Eye Injuries and Eye Protection in Sports.

The International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) calls attention to the fact that, while injuries in sports can be relatively frequent, they are almost completely preventable. Loss of sight, even in one eye, involves changes in lifestyle for the individual and serious financial and social consequences both for the individual and for society as a whole. It is imperative that sport eye injury risk be reduced to as low a level as possible by enforcement of existing safety rules or by rules changes, where applicable. All athletes should be prescribed eye protectors where appropriate to the sport. Sports can be classified on the basis of low risk, high risk, and extremely high risk for eye injury. Most sports that pose risk for unprotected eyes can be made quite safe with the use of appropriate protective devices. Eye examination and counseling should play an important part in the screening physical examination for every athlete prior to sports participation. The athlete deserves a careful explanation of the risk of eye injury, both with and without various types of eye protectors in the proposed sport. Athletes who are functionally one-eyes must have their status diagnosed and appropriate eye protection prescribed. Glass lenses, ordinary plastic lenses, and open (lenseless) eyeguards do not provide adequate protection for those involved in active sports. In many situations, their use can increase the risk for and the severity of eye injury. As contact lenses do not protect the athlete from serious eye injury, they should only be worn in combination with recommended sport eye protectors. Eye Injury Risk in Sports