New Data From Prevent Blindness Shows Most Sports-related Eye Injuries are From Water and Pool Activities
- Prevent Blindness designates September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month to encourage wearing proper eye protection while playing all sports -
CHICAGO (Aug. 15, 2016) – According to recent data from Prevent Blindness, more eye injuries occur from water and pool activities than any other sport. Eye injuries may include everything from eye infections and irritations to burns from chlorine and other chemicals to scratches or trauma from other swimmers. Wearing contact lenses during water activities also increases the risk for Acanthamoeba keratitis, a severe, painful infection of the cornea, which usually causes scarring and, if undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to blindness. In the most severe cases, a corneal transplant may be necessary.
Other sports with the most eye injuries include basketball, use of guns (air, gas, spring and BB), baseball/softball and football. Eye injuries from any sport may include infection, corneal abrasions, fracture of the eye socket, swollen or detached retinas or a traumatic cataract. In the worst cases, some injuries may result in permanent vision loss.
As part of September’s Sports Eye Safety Awareness month, Prevent Blindness shares these recommendations:
- For those who wear prescription glasses, ask an eye doctor for prescription eyeguards. Monocular athletes (those with only one eye that sees well), should consult an eye doctor about what sports are safe to participate in.
- A sports helmet alone may not protect from eye injury. Additional safety eyewear should be used.
- Eyeguards or sports protective eyewear should be labeled as ASTM F803 approved.
- Don't buy sports eyeguards without lenses. Only "lensed" protectors are recommended for sports use. Make sure the lenses either stay in place or pop outward in the event of an accident. Lenses that pop in against the eyes can be very dangerous.
- Some frames have built in venting solutions for ultimate performance. Lenses should have an anti-fog solution to prevent fogging of the lenses.
- Check the packaging to see whether the eye protector you select has been tested for sports use. Also check to see that the eye protector is made of polycarbonate material. Polycarbonate eyeguards are the most impact resistant.
- Sports eyeguards should be padded or cushioned along the brow and bridge of the nose. Padding will prevent the eyeguards from cutting your skin.
- Try on the eye protector to determine if it's the right size. Adjust the strap and make sure it's not too tight or too loose. If you purchased your eyeguards at an optical store, an optical representative can help you adjust the eye protector for a comfortable fit.
“Playing sports is an important part of being healthy and active,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “Whether you are just starting out in a sport or have been playing it for years, everyone should consult an eye care professional to ensure they are doing everything they can to optimize their performance as well as protect their vision for years to come.”
To assist eye care professionals in educating consumers and raising awareness, Prevent Blindness and Liberty Sport offer free materials through the “September is Sports Eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month” program. To request a kit, please contact Angela Gerber, Liberty Sport, at (973) 882-0986 x972 or [email protected].
For more information on sports eye injury prevention or contact lens safety, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020, or visitpreventblindness.org.
About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at preventblindness.orgor facebook.com/preventblindness.
*****************
NEW DATA SHOWS TOP SPORTS-RELATED EYE INJURIES OCCUR IN WATER ACTIVITIES AND BASKETBALL
FAIRFIELD, NJ – August 17, 2016 More than 6,500 eye injuries occur in water and pool activities up over 1,000 from last year according to new data estimates from Prevent Blindness. This takes over as the leading sports-related eye injury sport from basketball, which is down to 4,478 injuries from over 6,000 in the previous year. The top five sports with the most eye injuries remain unchanged and include water and pool activities, basketball, use of guns (air, gas, spring and BB), baseball and football.
To encourage wearing proper eye protection while playing sports, Prevent Blindness has declared September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month. Liberty has teamed up with Prevent Blindness once again in order to provide eye care professionals with free information and materials through the “September is Sports Eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month” campaign. This year, the Sports Eye Injury Prevention Kit has been expanded to include the Sports-Related Eye Injuries by Age stat sheet from Prevent Blindness and also the ABO Course: Protecting your patients who are athletes.
Sport vision protection is critical for all athletes, especially those that require vision correction. Compliment the Sports Eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month Campaign with two new sport protective styles: Helmet Spex and Sport Shift. Both frames are specifically designed by Liberty Sport to offer a solution to young athletes that don’t wear protective eyewear under their helmet due to fit or fogging issues.
For patients that swim, Liberty offers the FrogEye, Shark and Shark Kids goggle for ultimate underwater clarity and Rx-able vision protection. The Shark and Shark Kids have a single lens technology with an adjustable bridge and strap that in the Shark Kids, comes with an eyecup and silicone strap in matching colors. To prevent any underwater leakage, the Rx is locked into place with the insertion design and gasket. The FrogEye has these same great features but includes a double lens technology that allows for clear vision above and below the water.
“Eye care professionals play a critical role in educating parents and youth patients about the need for proper sports eye protection by sport. Our September Month Campaign is tailored to ensure that the latest educational material and resources are available and is a complement to our diverse collection of sport protective eyewear,” says Angela Gerber, Marketing Manager at Liberty.
For more information on Sports Eye Injury Prevention awareness month, to request a kit or to ensure you have ultimate sport vision protection for on the field and in the water athletes, contact your Liberty Rep.
About Liberty, Inc.
Liberty Sport is the leading manufacturer and distributor of Sport Protective, Performance Sunwear, Active Eyewear and functions as the Complete Rx Sport Vision Resource. Our dedication to research, engineering and technology places Liberty Sport on the cutting edge of Rx-able protective eyewear solutions for sports of all kinds. The development of the Switch product line in 2009 now provides a technology solution to a new market - NASA. With distribution through eye care professionals and leading optical chains worldwide, Liberty Sport is committed to promoting awareness for sports eye injury prevention and providing technologically advanced eyewear solutions. To view the full range of eyewear solutions, visit www.libertysport.com and follow us on social: Facebook: fb.com/LibertySport29; Twitter: @LibertySport29; Pinterest: Liberty Sport; Instagram: Liberty.Sport. Liberty: Performance Eyewear Solutions – Authentic since 1929.