Protective eye gear may not be fashionable on the footy field or the squash court, but think for a moment about the logic of protecting our eyes.

We wear helmets to protect our heads and pads to protect our bones and joints, so why not take the extra step to protect our eyes? We take steps to prevent concussions, broken bones, bruises and chipped teeth, but what do we do to prevent the possibility of permanent vision loss, a scratched cornea, or a fractured eye socket?

Broken bones and bruises will heal, but a serious eye injury can prevent you from enjoying your favourite sport for the rest of your life.

How Do I Protect My Eyes While Playing Sports?

The methods in which an unprotected eye may be injured on a sporting field are too numerous to count. But the ways in which we can protect our eyes are simple and straightforward. It is especially important that children who are learning to coordinate or who have low skill levels wear protective eye gear. To reduce the risk of a serious eye injury, the following precautions should be taken when playing.

Baseball. In the event of an errant pitch, a ball lost in the sun or a thrown bat, a baseball player should wear a faceguard made of a sturdy plastic or polycarbonate material along with eye goggles, safety glasses or sunglasses.

Basketball. Basketball players should wear safety goggles/glasses at all times in the event of an errant elbow, a stray poke from another player’s finger, or even a stray basketball.

Soccer and football. Like other contact sports, an errant elbow, ball, foot, or finger can cause serious damage to the unprotected eye. Players should wear safety goggles or glasses, these are now available with a tint like sunglasses.

Hockey. Ever get a good look at a hockey player’s teeth? Imagine such damage to your eyes. Sticks, pucks, and elbows all fly freely during a hockey match, and a player should wear a full polycarbonate material safety glasses/goggles to prevent eye and other possible facial injuries.

Tennis or squash. To protect your eyes from an errant or misjudged ball, or in the case of racquetball, your opponent’s racquet, protective eye safety goggles should be worn at all times while playing these sports.

How Do I Know My Eye Protective Gear Will Be Effective?

Regular reading glasses, sunglasses, and sometimes-even safety glasses don’t provide necessary eye protection for sports participants. Athletes need to purchase sports eye guards/safety glasses that are tailored to protect the eyes while playing the specific sport. Prices for the correct safety sports eyewear vary. Other suggestions for sports eye safety include:

• Purchase eye guards at a sports store or an optometrist that have someone familiar with your eyesight and the sporting requirements.
• Don’t purchase eyewear that doesn’t contain the correct lenses. Lenses should be secure because with many demanding sports there is the chance that a lens may pop inward, which could cause scratching or damage to the eye.
• Eye guards/safety glasses should contain cushioning along the eyebrow and the edge of the nose to help prevent the athlete from cutting or damaging his or her face.
• If in doubt polycarbonate safety goggles will be more than sufficient for the majority of sporting applications including squash.  We sell  ‘Eyres Oddie’ which is available with or without a prescription insert and it would be suitable for sports.