When I was growing up there was not much of an emphasis on protecting the eyes during sporting competitions.
At that time many did not have the knowledge of how simple protective sports eyewear could help prevent eye injury and in many cases save vision and prevent blindness in the unfortunate event of a serious sports related eye injury.
Today, many more individuals and parents are diligent to make sure they and their children are properly protecting their vision during sporting activities, and furthermore there are many choices in today's protective eyewear market that allow athletes to play safely and look good at the same time.
Please read the information below from Prevent Blindness America and All About Vision about the importance of Sports Safety.
Eye Safety News
Tips for Keeping Your Kids' Eyes Safe During Spring/Summer Sports
February 16, 2011 — Each year in the United States, 25,000 kids under 15 have sports-related eye injuries, most of which are preventable (source: Prevent Blindness America).
To protect your children's eyes, follow these valuable tips from Dr. Scott Lambert, a professor of ophthalmology at Emory University and a member of the advisory council for the
Pediatric Cataract Initiative:
• Children in sports need protective eyewear, just as they need helmets and protective padding. Balls, bats and jabs from other participants can cause both temporary injuries and long-term vision problems — even cataracts and blindness. Choose protective eyewear with wraparound frames, to protect the eyes from all sides.
• Regular eyeglasses and sunglasses don't protect the eyes, because they are not strong enough to withstand flying objects and hard blows; your kids need protective eyewear as well. You can get it with or without a prescription, but be sure the lenses are both impact-and scratch-resistant.
• Sun exposure damages the eyes, so kids need protection from both UVA and UVB rays with either good-quality sunglasses or protective eyewear. If the labels don't specify UVA and UVB protection levels, you can find out how protective the products are by having your eye doctor check their UV blockage with a spectrophotometer.
These tips can help you and your family remain as safe as possible when engaging in sports this spring and summer.
