Interest surrounding Olympic shooting took off when photos of South Korean sharpshooter Kim Yeji circulated on the internet. Her stone-cold and unbothered demeanor was accented by her shooting glasses, seemingly taken right out of a sci-fi movie.
But the glasses aren't just for style points.
"We typically want to have a blinder on one side, and the other side can either be a prescription lens for your glasses ... [or] a colored lens, depending on what the environment is like when we're shooting," Team USA air pistol athlete Lexi Lagan said.
Specifically, the blinder is crucial for pistol shooters who are aiming long distances with no magnification.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. >Sign up here.
"Closing our one eye for a couple hours at a time becomes really painful and tedious," Lagan said. "Having that little blinder allows us to keep both eyes open but still focus on what we're doing."
This way, shooters can pick and choose what factor to focus on, whether it is the target, their front sight or their rear sight.
Lagan said she got so used to the glasses that she once walked to a college class with her glasses still on.
