Playing sports and wearing glasses are two things that don’t always mix well. If your glasses are constantly slipping down or falling off your face when you’re on the field or court, it can be frustrating and even dangerous. But aside from playing blind or wearing contact lenses, there are some things you can do to keep your glasses from falling off during sports.
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Ways To Keep Your Glasses On While Playing Sports
Wear an Eyewear Retainer Band
One of the most common ways to keep your glasses from slipping and sliding during sports is to use an eyewear retainer band or lanyard. These are stretchy bands usually made of neoprene, spandex/nylon, or silicone, that go around the back of your head and keep your glasses snugly in place.
They’re affordable, comfortable, and come in a variety of colors and styles to suit your taste. If you’re a DIY-er, you can even make your own retainer band with some paracord:
Use Silicone Ear Hooks
If you don’t want a band going across the back of your head, silicone ear hooks are a great alternative. These hooks fit over the top of your ear and help keep your glasses snug against your head, even when you’re sweating and moving around a lot.
Ear hooks are affordable, lightweight, and a game-changer (pun-intended) for those of us who need to wear glasses. They don’t add any pressure against the sides of your head and are nearly invisible tucked behind your ears.
You can even do some high-intensity activities including HIIT workouts or jumping rope, and they’ll keep your glasses on the whole time.
Use Hair Ties/Elastic Bands
If you have a couple of elastic hair bands on hand, this is a super simple way to keep your glasses from falling off. All you have to do is wrap the hair tie over the arm tips and voila! The band will provide additional grip against the sides of your head and hold your glasses in place, even if you’re sweating.
Rubber bands will work for this trick too, though they can pull on your hair, especially if you have long hair.
Apply Anti-Slip Wax
Sweat and moisture reduce friction between your skin and your glasses, so it’s no surprise that your glasses are more likely to slip when you’re sweating. To counteract this, an anti-slip wax like Nerdwax can help keep your glasses in place so you’re not constantly pushing them up your face.
Applying a tiny bit of anti-slip wax or putty to the bridge and/or nose pads can create additional friction and prevent slippage.
It’s a nice non-visible option that’s best for lower impact activities like golf or hiking, where you’re not running and jumping around like crazy.
Apply Silicone Nose Pads
Plastic frames are the most likely to slip and fall off when you’re active and sweaty. If that’s happening to you, stick-on silicone nose pads can help with grip. You can buy them online and they’re easy to install yourself.
Silicone nose pads are more comfortable than plastic and will provide extra grip so your glasses don’t slide down your nose. They’re also great for people with oily skin, since the silicone creates extra friction on your nose bridge.
Use a Heat Gun or Hair Dryer
If your glasses are made of plastic, use a heat gun or hair dryer to gently heat your glasses arms so they soften, allowing you to mold them to fit your head better.
All you have to do is hold the heat gun or hair dryer about 6 inches away from your glasses and wave it back and forth until the arms are warm (but not hot) to the touch. Once the material is pliable, you can bend the temple tips so that they curve around your ear more.
Or, you can also slide some shrink tubes or friction sleeves onto the tips and heat them until they shrink and tighten onto the glasses arms.
Tighten Your Glasses Screws
If you’ve been wearing the same pair of glasses for a while, the frame may have loosened or widened slightly. This can cause your glasses to slide down your nose or fall off entirely. If the temple arms swing open or closed without you adjusting them, it’s a good idea to tighten the screws.
Luckily, this is an easy fix that you can do at home. Just use a small screwdriver to tighten the screws on the hinges and temples. You can even do this without a screwdriver if you don’t have one.
Get Your Frames Adjusted
Sometimes the issue with glasses that don’t stay put during sports isn’t the glasses themselves, but the fit. If your glasses are loose or sit too low on your nose, they’re more likely to fall off when you start sweating.
The best way to fix this is to get your frames adjusted by a professional. They can tighten the screws, bend and shape the temple arms, and make sure your glasses fit snugly against your face.
This is a more permanent solution, but it’s worth it if you’re constantly pushing your glasses up during workouts or other activities.
Get A Pair of Sports Glasses
The best option for wearing prescription glasses while playing sports is to get a pair of sports glasses or goggles. These are designed to stay in place, even when you’re sweating like a hog and moving around. They often have rubber nose pads and temple tips that grip your skin and prevent slipping.
Sports glasses are also usually made with shatter-resistant polycarbonate lenses, so you don’t have to worry about them shattering and hurting your eyes if the ball or someone hits you in the face.
Final Thoughts
Just because you wear glasses all day doesn’t mean you can’t participate in sports or other physical activities. There are plenty of options for keeping your glasses from falling off, whether it’s a pair of sports glasses or something as simple as silicone nose pads.
The most important thing is to find what works for you and your activity. You can even combine any of these methods to make sure your glasses stay put no matter what.
Do you have any tips for keeping your glasses from falling off during sports? Let us know in the comments!