Sports Related Eye Injury
Sports Related Eye Injury
Sports Related Eye Injury
children. Unfortunately, injuries can, and do, occur. Children are at particular risk for sustaining a sports-related
eye injury and most of these injuries can be prevented. Every year, more than 30,000 children sustain serious
sports-related eye injuries. Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United States treats a sports-related
eye injury.1 According to the National Eye Institute, the sports with the highest rate of eye injuries are:
baseball/softball, ice hockey, racquet sports, and basketball, followed by fencing, lacrosse, paintball and boxing.
Thankfully, there are steps that parents can take to ensure their childrens safety on the field, the court, or wherever
they play or participate in sports and recreational activities.
1
National Eye Institute, National Eye Health Education Program, Sports-Related Eye Injuries: What You Need to Know and Tips for Prevention,
www.nei.nih.gov/sports/pdf/sportsrelatedeyeInjuries.pdf, December 26, 2013.
2
Rodriguez, Jorge O., D.O., and Lavina, Adrian M., M.D., Prevention and Treatment of Common Eye Injuries in Sports,
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0401/p1481.html, September 4, 2014; National Eye Health Education Program, Sports-Related Eye Injuries: What You Need
to Know and Tips for Prevention, www.nei.nih.gov/sports/pdf/sportsrelatedeyeInjuries.pdf, December 26, 2013.
3
Bedinghaus, Troy, O.D., Sports Eye Injuries, http://vision.about.com/od/emergencyeyecare/a/Sports_Injuries.htm, December 27, 2013.
The most common types of eye injuries that can result from sports injuries are
blunt injuries, corneal abrasions and penetrating injuries.
Blunt injuries: Blunt injuries occur when the eye is suddenly compressed
Most Common by impact from an object. Blunt injuries, often caused by tennis balls,
Types of Eye racquets, fists or elbows, sometimes cause a black eye or hyphema
(bleeding in front of the eye). More serious blunt injuries often break
Injuries bones near the eye, and may sometimes seriously damage important
eye structures and/or lead to vision loss.
Corneal abrasions: Corneal abrasions are painful scrapes on the outside
of the eye, or the cornea. Most corneal abrasions eventually heal on their
own, but a doctor can best assess the extent of the abrasion, and may prescribe medication to help control the
pain. The most common cause of a sports-related corneal abrasion is being poked in the eye by a finger.
Penetrating injuries: Penetrating injuries are caused by a foreign object piercing the eye. Penetrating injuries
are very serious, and often result in severe damage to the eye. These injuries often occur when eyeglasses break
while they are being worn. Penetrating injuries must be treated quickly in order to preserve vision.4
Pain when looking up and/or The eye has an unusual pupil size
down, or difficulty seeing; or shape;
Tenderness; Signs or Blood in the clear part of the eye;
Sunken eye; Symptoms of Numbness of the upper cheek
Double vision; and gum; and/or
Severe eyelid and facial swelling; an Eye Injury Severe redness around the white
Difficulty tracking; part of the eye.
According to the American Family Physician Journal, there are several guidelines that
should be followed when students return to play after sustaining an eye injury. For
example, students who have sustained significant ocular
Return to Play injury should receive a full examination and clearance
by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. In addition,
and Sports students should not return to play until the period of
time recommended by their HCP has elapsed. For more
minor eye injuries, the athletic trainer may determine that
it is safe for a student to resume play based on the nature of the injury, and how the
student feels. No matter what degree of eye injury is sustained, it is recommended that
students wear protective eyewear when returning to play and immediately report any concerns with their vision
to their coach and/or the athletic trainer.