Americans love sports and they love to look fashionable. And we
oftentimes insist that sports and fashion go together, sometimes to
our own detriment. For while protective eye gear may never be the
latest craze in tennis or baseball, think for a moment about the
logic of not protecting our eyes. We wear helmets to protect our
heads and pads and braces to protect our bones and joints, so why
not take the extra step to protect our eyes? We take extra steps to
prevent concussions, broken bones, bruises and chipped teeth, but
what do we do to prevent the possibility of permanent vision loss,
a scratched cornea or fractured eye socket? Broken bones and
bruises will heal, but a serious eye injury can put you on the
disabled list from your favorite sport for the rest of your
life.
How do I protect my eyes while playing sports?
The
ways in which an unprotected eye may be injured in a sporting event
are too numerous to count. But the ways in which we can protect our
eyes are simple and straightforward. It is especially important
that children who are learning to coordinate or who have low skill
levels wear protective eye gear. To reduce the risk of a serious
eye injury, the following precautions should be taken when
playing.
Baseball: In the event of an errant pitch, a ball lost in
the sun or a thrown bat, a baseball player should wear a faceguard
made of a sturdy plastic or polycarbonate metal material along with
eye goggles or eye guards.
Basketball: Basketball players should wear eye goggles at
all times in the event of an errant elbow, a stray poke from
another player's finger or even an errantly thrown
basketball.
Soccer and Football: Like other contact sports, an errant
elbow, ball, foot or finger can cause serious damage to the
unprotected eye.Players should wear sports eye guards and, in
football, a full faceguard should also be worn.
Hockey: Ever get a good look at a hockey player's
teeth? Imagine such damage to your eyes. Sticks, pucks and elbows
all fly freely during a hockey match, and a player should wear a
full polycarbonate material or wire mask to prevent eye and other
possible facial injuries.
Tennis or racquetball: To protect your eyes from an
errant or misjudged ball, or (in the case of racquetball) your
opponent's racquet, protective eye goggles should be worn at
all times while playing these sports.