Fact Sheets

Safety

10% of all trauma in sport involves the eyes, yet they represent just 0.27% of the body surface. Many people think that ocular injury will not happen to them, amateurs because they don't hit the ball hard enough, and professionals because they feel they can avoid injury through increased skill. Both of these assumptions are incorrect. Everybody playing sports is potentially at risk of eye injury, be it direct trauma or the more insidious damage caused by UV radiation.

Following some high profile cases, all U19 squash players must wear suitable eye protection when playing in European sanctioned tournaments.

High risk sports for trauma include combat sports, cricket, football, rugby, hockey and racquet sports. Injuries can be caused by the projectile (ball, shuttlecock etc.) or by opponents elbows and fingers. Don't think eyes are safe with larger balls such as a football or rugby ball. These tend to alter shape on contact with the solid bones of the orbit and can still cause significant ocular damage.

The nature of the injury depends on the exact situation but generally they are high energy blunt impacts which can lead to:-

• Black eyes
• Conjunctival haemorrhage
• Orbital blow-out fractures
• Iris damage
• Secondary glaucoma
• Rupture of the globe
• Corneal abrasions
• Hyphaema
• Cataract
• Vitreous haemorrhage
• Retinal detachment or tear
• Retinal swelling

Virtually all of these are potentially blinding conditions. The good news is that the majority can be avoided with simple preventative measures. Sports eyewear is designed to resist impact from fast moving objects such as squash balls or pebbles when cycling. They can also include a contrast enhancement filter to increase the quality of vision. These protective appliances have, in the past, received a bad press but modern equipment is much more fashionable and comfortable. All products conform to the relevant British or European Standard and many can be found in our online catalogue.

Much of what has been discussed above is even more critical for those who only have good vision through one eye. This needs extra care because injury would be catastrophic.

All sports played outdoors increase the risk of damage caused by UV radiation, especially with recent changes to the thickness of the ozone layer in the atmosphere. In the short term, exposure to excessive levels of UV can cause discomfort, wateriness and photophobia e.g. snow blindness. This resolves in a couple of days and causes very little lasting damage. However, long term exposure can lead to chronic ocular changes such as cataract, macular degeneration, pterygium, pinguecula and basal cell carcinoma. UV exposure is a particular problem with water sports and winter outdoor activities. However, lenses can be coated to block out UV rays and polarising lenses cut down reflections off snow and water. It is also important to block out the blue end of the visible spectrum which can also lead to the symptoms described above. These tints are often a red/orange colour and can increase contrast and clear haze.

Sometimes it is necessary to use sports appliances to give clear vision when it is inappropriate to wear glasses or contact lenses. This includes swimming, diving and other water based sports. It is possible to get a range of products incorporating a prescription to give clear vision without additional glasses.

More fact sheets coming soon.