August 30, 2017
Prevent Blindness has declared September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month. According to recent annual data from the organization, more injuries occur from water and pool activities than any other sport. Basketball is the second highest cause of sports-related eye injuries, followed by the use of toy guns (air, gas, spring and BB), darts, arrows and slingshots, as well as baseball/softball.
According to Prevent Blindness, eye injuries from water sports include eye infections and irritations, and scratches or trauma from other swimmers. Wearing contact lenses during water activities also increases the risk for acanthamoeba keratitis, a severe, painful infection of the cornea, which usually causes scarring and, if undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to blindness. The infection is believed to be caused through exposure of the eye to water contaminated with the amoeba acanthamoeba, a free-living organism.
As part of September’s Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month, Prevent Blindness has once again teamed up with Liberty Sport to offer free materials to assist eyecare professionals in educating consumers and raising awareness through the “September is Sports eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month,” program.
“Most eye injuries from sports can be prevented with the proper eye protection,” says Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “An eye accident only takes an instant to impact your vision for a lifetime. We encourage everyone to speak with an eyecare professional on the best eye protection options for any sport.”
To request a kit, contact Angela Gerber, Liberty Sport, at (973) 882-0986 x972 or agerber@libertysport.com. For more information on sports eye injury prevention or contact lens safety, call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020, or visit www.preventblindness.org.
