One of the major complaints about field hockey goggles is the design.

There are two kinds of goggles currently available – a metal wire-framed goggle with a foam case, or a goggle in a polycarbonate lens style (which look like sunglasses). Coaches and players say both restrict vision, especially peripherally, because the frames have to be thick enough to withstand the impact of a hard ball traveling about 60 mph. In addition, the polycarbonate glasses tend to fog up and can’t be worn in inclement weather because players have to repeatedly stop to wipe them off.

“Some goggles are designed better than others,’’ said Moe McNally, longtime coach at Gardiner Area High School, who requires players who wear polycarbonate goggles to have a wire-framed pair in case of inclement weather. “But it’s still an issue.’’

Coaches complain that the wire-framed goggles are not sport-specific – they are also worn for lacrosse. And therein lies a major problem.

The two sports require different actions by the players.

In lacrosse, the ball stays primarily in the air, so the players can look up at the ball without much distraction. In field hockey, the ball stays mostly on the ground.

Field hockey players are taught to keep their heads up when running or dribbling the ball, so they can survey the field. But because of blind spots caused by the goggles, players have to keep their heads down to control the ball, resulting in more head-to-head collisions.

Peter Leonardi, the president of Halo Sports – a company based in Gloversville, N.Y., that manufactures Bangerz sports eyewear – said wire-framed goggles made for field hockey include an extra wire not found in lacrosse goggles. It’s located almost directly in front of the eye, placed there to prevent a field hockey stick from poking through the cage.

“Wires are worse for field hockey,’’ he said. “I would say don’t wear them.’’

Leonardi said his company has been working with a German company, Zeiss Sports Optics, on a new polycarbonate lens that won’t fog and should be available in June. It will cost about $60, or around $25 more than the best-selling polycarbonate glasses now.

“Before the mandate, the market for field hockey goggles was very small,’’ said Leonardi. “Now we’re developing new products just for field hockey. The new goggles are going to give almost full peripheral vision, the way the frame and the padding is constructed, and excellent down vision.

“We started working on this about midway through last season,’’ he said. “We wanted to make sure the mandate would be continued (before investing in a new product).’’

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