Tinted Football Visors

Question
I recently stumbled across your clearly defined explanation for players to only wear clear visors on their helmets.  I also understand that it is the same in the NFL.  Players are not allowed to wear mirrored or tinted visors.  Recently about a year or two ago I remember hearing of Miami Dolphin's running back getting fined because he was wearing a "sunburst" design visor.  The only exception to these rules that I was able to find, was mentioned in a recent article stating that tinted visors can only be worn with special permission from officials.  Now this article referring to the NFL rules.  

Throughout my high school football career, I was allowed by the officials to wear a tinted visor and a colored visor(Oakley 45% and Oakley Persimmon) because I have a medical condition in which frequent exposure to bright sunlight or stadium lights (which was less common) would give me migraine headaches.  I seemed to have very few issues throughout my high school career with the exception a few games at night when it was a decent brightness for me to play.  

Now moving on from Indiana high school football were the games are played on Friday nights and the visors were not always necessary. I am attending a Division III college, wear it seems as if the referees are less strict when it comes to rules like the whole "grey glove" issue.  Which I have no problem with.  Now the major issue is that three weeks of summer camp from 7am to 5pm and having games posted at noon and 1 in the afternoon, the brightness and migraine issue had continue to bothered me again.  My coaches had no issues with me wearing the visors at practices, but when it came to gameday I was not allowed to wear them.  I was approached frequently during pre-game and asked to remove the visors while I tried to plead my case.  I was allowed to wear the visors on the sideline, but could not enter the game to play with them on, resulting in me having to wear sunglasses under my helmet, until the few plays that I got in each game.  If a player has a medical condition in which a tined or colored visor is used to help prevent and aid in, can it be worn throughout the season with no major conflicts?  Please if you could answer this and let me know who I must talk to and any other steps that need to be taken.

Answer
Rich,
Thanks for the question. The article you read does not apply to College or High school rules. I am not an expert on the NFL rules but I am on the NCAA and National Federation rules and in both of those rule books no permission to wear tinted visors can be given by officials or physicians to circumvent the rule.  The respective Rules committee has followed the recommendation of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Sports Medicine community who have asked that tinted or non-clear eyeshield not be permitted.

The sports medicine experts addressed this issue with the rules committee / subcommittee of a player who has a medical condition in which a tined or colored visor is recommended to help prevent and/or aid in his care.  The Sports medicine community opined that the visors posed a greater risk to a player with a head or neck injury that players who wore contact lens or eye glasses that were tinted or shaded.  It was believed that the players who needed a tinted lens for whatever reason would get the same and safer result by wearing a tinted contact lens or tinted glasses.

Victor Winnek
NCAA Football Official