The reasons skiers and snowboarders wear goggles or glasses might seem a little obvious, especially if you’ve ever hit the slopes yourself. Sunlight reflected off the snow can make it hard to see, and UV rays can even damage your eyesight. Special colored lenses also create contrast, so your whole path won’t look like one flat expanse of whiteness.【小题1】

Olympic speed skaters, meanwhile, are racing inside on smooth ice. 【小题2】

According to NBC Olympics, glasses can increase visibility on indoor tracks, too. 【小题3】 And while the ice may look smooth from a distance, those sharp blades can kick up ice chips that could pose problems if they end up in your eyes. In the event of a crash, shatter-proof glasses also protect skaters’ eyes from errant blades and body parts.

【小题4】 Shot-track speed skaters (who race around a roughly 11-meter track) can go as fast as 30 miles per hour or more, and long-track speed skaters (whose track is 400 meters long) sometimes hit about 35 miles per hour. The wind resistance generated by such speed- in a chilly arena—is enough to make any skater’s eyes start streaming with tears. Picture leaning your head out the window of a car that’s going around 35 miles per hour on a cold day: You’d probably want to be wearing glasses, too.

That said, glasses aren’t a requirement. 【小题5】 Belgium’s Stijn Desmet, for example, has raced in Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games without eyewear, as has China’s Zhang Chutong.