Preventing SportsRelated Eye Injuries

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Preventing Sports-Related Eye Injuries
Mississippi Optometric Association -
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Save a Sports SightThe goal of SASSi is to
increase awareness and use of appropriate
personal protective eyewear during sporting
practices and events.  
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Statistics show that sports-related eye injuries
are a significant public health problem in the
U.S. especially among children. But only
15 of childrenwear protective eyewear when
playing sports.
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Approximately 600,000 documented sports-related
eye injuries are reported each year in the U.S.
More than 90 of all injuries could be
prevented with appropriate protective eyewear!
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Approximately 43 of eye injuries happen to
children age 15 or younger.
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Street wear increases the severity of
impact-related eye injury. The frame or lens can
break into sharp pieces capable of penetrating
the eye.
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Lenses in sports eyewear are usually made of an
impact-resistant material called polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate also has built-in ultraviolet
protection and scratch resistance.
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Any sport in which balls, racquets or flying
objects are present pose a potential for eye
injury. Sports such as racquetball, tennis and
badminton may seem relatively harmless, but they
involve objects moving at 60 miles per hour or
faster.
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Many eye injuries come from pokes and jabs by
fingers and elbows, particularly in games where
players are in close contact.
Basketball has an extremely high rate of eye
injury. So does swimming, where no flying objects
are involved.
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New Jersey recently enacted ground-breaking
legislation requiring children who wear
eyeglasses to wear protective eyewear while
participating in certain sports.
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The American Public Health Association adopted a
resolution urging states to consider legislation
comparable to New Jerseys.
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Protect your eyes.
Wear protective eyewear when playing sports
and save a sports sight!
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