Sports Eye Safety Awareness

Did you know more than 40,000 sport-related eye injuries are reported every year? Regardless of your age or what sport you play, there is always a chance you can damage your eyes. Possible injuries include anything from blunt trauma to a fractured eye socket to detached retinas. Unfortunately, if athletes aren’t protecting their eyes, any of these injuries could happen at any time, which is why optometrists across the country encourage all athletes to make wearing eye protection a daily habit.

 

Some sports have a higher risk then others when it comes to injuring the eye. Below are some examples of which sports pose a greater threat.

• High risk: water and pool activities, racquetball and baseball
• Moderate risk: tennis, soccer, badminton and golf
• Low risk: diving and skiing
• Safe: track and field and gymnastics

 

To protect your eyes from harm, check out the following suggestions.

• Wear protective eyewear made of ultra-strong polycarbonate, which is a high impact-resistant plastic
• Use batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields
• When riding a bike, make sure to wear a helmet, and wear safety glasses with polycarbonate lenses and UV protection, to protect your eyes from sunlight and debris
• Know that your regular glasses do not provide enough protection

 

The eye guards you choose should fit securely and should allow you to wear a helmet comfortably if necessary. Protective eyewear can prevent 90 percent of sport-related injuries, so be sure to make eye care a priority, so you can continue to play the sport that you love.