Protect Your Kids from Eye Injuries during Sports.

Over half of all victims of eye injuries are under the age of 25. Many of these injuries, over 100,000 annually, occur during sports or recreational activities. Perhaps the most startling statistic of all is that 90% of all eye injuries could have been prevented.

Increasing numbers of children are participating in sports at an early age. Parents and coaches should provide protective eyewear and enforce its use. Some sports in which children should be made to use protective eyewear are:

·Baseball
·Basketball
·Racquetball
·Tennis
·Soccer
·Hockey
·Lacrosse

Contact lenses are not a form of eyewear protection and contact lens wearers require additional protection when participating in sports. In baseball, hockey, and lacrosse, a helmet with a polycarbonate face mask or wire shield should always be worn. It is important that hockey face masks be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses and side shields should be worn when participating in basketball, racquetball, tennis, and soccer. Choose goggles that have been approved by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) or pass the CSA racquetsport standard.

While skiing, protective glasses or goggles that filter out U.V. and excessive sunlight exposure can be useful in shielding the eyes from sunburn.

Boxing poses an extremely high risk of serious and even blinding eye injury. No adequate protection is available although thumbless gloves may reduce the number of eye injuries.

Judith Lee