CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness has declared September to be Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month to encourage the use of proper eye protection while playing sports.
According to the National Eye Institute every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the U.S. treats a sports-related eye injury. The top five sports with the most eye injuries include basketball, water and pool activities and the use of guns (air, gas, spring and BB), baseball, softball and football, and according to estimates by Prevent Blindness, more than 6,000 Americans suffer from eye injuries while playing basketball.
Sports-related eye injuries can include infection, corneal abrasions, blunt trauma, inflamed iris, fracture of the eye socket, swollen or detached retinas or a traumatic cataract. In the worst cases, some injuries may result in permanent vision loss.
“Any injury can happen in a split second, but the effects of a serious eye injury can have lasting negative effects for a lifetime,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We encourage anyone, adult or child, to always make sure that eye protection is consistently part of their uniform, and to consult an eyecare professional before starting any sport to make sure their vision is healthy and protected.”
Liberty Sport will be partnering with Prevent Blindness to provide eyecare professionals with free information and materials which will help them to communicate to their patients through the “September Is Sports Eye Injury Prevent Awareness Month” campaign. For more information, visit the Prevent Blindness dedicated webpage.