EYE DISEASES

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of diseases usually associated with an increased pressure within the eye that, if left untreated, may lead to blindness. This is rare in infants and children.

What is a cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye. The lens helps to focus images on the back of the eye.

 

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EYE INJURIES

How many occur?

There were an estimated 31,788 sports and recreational product-related eye injuries that were treated in hospital emergency rooms in 1989. This estimate was compiled from information provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It is limited to reported product-related injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms. The actual number of sports and recreational eye injuries could be two or more times greater than this estimate if information on all medically attended injuries was available.

Which activities account for the most injuries?

Ten sports or sport groupings-basketball, baseball, racquet and court sports (racquetball, squash, paddleball, tennis, handball, badminton, and volleyball), swimming and pool sports, football, ball sports (unspecified), soccer, golf, combatives (boxing, wrestling, and martial arts), and hockey (all types)-are highlighted due to their popularity. Since participation rates and information on the severity of injury is unavailable, no inference should be made concerning the relative hazard of these sports or rank with respect to injury.

The ten sports and sport groupings selected accounted for 73.3% of all injuries in the sports and recreational category. Those sports with the highest injury frequency and the percentage of the total were: basketball-5,900 injuries (18.6%); baseball-5,518 injuries (17.4%); and racquet and court sports-3,052 injuries (9.6%). Collectively, these three sports represented more that 45% of all injuries.

Another study has baseball as the #1 cause of sports related eye injuries at 3,500 injuries.

Can sports and recreational eye injuries be prevented?

A variety of sports eye protectors are available on the market. If these were used, experts believe the frequency or severity of sports-related injuries could be reduced by 90%. For information on sports eye safety, contact the National Society to Prevent Blindness. At the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, sports accounted for 23% of all acute trauma admission. Nearly, one-third of all the eye injuries related to sports and recreation are suffered by children under the age of 15 years.