Sport Related Eye Injury in Children

There are more than 40,000 sports-related eye injuries every year, many that result in permanent vision loss. Ninety percent of these injuries could have been prevented if the athlete had been wearing eye protection while playing.

Sports are the number one cause of eye injuries in children under the age of sixteen years old. The most common sports for eye injuries are baseball, basketball, hockey, and racquet sports (like tennis and badminton). But it's important to know that soccer, golf, water sports and many others, can also be dangerous to the eyes. Whatever the sport or however old you are, it's important to protect your eyes! This is why famous athletes such as, NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul Jabbar and MLB Hall of Famer Johnny Bench protect their eyes when they are on the field or court.

In recognition of Sports Eye Safety Month in April, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Eye doctors across the country appeal to all athletes, children and adults, to wear appropriate protective eyewear.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, "Athletes need to choose protective eyewear because eye injuries can be devastating - not just career ending, but life changing. Eye injuries are one of the leading causes of visual impairment in children." Eye injuries in children can range from abrasions of the cornea, bruises to the lid of the eye, as well as internal eye damage such as retinal detachments and internal bleeding. Unfortunately, some of these athletes with eye injuries end up having permanent vision loss and blindness.