COLUMBUS, Ohio — Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the U.S. is treating a sports-related eye injury, according to the National Eye Institute.

What You Need To Know

  • Water sports, basketball and pickleball have the highest rates of sports-related injuries

  • Blunt trauma and penetrating injuries are the top two concerns for the eyes during sports

  • Eye guards can help prevent eye related injuries

Sport-related injuries can range from blunt trauma to a penetrating injury. Water sports have the highest rate of injuries due to infection as well blunt trauma, however, for those 15 and older, basketball has the highest rate. Blunt trauma incidents are the most common. These occur when something hits you in the eye. 

In sports like basketball and water polo, athletes are often reaching for the ball making it easy to get hit with a finger, arm or elbow. This type of injury can cause serious damage, including a broken bone under the eyeball, a broken eyeball, a black eye and a detached retina. 

Amy Pulles, who serves as the president and CEO of Prevent Blindness Ohio said that eye injuries can leave permanent damage and that it is important to give your eyes the proper protections.  

“You can get eye injuries that will make the eye not work even with a pair of eyeglasses,” said Pulles. “Say you've got an injury in one eye, well, then for the rest of your life, you've only got one good eye. You only have one eye that works, so something could happen to that eye, and then you end up being permanently blind.”

Pulles said the best way to avoid injury is by athletes utilizing eye guards. When purchasing eye guards, here's what to check for:

  • To ask your eye doctor to fit your prescription inside (for those who wear glasses) 
  • Ask for an anti-fog coating or purchase eye guards with side vents
  • Make sure the guards are following the correct standard for the sport outlined by the American Society for Testing Materials 
  • Make sure the guards have padding or cushion along the brow and bridge of the nose in order to prevent cutting into your skin 

In addition to the resources offered through Prevent Blindness Ohio, the Ohio Ophthalmological Society provides free eye safety gear through their Superspecs program. Parents and coaches can utilize the organization to receive an array of eye equipment for their athletes for little to no cost.