PeakVision Cyber Sunglasses
The most common place to see golf sunglasses during a swing or putt is atop a player's hat, which is to say, not in use. Golfers may suffer considerably more UV-related eye problems than nongolfers, but we won't countenance anything that might interfere with our game. So hacker and shades generally enjoy at best an on-again, off-again relationship worthy of a Hollywood celebrity couple.
My eyes opened to new possibilities recently while hitting my head (it was already aching from prolonged squinting) against the locker room wall after a particularly dismal round. I'd listened for years to claims by sunglass makers that their wares benefit not only eye health but on-course performance and decided it was time to take the plunge. I figured I might as well go to the top of the line—PeakVision's featherlight Cyber model ($209)—for a look-see anyway. I was drawn to PeakVision in part because the company also counts skiers, professional baseball umpires and pilots among its loyalists. I can't attest for what the glasses do on the slopes, diamond or in midair, but 18 holes later, I was a believer.
Like all PeakVision golf offerings, the Cyber's lenses feature Dual-Zone technology. Most golf sunglasses have a single color filter. On the Cyber, the upper portion is tinted gray for glare reduction and precise depth perception. The lower portion sports a bright amber tint that emphasizes the terrain's contours and is especially helpful in reading potential breaks on the greens. The filters smoothly transition from one to the other. As the irises don't have to work as hard opening and closing, the lenses reduce eye fatigue over the course of a round. They also offer 100 percent UV protection, but unlike most rival products are not polarized—the company contends that this process of filtering reflected light creates distortion, affecting distance perception and peripheral vision.
Lens material is another point of departure. Instead of the standard injection-molded polycarbonate, PeakVision uses an optical polymer dubbed NXT that's also found in top-shelf cameras and Apache helicopter windscreens. The result is improved visual clarity and uniformity, scratch resistance and durability. Looking good, of course, is as important as seeing well, and the rimless Cyber's understated styling makes it suitable for wear off the fairways as well.
Visit www.peakvisionsports.com or call 888-856-3419.
