Maybe it sounds like common sense, but we think it bears repeating: Whenever playing any sport, you should wear eye safety goggles. Your long-term vision is too precious to risk with fun and games.
There might be a few exceptions – like track and field events – but even then, proper protective eyewear is still a good idea. Otherwise, even non-contact sports can pose significant dangers. The medical literature is filled with horror stories of eye injuries resulting from even supposedly safe pastimes, like golfing.
Sports Create Serious Ocular Dangers
Wild shots can happen all the time in baseball, cricket, golf, tennis, lacrosse, hockey, and virtually any other team sport. The balls and other objects used in these sports can easily reach velocities that shatter eye sockets, or destroy eyeballs, with a direct hit.
The dangers become even greater when dealing with sports where extensive physical contact is involved. Football, rugby, and any fighting-based sport will bring even more direct dangers to eye safety. Even if it’s entirely accidental, a single misplaced finger in a dogpile could ruin an eye.
All this underscores how important is is to always wear protective sports eyewear whenever engaging in sport, even if you don’t normally wear glasses.
The good news is, there’s no dispute that sports goggles do help prevent eye injury. In one study of high school hockey players, it was found that students who weren’t required to wear goggles had a fivefold increase in their chances of eye injury. That’s a lot of risk to their vision, when a simple set of sports eyewear could keep them safe.
Don’t Play Games With Your Eyesight
Our eyes are too important and too irreplaceable to have them be damaged by injuries that are preventable. If you always wear protective eyewear while playing sports, you’ll be helping to ensure your eye safety.
