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As many as one in six glasses and contact lens wearers are avoiding sport due to poor eyesight.
That is among the findings of a report by Ultralase, which discovered that a large number of people would rather forgo playing any type of sport than play with an eye problem.
The company is joining with Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards to discover how amateur sports people are compromising performance because of their vision.
Among the problems it caused for some players was misjudged distance, coordination issues and general blundering.
One highlighted problem for sports players with poor vision was mistaking some members of an opposite team for their own side.
Commenting on the situation, Edwards said: "While certain sports are more practical than others when it comes to wearing contacts or glasses, there's no doubting that perfect eyesight can give you a huge advantage - no matter what's sport you're taking part in or what level of ability."
He added that it was "sad" to see so many people that are avoiding sport because of vision problems.
"There are many options out there so people don't have to be discouraged from taking part just because of poor eyesight," he concluded.
Although eye laser surgery was chosen by Edwards, it does carry potential risks that some many wish to avoid including blurriness of vision and dry eyes.
A great alternative option for sports players is
orthokeratology.
Ortho k lenses are designed to be worn at night and removed in the morning, meaning that there is no need to have any additional visual paraphernalia in the day.
They are a great option for sports players as it means that they can play a match or game without any contacts in, and consequently the possibility of them falling out.
By Oliver Edgar
