Eye Protection
 

I noticed in the first game of the championship series that the Plate Umpire put on a pair of glasses in the later innings. Clear lens, but not obviously prescription. I have been using safety glasses for a few years now and find it is a great help on the dusty/windy days. I was curious if anyone else in here uses them also.

I'd rather spend $20 on a pair of shatter-resistant glasses than a whole lot more on doctor's bills. Better believe I wear 'em behind the plate. I took someone's recommendation and bought a pair of Coyote sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. Dark for sunny, orange for overcast, clear for night.

And then, there's BuggBob...

I usually ump in morning and I wear prescription sunglasses under my mask.

It was windy and dusty...Hoovie needed some eye protection. Good move...called a great game!! If I could be that good with those glasses...I would pay a fortune for them!!

its a great sub especially when your being evaluated by someone who hates sunglasses behind the plate. I use the oakleys with clear lenses when I am in that situation and they work well.

By the way the Arizona state catcher shares your idea

I wear the Coyote Durango sunglasses with the amber lenses all the time. They deaden the glare from the sun, highlight the yellow ball and keep the dirt/dust out of my eyes! Hard to beleive but I actually see better through them at night games then without them. They really don't darken things much, if at all, and the highlighting of the ball makes it more than even out. As NC pointed out I also have the clear and dark lenses....got an old pair I wear with dark lenses for driving and other things outside, but a new pair with amber lenses in a hard case in the equipment bag just for umpiring!! Carry a couple of lens cleaner packs (like handi-wipes) in my ball bag on either hot or really windy days for cleaning inbetween innings if needed and never had any issues!

Edited to add: One thing that is important to me (and most evaluators I have had) even though you can see my eyes through the amber lenses I take them off whenever a coach approaches me for a conversation, maybe not 100% for subs but if they want to "talk" I am looking them in the eyes not through my glasses, just seems like common courtesy to me....personal bit*ch but I hate it when someone has dark or mirrored glasses and they are discussing a play with a coach...just seems disrepectful to me not to look them in the eye when you talk to them....can't tell if you are rolling your eyes or what! Ok rant off*

I've been looking at interchangeable lenses. Do they really work? Which colors work the best?
Thanks

I use Oakley’s with interchangeable lenses.

Which glasses are the best are personal preference and how they fit your face. Which lenses are the best are probably a personal preference also....so I will give you mine. I have the Coyote Durango glasses, they have three lenses, clear, gray (dark) and amber (orange). The amber are the best IMO, they deaden the sun without darking everything, and they tend to have a brightening effect on the optic yellow ball. Again some like to put in gray for full sun, then clear for night games, i prefer to wear the amber all day. And until you slide them on you would not beleive how well you see under the lights with them on, and still have dust protection. Again personal preference but the above mentioned glasses fit my face very well wrap around and keep dust out of my eyes, are tight enough that I have never moved them removing or setting my mask and let very little light "around" them.

I had a pair of Bolle glasses with blue colored lenses prior to getting the Coyote's and they had the same type of effect of highlighting the ball without darking everything. BUT one thing that I did NOT like about these is the rubber "bumpers" on the ends of the ear pieces began to degrade in a single season.....might just be my sweat breaking them down but they were terrible and wore that area out in less than two seasons....and left little black rubber pieces on my head....looked BAD....these Coytotes don't have any rubber on them, it is all molded plastic and they last a LOT better for me personally. One other note, as I ranted in my last post if you take your glasses off and put them on top of you hat when talking to a coach, just remember to put them back on prior to putting your mask back on....that's what broke my last pair....well I had done that and dropped them and other things over a few seasons, but the quick jerk of placing the mask on with them on the bill of the hat was the last straw! :eek: bummer! got a new pair and like I said hard case off field glasses in case, no mowing, or weedeating or other stuff I did in the last pair! These are umping glasses!!

They really do work. Ask anyone who does any target shooting. Amber/orange works great in lower light (such as overcast days). It creates a better visual contrast, and really brightens up the field. The orange lenses turn any overcast day into "bright and sunny." Amber brightens things up a little bit, but not as much as orange. Your best bet is to go to a hunting store or Dick's Sporting Goods and trying out some of their shooting glasses.

I am not a fan of sunglasses, but have no gripe with any partner that uses them, especially if they are in the field facing the setting sun. I began wearing my prescription bifocals (no line type) behind the plate and will never go w/o them. The big help is reading some of the line-up cards we get.
Memo to those who wear sunglasses: please remove them when holding a conversation !

Only problem with Coyote is that Amazon doesn't seem to sell them that much anymore. It looks like their prices have gone up at other vendors, because the same pair I bought for $20 is now selling for $55.

And make sure they're not reflective. Tom Cruise never umpired.

Ya NC I know my pair this year was like $50-55 from Peepers.com cheapest I could find....I also used to by them for $20-30 from bikenash (apparently they were used by bikers alot?) but they didn't seem to carry my style anymore.....hence the added case for off field protection this year!

Please remember, sun light is the number 1 cause of cateracts. Had both lenses replaced a couple of years ago. Sun glasses are cheaper!