April is Sports Eye Safety Month across America, and Wiley X® Eyewear is proud to support this important effort to raise awareness and educate the public about preventing sports-related eye injuries. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, tens of thousands of sports and recreation-related eye injuries occur each year — many resulting in permanent vision impairment. For this reason, the AAO is using Sports Eye Safety Month to stress the importance of wearing protective eyewear when engaging in a wide variety of sporting activities.

For more than 25 years, Wiley X Eyewear has specialized in protecting people’s vision under some of the most challenging conditions on Earth. Each pair of Wiley X sunglasses meets the stringent ANSI Z87.1-2003 rating for high velocity and high mass impact and optical performance standards. To earn this certification, Wiley X frames and lenses must withstand repeated strikes from a .25-caliber projectile fired at 150 fps, as well as the impact of a pointed, 1.1-lb. projectile dropped from a height of 50 inches.

Protection like this has made Wiley X a leading provider of protective eyewear for elite U.S. military forces in action around the globe. It also makes Wiley X an ideal choice for protecting professional athletes and weekend warriors against dangers to their eyes on the field, on the court or in the great outdoors. “Every sport presents different dangers to the participant’s vision — whether it’s a 90-mph fastball or airborne debris kicked up while mountain biking,” said Wiley X Eyewear Co-Owner Myles Freeman, Jr. “Proper eyewear needs to not only protect the eyes against these dangers, it must also enhance the athlete’s overall performance. To meet the needs of athletes, glasses must be comfortable, lightweight and provide the visual acuity needed to excel at every sporting activity. We’ve designed our advanced eyewear systems with this in mind,” added Freeman.

For example, Wiley X’s popular Climate Control™ series features a patented, removable soft foam Facial Cavity Seal with Top Down™ Ventilation that seals out wind, dust, debris and reflected light while preventing fogging during the most strenuous sports activities. With the company’s many eyewear models to choose from, athletes can find the perfect combination of performance and protection for all endurance sports.

For more information on the company’s full line of high performance eyewear for sports, work and outdoor activities — visit Wiley X Eyewear at 7800 Patterson Pass Road, Livermore, CA 94550 • Telephone: (800) 776-7842 • Or visit online at www.wileyx.com. For more information on prevention and education, visit the AAO website at www.geteyesmart.org.