Your Eyesight Will Improve Significantly

The 2008 Olympics Are Coming! So, let’s talk sports and eyes!

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It is estimated that sports-related eye injuries account for more than 100,000 physician visits per year in the United States, at a cost of more than $175 million. Or, to put it another way, these recreation-related eye injuries represent around 10 percent of the total eye injuries occurring each year, according to Prevent Blindness America.

photo credit: Marc van der Chijs

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That’s a lot of injuries-over 90 percent of which are preventable.

While combative sports such as boxing, wrestling and karate inherently pose a high risk to participants, a 1992 study of eye injuries seen in emergency rooms found that

So what can you do? Beyond supervised athletics with eye protection rules, preventing eye injuries begins with educating participants about the risks specific to each activity and the value of eye protection. This requires selection of appropriate protective eyewear and lens material and instruction on their proper use.

Polycarbonate plastic lenses and frames that are sturdy and impact resistant provide optimal protection, especially for higher-risk sports such as basketball, racquetball and handball. Consider goggles instead of regular spectacles; as Dr. Boldt notes, “Goggles protect the eyes from the sides, as well as the front.”

Parents should also schedule a dilated eye exam for their children, starting around age five or six, before the child begins athletics. This provides a baseline against which to measure any future injuries, should they happen. As Penn State’s football coach Joe Paterno said, “The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.”

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