Eye Protection Critical in Sports
Your budding baseball star steps to the plate hoping to whack the ball—but sometimes the ball whacks back.
Each year, thousands of children suffer sports-related eye injuries, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Optometric Association (AOA). Sports is one of the leading causes of school-age children's eye injuries, but most of those injuries are preventable.
The AAO, the AOA, and the American Academy of Pediatrics say all kids in organized sports should be encouraged to wear the correct eye protection. The AAO and the AOA, in fact, urge mandatory eye protection in school or community-sponsored sports.
Sports-related injuries in all age groups happen most often in basketball, racquet sports, and baseball. Other high-risk sports are hockey, football, lacrosse, boxing, and soccer.
Eye protection can't prevent every injury, but the right gear works very well. Keep in mind that proper eye protection varies from sport to sport. According to the AAO and the AOA, the majority of sports-related eye injuries can be prevented.
A vision for safety
Here are ways to protect children’s eyes:
-
Have children's eyes checked before sports participation. If they can't see, they can't duck the puck or dodge the ball.
-
Pick the right eye guards. Each sport has its own kind, but what's most important is that the eye guards fit your child.
-
Buy prescription glasses made of polycarbonate plastic. This can withstand a projectile traveling at 90 mph.
-
For contact sports, choose eye guards or glasses with padding at the nose and brow.
-
Choose glasses with strong frames and secure them with a strap.
-
Ask your eye care provider about prescription sports eye guards.
Sports protection
Here are protection devices recommended by Prevent Blindness America for 5 popular sports that can cause eye injuries in children:
-
Baseball. Use a polycarbonate face guard. This attaches to a helmet. Or use sports eye guards.
-
Basketball. Use sports eye guards.
-
Soccer. Use sports eye guards.
-
Football. Use a polycarbonate shield attached to a face guard or sports eye guards.
-
Hockey. Use a wire or polycarbonate mask or sports eye guards.
Online Medical Reviewer: L Renee Watson MSN RNRahul Banerjee MDRita Sather RN
Date Last Reviewed: 1/1/2023
© 2000-2022 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
Related Conditions
- Contact Sports and Kids: How to Keep Your Children Safe
- Watching for Internal Sports Injury in a Child
- Sever Disease in Children
- Sports and Children with Special Needs
- Workouts to Help Prevent Sports Injuries
- Cheerleading Safety
- Eye Protection Keeps Kids in the Game
- For Parents: Bicycle, In-Line Skating, Skateboard, and Scooter Safety
- How to Prevent Common Running Injuries
- Keep Kids Safe During Yard Work
- Knees Are Casualties of Women's Sports
- Sports Safety
- Street Hockey: Good Surface, Gear Are Critical
- Conditioning Strategies for Peak Athletic Performance
- Easy Ways You Can Safeguard Your Sight
- Eye Protection Critical in Sports
- Preventing Sports Injuries
- Scoping Out Sunglasses
- Sports-Related Injuries
- The Best Ways to Treat, Prevent Tendonitis
- Treating a Minor Sports Injury
- Using Sports Psychology to Improve Your Fitness
- Work Out on the Water
- Bicycling, Inline Skating, Skateboarding, and Scooter Safety—Prevention
- Eye Safety and First Aid
- Eye Trauma
- First Aid for the Eyes
- Home Page - Eye Care and Children
- Preventing Eye Injuries in Children
- Sports Injuries and Children
- Preventing Sports Injury in Children
- Sports Safety for Children
- Sports Safety for Teens
- Sports Safety—Identifying High-Risk Situations
- Tennis Elbow in Children