COLLINGWOOD'S Mason Cox has been given the green light to wear prescription sunglasses in competitive games, and will debut his new eyewear against Hawthorn in Friday's pre-season practice match in Morwell.
Cox has been trialling the prescription glasses throughout the pre-season in a bid to improve his eyesight in matches after undergoing several eye surgeries over the past three years.
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Cox first required eye surgery in 2019 after an accidental poke from then Gold Coast ruckman Peter Wright resulted in a torn retina. It was during that operation that surgeons discovered his other retina was also detached, following an incident in a contest against West Coast defender Tom Barrass in the 2018 Toyota AFL Grand Final loss against West Coast.
The two surgeries left Cox practically legally blind for a short period in 2019, where he had to spend two weeks in a dark room positioned on his back for 45 minutes of every hour, unable to move or watch TV or use his phone.
Cox has been left long-sighted in his left eye and has found the sunglasses more effective in the past couple of months, after using contacts in 2020 and 2021.
The Magpies and Hawks will take squads of at least 45 players, including several VFL top-up player, into Friday's game in Gippsland, where they will play six periods in an extended pre-season hitout.
