Why Daniel Vettori wore glasses and not contact lenses

Daniel Vettori was arguably one of the most loved cricketers of his generation. He possessed a unique style of his own, with his bespectacled look, which stayed with him throughout his career. He was one of the handful of successful cricketers who wore glasses.

For some of us, it would be hard to fathom why he did not switch to contact lenses. Especially in this age of laser surgery and contact lenses, the idea of playing on with glasses would seem strange to us.

It is quite simple to understand why people prefer contact lenses. For a start, people wear contact lenses to do away with their glasses. Contact lens manufacturers claim that lenses give you an all-round vision, quite unlike glasses which provide you with a limited scope of vision.

That might seem to be more helpful for sport stars who need a good vision. So, why did Vettori not change to contact lenses in the latter half of his career?

Let us try to find out the possible reasons.

Childhood habits die hard

Daniel Vettori used to wear glasses since he was three years old. And it stayed with him throughout his growing years of playing cricket, both at domestic and international levels.

It would be safe to assume that Vettori got very comfortable playing with glasses on, and not having them would have seemed a new thing for him. Vettori himself commented about this: "I've worn glasses since I was about 3 years old. I'm accustomed to them and they don't bother me."

Quite a few international sports stars wear prescription glasses while competing but without them, Vettori says, his performances would be "poor".

"My mum found me about one inch in front of the television and thought there was something going on. It can make such a difference. I think of myself and how much it changed my life being able to see properly, so if kids are struggling it can make a big change,” said Vettori.

"If you can see the ball better you'll play better and feel better."

Possible allergy to lenses

Sometimes the reason many people can’t wear contact lenses is that they have an allergic reaction to the disinfecting solution or the contact lenses themselves.

Every time they would go to clean the contact lenses, the body would react negatively and cause irritation, which makes it very uncomfortable to wear the lenses.

As per the IMDB website, “He can't wear contact lenses because of an accident when he was knocked off his bike”. That may have caused him to develop an allergy to contact lenses.

Sponsorship angle (Money matters)

Some people have even claimed that Vettori stuck with glasses throughout because of his sponsorship deals. "There's a lot of money in glasses - especially in India," says Wells.

However, Vettori himself has denied these allegations. Vettori has rubbished Wells' suggestion that he only wears spectacles because of a sponsorship deal.

However, considering the amount of money cricketers earn through sponsorships, it is possible that this might have played a role in him not changing to contact lenses throughout his career.