Athletes and Eye Injuries: What to ‘Sport’ to Protect Eyes

Athletes and Eye Injuries: What to ‘Sport’ to Protect Eyes

MyEyeDr. shares how to gear up for the season

Vienna, VA. (September 26, 2016) – Sports account for a shocking 40,000 eye injuries every year according to The Vision Council – Are you and your children wearing the right protection? As part of Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month, MyEyeDr. is equipping athletes young and old with the information they need to keep eyes safe this season.

Sports are classified into three categories related to risk of eye injury – low risk, high risk and very high risk. What category your child’s sport falls into will determine the eye protection they will need –

· Low-risk sports are contact-free sports with no use of a ball, puck, bat stick, racquet, etc. Examples include swimming, gymnastics and cycling. These sports don’t require protective eyewear, but wearing proper sunglasses can improve depth perception and athletic performance.

· High-risk sports involve use of a ball, puck, bat, stick, racquet and/or body contact. Examples include but are not limited to baseball, football, hockey, basketball and tennis. Athletes playing high-risk sports should wear sports goggles made with 3-mm polycarbonate lenses. Always purchase sports frame from a reputable provider to ensure frames meet impact resistance standards.

In addition to sports frames, face masks attached to a helmet should be used when playing hockey, football, baseball and lacrosse.

· Very-high-risk sports are sports wherein physical contact is the goal. These include boxing, wrestling and contact martial arts. Athletes playing these sports must have a retinal exam before the season begins because defects in the retina can predispose athletes to a detachment. Surgical options are also available to correct retinal defects.

Finding the right eye protection for your athletic endeavor is just one page of the playbook. Schedule a comprehensive vision exam annually along with a pre-season physical. An optometrist can assist in finding the right protective eyewear for each sport and examine for conditions that might put athletes at higher risk for eye injury, such as nearsightedness or a family history of issues like retinal detachment, retinal tears or diabetic retinopathy.

“Eye protection and safety is critical for preventing blowout fractures, eye bleeding, corneal abrasion and other eye injuries,” said Dr. Michael Peters, optometrist at MyEyeDr and leading eye doctor for athletes. “At MyEyeDr., we’re equipped with the expertise and eyewear to protect eyes from sports injuries.”

About MyEyeDr.

MyEyeDr. is a network of more than 300 local optometry practices in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and District of Columbia. Each MyEyeDr. office offers comprehensive eye care services, a wide selection of designer and value prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses and standard and specialty prescription contact lenses. By welcoming all vision insurance plans and providers, MyEyeDr. makes vision health attainable for all individuals. The full-service eye care management company is headquartered in Vienna, VA. For more information about MyEyeDr., visit www.myeyedr.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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