How to Avoid Sports Eye Injuries
According to some studies, sports cause over 40,000 eye injuries every year.
Sports that are at the highest risk for causing eye injury are those that use a racquet (tennis or racquet ball), flying balls, bats or sticks (hockey, basketball, baseball), or that include tackling and body-to-body contact (wrestling, football, rugby, mixed martial arts). Sports eye injuries fall into several categories, but the most common eye injuries are categorized as “blunt trauma.” These are incurred because something actually hit the eye directly. These can be as serious as an orbital blowout fracture (think of a broken bone under the eyeball), a ruptured globe (or some call it a “broken” eyeball), or a bruised eyelid.
Some other sports eye injuries that can occur during sports include scratched corneas or detached retinas. Both of these are more likely to heal without permanent damage, but still must be taken seriously. Scratches can occur from other getting dirt in the eyes (like when standing on a base during baseball). A detached retina could happen from player-to-player contact in a basketball game or hockey match.
Those who play sports outdoors are also at risk of sun-related eye damage. Many athletes fail to wear proper sun protection and don’t realize how much of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays they are soaking in while standing outside every day for hours playing or practicing.
The good news though: More than 90% of these sports eye injuries could be prevented with eyewear designed specifically for athletes.
What does this tell us? More people need to know about the benefits and comfort of wearing sports eyewear. Parents should consider sports eyewear as essential to their child’s participation in a sport. It’s almost as important as their cleats or uniform!
Why is sports eyewear so effective in preventing sports-related eye injuries? Sports and safety glasses and goggles are created with special polycarbonate lenses that won’t shatter when they break. Unlike your regular eyeglass or sunglasses, your glasses won’t shatter when you miss that catch or go head-to-head with another player. That means they also won’t injure your eyeball with plastic.
Additionally, these frames are made with a wrap around design that protects your eyes from the front and the sides. This means no dirt, debris, or other people’s fingers are getting anywhere close to your eyes.
Most sports safety glasses also include sun protection. In many cases you can choose your tint color to match the activity that you spend the most time doing.
If you play sports, or love someone who does, why not look into sports glasses today at your closest America’s Best? Don’t forget about the KidsGear protection plan, so that if you have an issue with your glasses their replacement may be covered by the plan!
