The records of the 118 patients treated as Southampton Eye Hospital during 1978-9 for injuries incurred while playing squash, badminton, tennis, table tennis, cricket, and football show that for squash the main cause of eye injury was the player being hit by the ball. Severe eye injuries--those requiring treatment as an inpatient--were rare but much more frequent than such injuries in other spo...

We report a retrospective study of children's eye injuries treated during 1977 at Helsinki University Eye Hospital. There were 110 cases representing 34.5% of all eye injuries and 3% of all patients treated in 1977; 81.8% were boys and 18.2% girls. Half of the injuries were caused by another child, one-third were self-inflicted, and the rest were other accidents. The risk of eye injury in girls...

The existing referral system should be used, ensuring that patients are referred to a secondary or tertiary level facility that has doctors with the skills (and equipment) to handle eye injuries appropriately. Talk to patients about their injury and the reason for the referral (see article on page 50). Write down the most important information if possible. Check that the patient and her or his ...

We reviewed the records of the patients hospitalised for eye injuries in Aosta Valley between January 1976 and June 1993. Eye injuries from traditional regional sports accounted for 27 cases (41.5% of all ocular sport injuries), of which 21 (77.8%) occurred during the game 'tsan', the most popular one. Injuries led to legal blindness in 3 (11.1%) cases and to a permanent visual loss in 2 (7.4%)...

A review of all penetrating eye injuries treated at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital over four years (1 January 1982-31 December 1985) was undertaken. A total of 202 penetrating eye injuries were seen of which 68 (34%) were in children under the age of 15 years. Airgun, dart, and knife injuries accounted for 28 (41%) of the injuries. Thirty seven patients (54%) achieved a good visual result (6...

The main challenge in developing a strategy to prevent eye injuries is that there are so many different causes and situations that can lead to eye injuries, each requiring a different approach. In general, the first step in prevention is to inform people about the risks so that they can either avoid them or take action to protect their eyes. People can be informed by means of appropriate safety...

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 inju...