Physical activity is vital to your long-term health, and encouraging children to get out and be active is one of the best ways to encourage them to stay active as adults. According to data from Project Play, there’s been a significant increase over the years for total and core team sports, with millions of kids playing basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and tennis.
This is promising for maintaining good health, but it also carries the risk of accidents and injuries. Since April is Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month, this is a great time to discuss eye protection for your kids during games.
Let’s lower the risk of vision damage by reviewing the sports this is most likely to happen in, the types of injuries that can happen, and the most effective ways to prevent them. If you live in the Pelham Gardens area of the Bronx, New York, and you’re concerned about your child’s eye safety in sports, the team of doctors at Bronx Eye Associates are here to help.
Most physical activities carry some risk to your child’s eyes, but these sports are the riskiest:
During sports, these types of eye damage can mean big problems for your kid:
Collisions, trips, falls, and being hit by objects in the eye are common examples of blunt trauma, which can not only cause black and blue bruises but lead to internal damage and even retinal detachment or rupture.
Any errant objects on the field like sticks can get into the eyes and if they penetrate the eye surface they can cause damage that leads to vision loss.
Flying debris can easily lead to scratches on the cornea of your child’s eye, which can lead to sensitivity to light, blurriness, excessive tearing, or pain.
Many outdoor sports give you plenty of sun, but that can also overexpose kids to UV rays which damages the cornea and increases the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
While not a direct form of eye damage, a concussion is one of the most common forms of injuries in sports and can cause issues like blurriness, double vision, and a decrease in hand/eye coordination.
To avoid the risk of these injuries, try these methods:
Goggles and sports glasses can help protect the eyes in basketball, soccer, tennis, racquetball, swimming, and cycling. Putting UV shielding on them also helps prevent damage when out in the sun, and polycarbonate lenses offer impact and shatter resistance.
Hockey and baseball can be safer to play if you wear helmets equipped with cages and face shields.
Keeping eyes hydrated helps reduce irritation at outdoor and windy events and keeps you from rubbing your eyes.
Getting your eyes checked regularly can help keep track of vision changes as your child’s eyes develop.
Kids should definitely enjoy staying active, but make sure they get the protection they need to stay safe. For other tips regarding eye safety and our options for protecting your child’s vision, make an appointment with the team at Bronx Eye Associates today.
