Playing sports, we don’t often think about whether we have to put on the helmets and protective padding. We know that we’ll end up with some bruising or worse–a broken bone if we don’t wear it. When it comes to our eyes, why don’t we think about protecting our eyes the same way?

Eye care and protection are significantly crucial for people, especially those who play sports. Whether it is soccer or ice hockey, players have to wear the right gear to keep their eyes safe and uninjured. Sports-related injuries to the eye are always preventable, yet people do not take the steps that they need to prevent them from happening.

With more than 89 million Americans currently playing sports, optometry is now focusing its efforts on providing support for those in need of glasses and eye protection. There are even specific eye care areas called sports vision that work with patients to ensure their vision deficiencies don’t prevent them from performing well in the competition.

Eye care for sports is essential for all demographics, but most importantly for the younger generations. For kids, they should always use eye protection. It depends on the sport, but according to WebMD, here are the best glasses for each sport:

• Baseball: plastic goggles or eye guards
• Basketball: goggles
• Soccer: eye guards
• Football: face mask and full faceguard
• Hockey: wire or plastic face mask
• Tennis or racquetball: goggles

There are many benefits to pursuing eye care and protection for sports. People often prevent eye injuries from happening, many of them potentially permanently damaging. As well, people continue to help support their eye deficiencies, both on and off the court. Sports eye care is not difficult to find either. Even if you can’t find the right gear at your local optometrist, there are other ways to find the perfect product for you.

Often, sports stores will have eye guards and goggles that athletes can buy. Visiting these stores first usually ensures that the product will fit the patient, and then they can take it to their doctor. Optometry is still new to the sports vision field, yet bringing protective eye guards and glasses here will help eliminate some of the significant issues resulting in injuries.

Your local optometrist will be able to ensure that your lenses stay on and won’t fall off. If they do, you can risk cutting your eye open. Another essential feature of your goggles or eye guard is to make sure that they don’t cut, scratch, or dig into your skin while you’re wearing them. They have to have the right fit. Otherwise, they will not help you while you compete.  

Eye care can also include sunglasses for outdoor sports so that patients continue to protect their eyes from harmful UV rays. The most critical aspect of choosing proper protection for your eyes is to make sure that you’re comfortable with your decision. In optometry, no matter how much a pair of glasses or goggles might help, they should always fit right and protect your eyes.

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Bibliography

AOA. “Sports & Performance Vision (SPV).” AOA, 2021,

Seltman, Whitney. “Eye Safety and Sports.” WebMD, 27 Jan. 2004,