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Along with a host of work-related hazards to healthy vision for any Sailor to visually navigate from the foc’sle to the fantail, there are also dangers – some sight unseen - on the field of play.
According to the Department of Defense Vision Center for Excellence, the top sports for eye injuries are water and pool activities, basketball and baseball/softball.
“We have quite a few cases of traumatic iritis [inflammation of the iris due to trauma] that come in. Basketball is definitely the number one culprit for sports-related eye injuries we see,” said Lt. Courtney Rafferty, Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor optometrist.
In a previous article also concerned with ocular health, Rafferty, a Navy Medical Service Corps officer, Doctor of Optometry and Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, explained how even windy conditions can inflict serious harm to someone’s eyes:
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/444617/ensuring-sight-flight-naval-health-clinic-oak-harbor
With May being recognized by the Defense Health Agency as Health Vision [and Hearing] Month, we continue to visually focus on eye safety for those engaged in any type of sporting activity.
“While sports offer a great way to improve overall physical health through exercise, forgetting your protective eyewear while playing sports can be detrimental to your ocular health,” stated Rafferty, noting that approximately 15 percent of all eye injuries occur during sports.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, current research reveals that basketball takes top spot as the leading cause of sports-related eye injuries in the United States.
“Whether someone’s a famous NBA star or a recreational sports enthusiast, they're at risk for permanent vision loss from blunt force trauma that can be easily prevented with one, simple step; protective eyewear,” stressed Rafferty. “With risks including retinal detachment, ruptured globes and orbital fractures, these injuries can not only sideline them during the game, but these injuries can often lead to lifelong consequences.”
Other frequent eye injury examples include excessive exposure to sunlight – radiation injury – often associated with water sports and even winter sports like skiing, with the sunlight reflecting off the water and ice. A penetrating injury to the eye can mean getting an errant finger jab in the eye socket, contact lens or eyeglasses shattering when wearing, or some foreign object substance cutting the eye.
Yet the most common, and probably the most critical eye injury, is caused by blunt force trauma, which can happen when someone gets walloped by something, or someone. An elbow on the hoop court can cause a broken bone under the eyeball, a fastball up and in can result in a ruptured eyeball, a mountain bike adventure can result in the retina scratched by a stubborn tree branch.
“Wearing eye protection allows you to focus on your sport,” advocated Rafferty, “It’s a smart play for any athlete.”
Statistics offer a view of the threat to vison. A published study in the National Library of Medicine noted that there are up to 600,000 sports and recreational-activity eye injuries which occur on an annual basis, resulting in approximately 13,500 permanent losses of sight.
There’s someone, somewhere in the U.S. entering an emergency department every 13 minutes seeking treatment for a sport related ocular injury.
Eyeglasses and contact lens can also get broken, lost, perhaps even both.
Rafferty attests that the good news is that more than 90 percent of such injuries can be avoided with appropriate eye protection.
Sporting goods stores carry an assortment of protective eyewear that is sport-specific with the proper American Society for Testing and Materials standards indicated on the packaging.
“All protective eyewear should be 3-milimeters [about one-eighth of an inch] polycarbonate, available in plain or prescription lenses. Not only are they the lightest and thinnest lenses, but most importantly they are impact-resistant,” said Rafferty, citing technical standards for sports-specific eye protection that the ASTM F803 is the safety standard for protective sports eyewear.
How protective? ASTM F803 eyewear is tested and capable of withstanding projectiles sized from 40mm to 65.1mm fired at a rate of 90 mph. Such sports eyewear is considered safe for contact sports like basketball, rugby, football, and other similar activities which include a ball or bat such as soccer, softball and racquetball.
“When researching sports-specific eye protection, look for the statement, ‘Meets ASTM F803 impact standards,’” Rafferty added. “Sports-specific eye protection is available in clear wraparound goggles to maximize your visual field.”
For those reluctant on donning a pair of safety glasses assuming they might somehow hinder their game, Rafferty can offer the following assessment, “Studies have shown there is no impact on performance when wearing eye protection during sports.”
Such foresight can help ensure anyone’s health vision, whether on the flight line or the firing line.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2023 11:28 |
| Story ID: | 444737 |
| Location: | OAK HARBOR , WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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