Watch Your Eyes When Playing Sports: Ophthalmologists Recommend Eye Protection for All Athletes
was looking forward to spending some time with his friends playing
paintball one spring weekend. As a former college basketball player,
Sean enjoys sports, and paintball seemed like a fun opportunity to
employ some of his athletic skills. But what started out as an
enjoyable outing eventually turned into a medical emergency. Sean moved
his protective mask briefly, and in that brief interval, a paintball
hit him in his left eye.
hit, all I could see was a green blur," Sean recalls. "I went to the
emergency room, where I was told that I would probably be blind in my
left eye." Fortunately, after multiple surgeries, Sean has nearly
regained his 20/20 vision, but not without some lingering effects from
the injury. "I'm still very sensitive to light and I can't read up
close out of my left eye", said Sean, who still continues to play
sports but has not played paintball since.
spring and summer more people head outdoors to play sports and engage
in fitness activities. The American Academy of Ophthalmology reminds
the public that 40,000 people suffer from eye injuries related to
sports every year. The Academy advocates the need for athletes to wear
appropriate, sport-specific protective eyewear properly fitted by an
eye care professional. Lenses made from polycarbonate materials provide
the highest level of impact protection; they can withstand a ball or
other projectile traveling at 90 miles per hour.
absolutely necessary for athletes to use protective eyewear because eye
injuries can be devastating," said Dr. Ruth Williams, glaucoma
specialist at the Wheaton, Ill., Eye Clinic, clinical correspondent for
the Academy and Sean Peterson's doctor. "Unfortunately, many athletes
feel they don't need protective eyewear or that injuries are uncommon.
The truth is, many athletes are not as lucky as Sean."
to abrasions of the cornea and bruises of the lids, sports injuries can
include retinal detachments and internal bleeding. The most serious
risks involve permanent vision loss along with infection. In addition,
patients who have sustained eye injuries are at greater risk for
create risk for eye injuries; however, protection is available for most
sports, including basketball, baseball, hockey, football, lacrosse,
fencing, paintball, water polo, golf and many others. "Wearing properly
fitted protective eyewear will not harm your performance in a game, and
it may well save your sight," says Dr. Williams.
leagues don't require children to wear eye protection, so parents
should take special care to ensure their children wear eye protection.
"Parents can spare their children needless injury and pain by having
them wear protective eyewear," says Dr. Williams.
of an eye injury, it is important to seek medical help immediately.
Even a seemingly light blow can cause a serious eye injury. If a black
eye, pain or visual problem occurs after a blow, contact your Eye M.D.
or seek emergency medical help at once.
about eye diseases, your risk factors and the names of eye physicians
in your area by visiting www.GetEyeSmart.org.
Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye
physicians and surgeons, with more than 27,000 members worldwide.
more information on the American Academy of Ophthalmology , visit www.aao.org