience level and pathing. However, if you do need glasses for vision correction, it’s helpful to know there are ways to prevent them from falling, slipping, or breaking. Alternatively, you can also opt for contacts or a combo of contacts and glasses to boost eye protection.
If you found this post helpful, you should also check out our post on packing for a parkour trip, in which we shared a video showing how to fold your parkour clothing efficiently to ensure you don’t leave anything behind and don’t have to bring a bulky bag.
