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Eye injuries at sports and recreation can have serious consequences, even leading to loss of sight and an end to a promising career. Of the many sports and recreation-related eye injuries that occur each year, 90 per cent are preventable through use of appropriate protective eyewear. The risk of eye injury can vary depending on the activity. Make sure the level of eye protection you or others in your family use is appropriate for the type of activity. Regular eyeglasses and contact lenses do not offer proper eye protection from injury. If you wear spectacles, the lenses should be made of polycarbonate, an especially tough, non-shattering plastic material. Contact lenses offer no protection against injury and safety glasses or goggles must be used. High-risk sports

Sports-related eye injuries occur more frequently in cricket, basketball, squash, baseball and badminton. Injury may be sustained from equipment eg the ball or from a fellow players limbs or head. In cricket and baseball a helmet with a polycarbonate face mask or wire shield should be worn especially by the wicketkeeper and batsmen. This is very important for young inexperienced players eg under-16 cricketers and when facing up to fast bowlers. Boxing and full-contact martial arts pose an extremely high risk of serious and even blinding eye injuries. There is no satisfactory eye protection for boxing, although thumbless gloves may reduce the number of boxing eye injuries. Approved eye ware should be bought from professional eye care providers. Protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses is recommended for sports such as basketball, racquet sports, soccer and hockey. Choose eye protectors that have been tested to meet the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards or that pass the CSA racquet sports standard. If you already have reduced vision in one eye, consider the risks of injuring the stronger eye before participating in contact or racquet sports, which pose a higher risk of eye injury. Check with your ophthalmologist (Eye MD) to see if appropriate eye protection is available and whether or not participating in contact or racquet sports is advised. Other risky leisure activities

In 2008 a survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ocular Trauma showed that more than 40 per cent of patients treated for eye injuries sustained at home were involved in home repairs, yard work, cleaning and cooking. Use common sense and err on the side of caution, whatever the activity. Consider the risk of flying debris or other objects during activities and wear appropriate eye protection. Remember that eyeglasses arent sufficient protection. Be careful during activities or games involving projectiles and other sharp objects that could create injury if in contact with the eye, eg fishing. If you wear contacts or eyeglasses, pack a back-up form of vision correction during bike trips or other activities where you could lose or shatter a lens. If an eye injury occurs, see an ophthalmologist or go to the hospital emergency room immediately, even if the eye injury appears minor. Delaying medical attention can result in permanent vision loss or blindness.

DO NOT touch, rub or apply pressure to the eye. DO NOT try to remove any object stuck in the eye. For small debris, lift eyelid and ask child to blink rapidly to see if tears will flush out the particle. If not, close the eye and seek treatment. Do not apply ointment or medication to the eye. A cut or puncture wound should be gently covered. Only in the event of chemical exposure, flush with plenty of water. Source of information: The American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Presented as a public service by the Caribbean Eye Institute. Eye related questions can be sent to Caribeyett@icloud.com

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Eye safety in sports and recreation - Trinidad & Tobago Express

This entry was posted on April 24, 2017 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Eye Sight & Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |