September is Sports Eye Injury Awareness Month

Chicago-Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has designated September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month.

PBA is teaming up with the Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries and sports eyewear manufacturer Liberty Sport to provide consumers and eye-care professionals free information and materials through the “September is Sports Eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month” campaign.

“More than half of all children participate in organized sports, but most youth sports leagues do not require the use of proper eye protection,” said Paul Berman, OD, chairman of the Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries. “Through this partnership, it is our goal to educate parents and coaches on the importance of requiring kids to use sports eye-safety wear during practice and during the game.”

PBA offers the following steps to avoid :

• Never wear regular eyeglasses while playing sports because they may shatter upon impact. Only wear prescription protective sports eyewear fitted by an eye-care professional.

• Sports eye protectors should be padded or cushioned along the brow and bridge of the nose. Padding will prevent them from cutting the skin.

• Athletes who have monocular vision or diminished vision in one eye should always wear sports eye protectors recommended by an eye doctor.

• All sports eye protection should have 100% ultraviolet protection.

• Polycarbonate lenses must be used with protectors that meet or exceed the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Each sport has a specific ASTM code.

For more information on sports eye injury prevention and information on sport-specific eye protection recommendations, visit www.preventblindness.org/sports-eye-safety.

For more articles in this issue of Ophthalmology Times eReport, click here.

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