What are some general safety tips with respect to protecting the eyes during sports?
The top five sports with greatest percentage of eye injury among children under 14 are as follows: baseball (21%), basketball (16%), soccer (14%), football (13%), and hockey (10%). For athletes ages 15 to 24, basketball is the highest risk sport for eye injury (32%). Even when wearing contact lenses while playing sports, eye safety must be considered. Contacts may allow better clarity of vision, but safety glasses should still be worn. For instance, a soccer ball is too large to harm the eyeball directly, but a racquetball fits into the eye socket easily. Yet, even while playing soccer you are at risk to receive an eye injury with an elbow or scratch to the eye. When safety glasses/sport goggles are chosen, polycarbonate lenses are required for their impact-resistance.
