September is Sports Eye Safety Month. While all age groups are at risk for sports-related eye injuries, some sports are riskier than others.
It is especially important for parents to help protect their children’s eyes when they are playing sports.
Did you know that eye injuries are the number one leading cause of blindness in children? Here are some surprising statistics.
- Every 13 minutes a U.S. emergency room receives a visit from a patient suffering from a sports-related eye injury.
- Most eye-related injuries for 11 to 14-year-old children occur during sporting activities.
- The sports with the highest number of eye injuries include softball, baseball, racquet sports, ice hockey and basketball.
- Every year there are nearly 42,000 sports-related eye injuries in the U.S. alone, which cost approximately $175 to $200 million in annual medical bills.
Fortunately, protective eyewear can help prevent nearly 90% of sports-related eye injuries. Wearing proper safety goggles that have lensed polycarbonate protectors is important. This eyewear should be labeled ASTM F803 approved. This eyewear has the highest levels of protection for helping to prevent and minimize sports-related eye injuries.
If you would like to learn more about sports-related eye injuries by each sport, visit https://www.preventblindness.org/sites/default/files/national/documents/fact_sheets/FS09_Sports_Injuries_by_Age_2017-2.pdf for a comprehensive list.
BluTech supports eye safety. For sports that require spending large amounts of time outdoors or under artificial light, it may be helpful to reduce exposure to harmful blue light by asking your eye care professional for BluTech Lenses in your safety eyewear.
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