The Importance of Eye Safety in Sports

Published in March 2008 edition of GameFace.

Who wants to wear eye protection when playing sports? Well, let's face it, who wants to wear a helmet when biking? Who wants to wear pads or braces to protect bones, joints, and skin? We think it's important to wear safety gear to try to prevent concussions, broken bones, bruises, and chipped teeth, but what about our eyes?

Sports are actually the leading cause of eye injuries in children. One in eighteen college athletes will sustain an eye injury each season. Obviously there are many long-term health and social benefits to playing sports, but 40,000 people each year find themselves in the emergency room because of a sports-related eye injury. More than 100,000 individuals a year visit their doctor because of an eye-related sports injury. The bottom line is that sports related eye injuries do happen, they can be severe, and they can cause permanent vision loss.

The most common eye injuries in sports are from something hitting an eye with force. Contact sports and sports that use balls, rackets, or sticks have a higher risk of this kind of injury. These injuries can be relatively minor, like a black eye, or more serious. Serious injuries include breaking the bones around the eye, bleeding inside the eye, retinal detachments, or rupturing the eyeball. Some of these injuries may result in permanent vision loss.

Other types of sports eye injuries occur when something cuts or pierces the eye, like a piece of glass, debris, or fingernails. These types of injuries can also cause permanent vision loss. Additionally, water and snow sports involve intense sunlight and require protection from ultraviolet light.

The good news is that 90% of sports-related eye injuries are preventable by simply using the correct protective eyewear or gear. When protective eyewear is fit properly it should not hinder performance. The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommend protective eyewear for all sports participants where there is a risk of eye injury. Regular eyeglasses and sunglasses do not provide very good protection of the eyes during sports. In fact, according to the National Eye Institute, sports participants using regular glasses or sunglasses are at higher risk of an eye injury than those participants not using anything at all. This is because the glasses themselves may become part of what injures the eye.

No matter what your sport, look for eye protection that is appropriate for the sport and fits properly. Some sports have standards for protective eyewear established by the American Society of Testing and Materials. The lenses or shields in this safety eyewear should be made of polycarbonate material, the strongest and most shatter-resistant material. By wearing protective eyewear, you can significantly decrease your risk of eye injury and keep yourself in the game.