AAO
American Academy of Ophthalmology Recommends Eye Protection for
All Athletes
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sean Peterson was looking forward to spending some time with his friends
playing paintball one spring weekend. As a former college basketball
player, Sean enjoys sports, and paintball seemed like a fun opportunity
to employ some of his athletic skills. But what started out as an
enjoyable outing eventually turned into a medical emergency. Sean moved
his protective mask briefly, and in that brief interval, a paintball hit
him in his left eye.
“After the hit, all I could see was a green
blur,” Sean recalls. “I
went to the emergency room, where I was told that I would probably be
blind in my left eye.” Fortunately, after
multiple surgeries, Sean has nearly regained his 20/20 vision, but not
without some lingering effects from the injury. “I’m
still very sensitive to light and I can’t read
up close out of my left eye,” said Sean, who
still continues to play sports but has not played paintball since.
April is Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month, and the American Academy of
Ophthalmology reminds the public that 40,000 people suffer from eye
injuries related to sports every year. The Academy advocates the need
for athletes to wear appropriate, sport-specific protective eyewear
properly fitted by an eye care professional. Lenses made from
polycarbonate materials provide the highest level of impact protection;
they can withstand a ball or other projectile traveling at 90 miles per
hour.
“It’s absolutely
necessary for athletes to use protective eyewear because eye injuries
can be devastating,” said Dr. Ruth Williams,
glaucoma specialist at the Wheaton, IL, Eye Clinic, clinical
correspondent for the Academy and Sean Peterson’s
doctor. “Unfortunately, many athletes feel
they don’t need protective eyewear or that
injuries are uncommon. The truth is, many athletes are not as lucky as
Sean.”
In addition to abrasions of the cornea and bruises of the lids, sports
injuries can include retinal detachments and internal bleeding. The most
serious risks involve permanent vision loss along with infection. In
addition, patients who have sustained eye injuries are at greater risk
for developing glaucoma.
Many sports create risk for eye injuries; however, protection is
available for most sports, including basketball, baseball, hockey,
football, lacrosse, fencing, paintball, water polo, golf and many
others. “Wearing properly fitted protective
eyewear will not harm your performance in a game, and it may well save
your sight,” says Dr. Williams.
Most sporting leagues don’t require children
to wear eye protection, so parents should take special care to ensure
their children wear eye protection. “Parents
can spare their children needless injury and pain by having them wear
protective eyewear,” says Dr. Williams.
In the event of an eye injury, it is important to seek medical help
immediately. Even a seemingly light blow can cause a serious eye injury.
If a black eye, pain or visual problem occurs after a blow, contact your
Eye M.D. or seek emergency medical help at once.
Learn about eye diseases, your risk factors and the names of eye M.D.s
in your area by visiting www.GetEyeSmart.org.
About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association
of eye physicians and surgeons—Eye M.D.s—with
more than 27,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the
three “O’s”
– opticians, optometrists and
ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat
it all: eye diseases and injuries, and perform eye surgery. To find an
Eye M.D. in your area, visit the Academy's Web site at www.aao.org.