April is Sports Eye Safety Month
April is Sports Eye Safety Month to help increase public awareness of wearing protective eyewear when participating in team sports. Protecting your eyes from injury will go a long way toward maintaining healthy vision throughout your life.
Eye Facts:
Approximately 50% of kids are involved in one or more organized athletic activities.
33,000 Estimated number of sports-related eye injuries treated in emergency rooms each year.
90% of eye injuries are avoidable if appropriate protective eyewear is worn during game play
72% of sports related eye injuries occur in people less than 25 years of age.
Many children’s sports leagues, schools, and teams don’t require children to wear eye protection during games. If you’re a parent, be sure to set a good example by wearing eye protection whenever you play a sport, and make sure your kids wear their eye protection when they play.
Take the following steps to avoid sports eye injuries:
•Wear proper safety goggles (lensed polycarbonate protectors) for racquet sports or basketball. In order to be assured that your eyes are protected, it is important that any eye guard or sports protective eyewear are labeled as ASTM F803 approved. This eyewear is performance tested to give you the highest levels of protection.
•Use batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields for youth baseball.
•Use helmets and face shields approved by the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association when playing hockey.
•Know that regular glasses don't provide enough protection
Sports Protection Needed:
Racket Sports (Badminton, Racquetball, Squash, Tennis) - Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Baseball - Batting: Face guard attached to helmet | Fielding: Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Basketball - Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Football - Face shield attached to helmet
Handball - Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Field Hockey - Goalie: Face mask | Others: Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Ice Hockey - Helmet with full face protection
Lacrosse (male) - Helmet with full face protection
Lacrosse (female) - Minimum: Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses | Maximum: Helmet with full face protection
Soccer - Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Swimming - Swim goggles recommended
Studies have shown that more than 90% of eye injuries can be prevented, simply by wearing the right protective eyewear. If you’ve suffered an eye injury, be sure to have an ophthalmologist examine the eye as soon as possible, even if the injury seems minor.
To learn more visit:
