A regional Victorian optical practice has supplied AFL player Mason Cox with prescription sunglasses, which the Magpies forward-ruck will seek approval to wear during matches in the 2022 season.
EyeSports, owned by Mr John Carbury in Colac, reportedly dispensed the sports prescription eyewear to Cox who has faced multiple serious eye injuries during the past three seasons that threatened to derail his career.
The EyeSports business started by supplying prescription inserts for motocross, ski and motorcycle goggles in the late 1990s, but has since expanded into sports-specific eyewear for ball sports, cycling, running, watersports and tactical eyewear.
AFL.com.au reported that Cox had been trialling his new specs over the pre-season, but will likely require approval to wear them in official matches. The 30-year-old is planning to wear them during day games and could wear them at night under the floodlights.
“Cox first required eye surgery in 2019 after an accidental poke from then Gold Coast ruckman Peter Wright resulted in a torn retina,” AFL.com.au reported
“It was during that operation that surgeons discovered his other retina was also detached, following an incident in a contest against West Coast defender Tom Barrass in the 2018 Toyota AFL Grand Final loss against West Coast.
“The two surgeries left Cox practically legally blind for a short period in 2019, where he had to spend two weeks in a dark room positioned on his back for 45 minutes of every hour, unable to move or watch TV or use his phone.”
All up, the outlet reported Cox has had three surgeries on his left eye, and two on his right, plus cataract surgery.
Cox has reportedly been left long-sighted in his left eye and has found the sunglasses more effective in the past couple of months, after using contacts in 2020 and 2021.
On its website, EyeSports states the majority of its sports-specific eyewear won’t be found in traditional optical outlets.
It has its own prescription state-of-the-art eyewear lab in Colac, and the majority of its prescription eyewear – except certified safety and authentic Oakley and Rayban products – is made on-site.
The company says this enables it to source the latest and best technology from around the world. Additionally, it can control quality, guaranteeing best-quality eyewear for its customers.
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