The Best Offense is a Good Defense for Optical Safety as Activities Move Outdoors
For Eyes Offers a Variety of Preventative Options for Athletes from Little Leaguers to Weekend Warriors
Miramar, FL (May 23, 2018)- With a rise in recreation over the spring and summer months, so comes the potential for increased eye injuries.
Sporting mishaps account for nearly 15 percent of the 2.5 million eye injuries in the U.S. each year, with children the victims of one-third of the accidents. The leading cause of blindness for children is trauma to the eye.
Yet only 15 percent of youngsters on the court or in the field are protected by proper eyewear.
Dr. Matthew J. Modderno, O.D., who practices Optometry in Norwood, Mass., and at the For Eyes location at 138 Nahatan St., says the most common injuries to children are cuts or lacerations to the eyelid or the eye itself.
“Sometimes you get a corneal abrasion,” Dr. Modderno said. “That’s pretty common. They scrape up against something, or the ball glances at them. Sometimes they run into another kid, and they scrape their eye against a uniform, or dirt or dust particles get into the eye. Those are the two most common ones. Less commonly, you’ll get a severe blunt trauma—like a ball impacting the eye. Then you’ll get the swollen eyelid, the internal inflammation and it’s a lot more serious."
“The adult eye can be a little more resilient in a way. Kids' eyes are more reactive. In general, if a kid is accidentally poked in the eye, it’s going to water up a little faster. They’ll be much more sensitive with it. Whereas the adult eye, in general, the older you get the less sensitive you get. If you get hit in the eye at age 50, depending on how hard it is and where it is, it will likely be less traumatic. But a kid's eye will blow up real fast.”
Most of the sports injuries Dr. Modderno treats at his practice stem from accidents occurring in baseball, lacrosse, basketball and hockey for children, as well as racquetball and squash for adults.
“As lacrosse has become more popular, those injuries are on the rise due to the close contact,” Modderno said, citing a litany of sources of possible injuries. “Traditionally, baseball and basketball—with the elbows and banging into each other at close proximity--you get a lot of elbows to the face and the eyes. That happens quite a bit. Any sport where there are small balls like tennis, and they’re not wearing headgear, that’s another one where you can see the tennis ball hit up against the eye.”
While 42 percent of eye traumas will result in a trip to the emergency room, nine out of 10 injuries could have been prevented with the appropriate eyeglasses or goggles. Polycarbonate lenses, which resist the impact from an object traveling at up to 90-miles-per-hour, are recommended.
“The challenge is trying to convince parents and kids that it’s a good idea,” Dr. Modderno said. “Most of the ones that don’t need vision correction will fight you a little bit. It’s kind of an uphill climb. In the sports where it’s a lot more dangerous, obviously, they’ve got the headgear in lacrosse and hockey, so they have something between them and the rest of the field when objects are coming at them."
“With corrected vision, they can avoid injury by being able to move quicker with improved reaction times, he added. “It helps them get out of the way and avoiding random injury.”
When enjoying outdoor activities for sports or leisure, protecting the eyes from the sun is paramount to achieving good optical health. Polarized lenses can cut down on both glare and harmful UV rays.
“Whenever a parent comes in, after we’ve completed the exam and fix their vision correcti
on needs, the next thing on my list to mention and strongly recommend is that adults and kids should have sunglasses—and not just inexpensive ones off the rack,” Modderno said. “Something of a decent quality that has
a polycarbonate lens. If they’re going to be active, they’ll have the protection. If they’re going to be outside for long periods of time playing sports, especially in the daytime, they’ll have UV protection and that’s pretty important."
“Patients usually think about sunglasses mainly when they’re going on vacation where they’re out in the sun, but they don’t think about it in their own backyard or out in the field all day where kids absorb the same amount of UV rays as adults.”
So whether its baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, soccer or any number of sports, good vision and proper corrective eye care is just as important as cleats, clubs, balls and rackets.
About For Eyes by GrandVision
For Eyes was founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, PA, on the foundation that an optical store should have a friendly open environment with fair pricing and high-quality standards. Throughout the years, For Eyes has grown to nearly 120 stores across the United States. In December 2015 For Eyes became a part of GrandVision, the global leader in optical retail. For Eyes leverage this global knowledge in eye care, technology and products, along with expertly trained ophthalmologists, optometrists and technicians to provide the highest level of expert vision care in each of its stores.
About GrandVision
GrandVision is a global leader in optical retailing and delivers high quality and affordable eye care to more and more customers around the world. The high-quality eye care offered by GrandVision includes a wide range of services provided by its vision experts, prescription glasses including frames and lenses, contact lenses and contact lens care products, and sunglasses both plain and with prescription lenses. These products are offered through leading optical retail banners which operate in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. GrandVision serves its customers in approximately 7,000 stores and with more than 36,000 employees which are proving every day that in EYE CARE, WE CARE MORE. For more information, please visitwww.grandvision.com.
