Protecting Your Eyes from Sports Injury

Our eyes are quite small compared to the rest of our body. That’s why they appear to be well out of reach of injury. However, our eyes are easily prone to damage from diseases, injury, smoke, debris, and sun. They’re also sensitive. In addition to that, a lot of eye injuries happen during sports.  

A lot of sports involve flying objects and fast movements. Even tiny particles of debris and dust can damage your eye’s cornea. That’s why wearing protective glasses is the best method if you want to protect your eyes.  

Before you search Google for “optometrist near me” for the right glasses, here are several things you need to know when protecting your eyes from sports injury: 

How to Protect Them 

Severe eye damage might lead to permanent issues with vision. This can include a serious visual impairment that obstructs the ability to do crucial day-to-day tasks to a simple inconvenience.  

When playing sports, wearing the appropriate protective eye gear must be as common as wearing any other protective gear on the body. This is particularly crucial for kids who aren’t wary of potential risks as adults. 

Keep in mind that the kind of protection required differs in the sport that you’re playing. 

How Can Our Eyes Be Damaged from Playing Sports? 

Though there’s a huge variety in the types of sports played, most eye damages are relevant to blunt trauma from an object that hits the eye, such as a ball. Obviously, the injury’s severity differs on the speed, the type, and the size of the object.  A bigger object might fracture the bone that surrounds the eye. On the other hand, a smaller object might penetrate the eye.  

Fractures in the eye socket can cause severe injury to your eye. The muscles that are responsible for your eye’s movement can be damaged or be caught by the fracture. This limits movement. Because of that, it is hard to move your eye down or up. 

The injury’s severity might not be apparent right away, just like a concussion. That’s why any form of eye injury needs to be checked by a professional to make sure there’s no severe injury.  

While a blunt injury is the most common form of eye injury, you should also be wary of penetrating injury.  

Any tiny flying piece of dirt, stone, metal, wood, or plastic can cause serious injury. A minor scratch on the eye can lead to lacerations of the eyeball or corneal abrasion