Stat Tracker

Too Many Eye Injuries for Active Americans

Sports can play a pivotal role in staying active and healthy, but adults and children need to remember to always protect their eyes while playing sports. According to research from The Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries, approximately 25% of the estimated 2.4 million eye injuries that occur in the United States each year happen during sports and recreational activities.

It is estimated that there are more than 600,000 sports-related eye injuries in America every year. And, 40,000 of those require emergency room care. Fortunately, 90% of all sports-related eye injuries can be prevented by wearing the proper eye protection. Lenses should be made of polycarbonate and have an American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) label, indicating they meet the standards of the ASTM for the specific sport, says Prevent Blindness America, the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization.

In recent years, basketball was the number 1 cause of eye injuries. However, based on a recent study by the United States Eye Injury Registry, fishing has surpassed basketball in injuries. In fact, eye injuries from fishing make up approximately 9% of all sports eye injuries — 38% of fishing injuries involved hooks to the eye.

"Every 13 minutes, another emergency room treats a sports eye injury that could have easily been prevented," says Daniel D. Garrett, senior vice president of Prevent Blindness America. "Although eye injuries can occur at any age, it's young people who are the most at risk, making up 66% of all injuries."

Besides fishing accidents, eye injuries from other sports are still common. According to The Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries:

► Approximately 1 in 50 Little League baseball players will sustain an eye injury that requires attention.

► One in 20 National Basketball Association injuries involves the eye

► The leading cause of eye injury in adult women is from racket sports

► The average football team will experience four eye injuries each season

► More than 55% of all eye injuries from soccer occur in 6- to 14-year-olds

"Sports injuries pose a serious threat to vision yet few people take the necessary precautions to protect sight," adds Garrett. "We encourage parents, schools and sports organizations to take leadership roles in promoting the use of safety eyewear."

There is no evidence that wearing eye protection hampers athletic performance. Eye injuries can include painful corneal abrasions, blunt trauma and penetrating injuries. Severe injuries can result in vision loss and, in some cases, blindness. OM

About These Data:

The Coalition To Prevent Sports Eye Injuries was created to substantially reduce the number of avoidable eye injuries that occur in today's sports and recreational environment. For more information, visit their Web site at www.sportseyeinjuries.com.

Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. For more information on Prevent Blindness America, call (800) 331-2020 or visit them on the Web at www.preventblindness.org.