Always take precautions, especially with young children, when it comes to sports eye safety: wear helmets with built-in eye shields while playing little league ball.

Impacts from other objects like tennis balls, racquet or squash balls, or even hand balls can be equally devastating. High-speed projectiles like paint balls or hockey pucks are very dangerous.  Participants in any of these sports should take proper precautions to prevent fast moving objects from hitting them in the eye. They shouldn’t rely on “fast reflexes” to keep them safe! Sports goggles can be sight saving and have become more fashionable, available, and affordable.

Any participant in recreational or professional sports who suffers an eye injury, who has an eye disease, or who has had eye surgery should discuss with their eye doctor when they can safely return to their sport and what precautions they should take. A common sense approach to the real eye risks inherent in sports activities can make participants safer and minimize the chances of losing their precious eyesight.

By:

Robert S. Nagler, M.D.