Standardization News

ASTM International’s sports equipment, playing surfaces, and facilities committee (F08) has revised its standard on eye protectors for racket sports. The revised standard (F3164) now includes tests for eye protectors specifically used for pickleball.
 
ASTM member Michael Vitale notes that F3164 is a specification that provides performance requirements for both plano and prescription eye protection devices. The standard covers eye protectors – designed for use by players of racket sports including racquetball, squash, tennis, and now, pickleball – that minimize or significantly reduce injury to the eye and adnexa due to impact and penetration by racket sport rackets, paddles, and balls.
 
According to Vitale, who is vice president of membership, government relations, and technical affairs at The Vision Council, the standard dictates frame and lens minimum robustness requirements (impact resistance), optics requirements, and downstream prescription filling requirements for optical laboratories and opticians/dispensers before delivering racket sports eyewear to the customer.
 
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