According to the American Public Health Association, each year 600,000 sports-related eye injuries are documented in the United States. About 72 percent of these happen to people younger than 25 years, and of those, 43 percent of those happen to children younger 15 years and younger.
Most children are involved in some kind of sport, and while the health benefits of participating in sports cannot be denied, the risk of injuries exist, including eye injuries. At this pivotal point in their development, children need to be protected while enjoying the sport activities they are interested in.
As parents, caregivers and just people responsible for children in general, there are a few things that we can keep in mind to help prevent sport related eye injuries in children:
- Appropriate sport eye wear is the best defense against injuries. Almost all sports-related eye injuries are preventable by taking this simple, yet often overlooked, precaution.
- Be aware and informed about the different risks of eye injury associated with each sport. For example, being hit on the eye with a baseball, an opponent’s elbow, a racket or hockey stick, for instance.
- Consult your eye doctor for recommendations about safety eye wear that meets the risks inherent in the particular sport, before enrolling the child.
- Discourage children from participating in high-impact sports for which there is no adequate eye protection. For instance, boxing involves constant eye and head blows, yet no eye protection is suitable for it.
- Talk to the child’s coach or trainer to insure that a plan is in place should an eye injury occur. Insist proper procedure is created if none exists.
- Familiarize yourself with the warning signs of an eye injury, and know when to seek treatment form an eye care professional. The following are some of the symptoms associated with eye injuries. Should your child experience one of the following, call 911 or contact us for advise in determining the urgency of the injury:
- Blurred vision that doesn’t clear up.
- Partial or complete loss of vision, including peripheral (side) vision.
- Any sharp stabbing or throbbing pain, regardless of duration.
- Double vision.
- Something in the cornea, the clear tissue covering the iris, the color part of the eye.
- Cut or torn eyelid.
- Cut, scratched or punctured eye.
- One eye that does not move as completely as the other.
- One eye that protrudes more than the other.
- A layer of blood between the cornea and the iris, bloodshot eyes.
- Any inflammation of the eyelid.
- Any severe head blow, specially one occurring close to the eye.
We think about protecting the rest of the body: helmets, knee and elbow pads, etc, but how about the eyes? With such a high number of sport-related eye injuries being preventable just by wearing the proper protection, this is a health concern that must be addressed. At Fairway Park Optometry, we are proud to offer a wide selection of sports safety eyewear for adults and children alike. Stop by at your convenience to check them out!
Find out more about this very important topic by reading the American Public Health Association’s Promoting the Use of Protective Eyewear For Children In Sports Policy Statement.
Fairway Park Optometry Center in Hayward, California.
