Sports injuries
The long-term health benefits of sports are clear: they provide good exercise for maintaining proper weight, improve strength and coordination, and help build lifelong healthy habits and social skills. But for more than 40,000 people each year, there are health risks in playing sports. These include sports eye injuries, the vast majority of which are preventable.
Injuries to the eye vary in type and severity with the sport. They range from corneal abrasions and eyelid bruises to internal eye injuries, such as retinal detachments and intra-ocular bleeding (potentially permanently blinding conditions).
Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children, and sports are the major cause of eye injuries in school age children, with up to 30% percent of injuries occurring to children under the age of 16. Baseball claims the largest number of eye injuries (21%) for children ages 5-14, while basketball is responsible for 32% of the eye injuries to people ages 15-24. Overall, the sports most commonly associated with eye injuries in young adults are baseball, basketball, soccer, football, hockey, tennis and other racquet sports, and martial arts.
Protective eyewear
Several cities across the United States have begun a crusade for mandatory eye protection for their children participating in school-sponsored athletics. Since that time, a dramatic decline in the number of severe and total number of eye injuries occurring at school-sponsored sporting events was observed. Despite the statistics and the recommendation by the American Academy of Ophthalmology there is not yet in place a federal mandate outlining protective eyewear in school-sponsored sports nationally.
Fortunately, specific protective eyewear is available for just about all activities, allowing today’s athletes to choose from various types of sturdy, lightweight and effective eyewear that is appropriate for their sport. When properly fitted, eyewear does not hinder performance, can prevent 90 percent of sports eye injuries, and is cosmetically acceptable.
When participating in sports, be sure to wear protective eyewear that:
- is appropriate for the sport
- has polycarbonate lenses or shields
- is properly fitted by an eye care professional
If you play sports, you can get hurt. Whatever your game, you need to protect your eyes. See your ECVA eye care professional today for appropriate protective eyewear.