What Is the Purpose of a Football Helmet Visor?

Modern American football helmets are made of hard plastic lined with thick cushioning to protect the heads of football players. Helmets also have a standard chinstrap and face mask. Visors can be added to a football helmet to provide additional protection against hazards such as the glare of sunlight or stadium lights or being poked in the eye by an opposing player.

  1. History

    • The first football helmet is believed to have been worn in 1893, according to Helmetfootball.com, but it was not until the 1940s that the National Football League (NFL) made helmets mandatory. The addition of helmet visors has been much more recent. The first player to wear an eye shield was believed to have done so as a protective mechanism after sustaining an eye injury. Eye shields have since become a much more common practice because of the many benefits they provide.

    Purpose

    • Football helmet visors protect players' eyes from multiple hazards. These include the glare of sunlight or stadium lights; helmet-to-helmet collisions; and dirt, grass or debris that can blow into players' eyes during a football game. Visors can also help prevent eye gouging or other injuries that can occur, either intentionally or unintentionally, by contact through an open face mask. Additionally, tinted eye shields can prevent opposing players from being able to read a player's eyes, which can provide information about where on the field a player is planning to go.

    Features

    • Football helmet visors can be clear or come in a variety of colors such as black, gray, blue and orange. Eye shields can also be made in varying finishes such as mirror-coated, which increases the contrast to improve vision by enhancing colors and depth. Along with different materials, visors can also vary in their shape and contour.

    Rules and regulations

    • Clear visors are acceptable everywhere, but certain football leagues have banned the use of visors with any sort of tint that prevent a player's eyes from being visible. The reasoning behind this is both the safety of the player (in case he sustains an injury and the officials and coaches need to be able to see his eyes) and the belief that it is an unfair advantage if opposing players are unable to see eyes. The NFL has banned tinted visors unless a player has a prescription. The National Collegiate Athletic Association leaves the choice up to each college or university. It is up to the trainers and coaches to determine whether safety is compromised with the inclusion of tinted helmet visors.

    Brands

    • Visors for football helmets are purchased separately from the actual helmet. A few of the popular makers of helmet visors are Oakley, Nike, Under Armour and Leader.