Sports Eye Safety Tips

Every year, approximately 8.6 million sports injuries occur in the United States. Eye injuries make up a significant portion of those injuries.

The good news is that sports eye injuries are entirely preventable. Wearing protective eyewear can prevent 90% of potential injuries.

Read on for a comprehensive guide to eye injury prevention. Explore sports eye safety tips that are certain to put you and your family at ease.

What Type of Sports Eye Injuries Are There?

Before diving into eye safety tips, it is important to describe all the possible injuries that athletes are vulnerable to. The first type of eye injury is a corneal abrasion. This is a very common injury, especially in outdoor sports.

A corneal abrasion is a superficial scratch. It affects the protective and clear area of the eye called the cornea. Typically, this occurs when foreign object debris flies into the athlete’s eye.

Dirt, sand, or dust is usually the culprit. For example, a baseball player may get dirt in their eye from a groundball or an opposing player sliding into the bag.

Traumatic iritis is another possible eye injury. This is best described as an inflammation of the iris due to a traumatic incident. A basketball player may experience this injury after receiving an elbow to the eye.

Hyphema could also occur in this scenario. This is when red blood cells accumulate in the eye’s anterior chamber.

There are other serious eye injuries that occur during practices or games. Angle recessions, retinal tears, or retinal detachments are three of the worst injuries an athlete could suffer. Here, your eyesight is potentially compromised.

How to Prevent Sports-Related Eye Injuries?

The vast majority of eye injuries are preventable. There are eye safety tips that are certain to protect your eyes.

Wearing the right equipment is important. A regulation helmet provides eye protection in sports like football, baseball, and lacrosse.

In football and lacrosse, you can wear an eye shield for additional protection. Baseball helmets now come with masks or C-clamps that protect your face.

You should also wear prescription eye protection. Wearing sports eyewear prevents corneal abrasions and other potential eye injuries. Your lenses ensure that the vast majority of dirt and debris is stopped in its tracks.

What Should You Do If an Eye Injury Occurs?

Wearing the right protective equipment is going to stop most eye injuries. It is also imperative to replace older gear before it becomes less effective in prevention.

In 10% of cases where protective equipment does not work, medical attention is necessary. There are certain symptoms to look for that require immediate treatment.

If an athlete is experiencing severe eye swelling, eye pain, or headaches, they should go to their nearest Physicians Premier facility. Our emergency room is open 24/7 for you and your loved ones.

Major eye injuries have the potential to cause long-term vision issues. If you have suffered an eye injury or experienced the following symptoms, go to our emergency room in Cibolo, TX.

• Severe eye swelling
• Noticeable changes in eyesight
• Severe eye pain
• Have double vision
• Cut or torn eyelid
• Headache
• Severe ache around the injured brow or eye

Sources:

“Sports and Eye Safety: Tips for Parents and Teachers,” National Eye Institute, https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision/sports-and-eye-safety-tips-parents-and-teachers
“Sports- and Recreation-related Injury Episodes in the
United States, 2011–2014,” National Health Statistics Reports, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr099.pdf