Eye Safety and Playing Sports

Whether you like indoor or outdoor sports, protecting your eyes from injury is essential. Flying objects such as balls and other player’s equipment can really cause some serious eye injuries. And, taking simple precautions could save your vision and your eye. Wearing helmets and eye protection is essential when doing any physical activity where there may be a flying object of some kind. And, when performing outdoors, having protection from the sun’s UV rays is essential as well. Understand that regular glasses used for seeing should not be considered safety glasses as they don’t have the protective properties you need. There are different levels of safety glass, but the best for sports injuries will be labeled ASTM F803 approved. This is the American Standards for Testing and Materials. This will prevent the lenses from shattering and causing injury themselves.

Baseball


For baseball, it is recommended that a face guard should be used to prevent any injury to the entire face. Baseballs are pretty hard objects and can reach very high speeds. So, protecting the face, eyes, and teeth along with the skull can prevent eye injuries and brain damage.

baseball eye injuries

Basketball and Soccer

Basketball and soccer don’t have the small high-speed flying ball, but elbows and fingers can catch the eye socket. A fractured eye socket injury or corneal abrasion can be prevented by using sports eye guards to help prevent injury.

Basketball eye injuries

Football and Hockey

Football and Hockey are contact sports and the more protection, the better. Full face masks made of polycarbonate is a good start. Ensure that you are protecting your entire face and head for these kinds of sports. And, add additional eye guards to be safe. The eye guards can prevent blades of grass and other things from flying into the helmet and into the eye.

football eye injuries

Types of Sports Eye Injuries

Different types of injuries can occur as a result of playing sports. The cornea can be scratch due to a blade of grass or sand. This is when there is a “poke” to the eye and the eye burns and hurts. They can last a day or take several days to heal as it has scratched the surface of the eye. This is similar to scratching the skin but in a more sensitive area.

Blunt Injuries

Blunt injuries can be occurring in just nearly every sport that has any kind of equipment, balls or physical activity. It can be apart of the game, such as hockey or football or it happens due to a ball hitting the eye. These injuries can range from a black eye to broken eye sockets and facial bones. Wearing the right protection can prevent that.

Penetrating Injuries


Penetrating injuries to the eye are the most serious and the very reason eye protection is a must when playing sports. This is when something actually pierces the eye. Often times it’s caused by the glass that was in the glasses on the person’s face, as they are not rated for sports. If penetration occurs, getting proper medical attention immediately is a must, as vision could be lost permanently.