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An old Creek Indian proverb states, "We warm our hands by the fires we did not build, we drink the water from the wells we did not dig, we eat the fruit of the trees we did not plant, and we stand on the shoulders of giants who have gone before us."
In 1961, the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) was formed. This association stewards over 80 eye banks in the US with over 60,000 recipients each year of corneal tissue that restores sight to blind people. Over one million men, women, and children have had vision restored and pain relieved from eye injury or disease. The Eye Bank Association of America is truly a giant whom shoulders that we stand upon today. Their service and foresight into helping patients with blindness is remarkable.
It is important to give back the gift of sight. You may be asking, “How does this affect me?” On the back of your drivers license form there is a box that can be checked for being an organ donor. Many people forego this option because they are not educated on the benefits of it. There are many eye diseases that rob people of sight because of an opacity, pain, or disease process of the cornea. Keratoconus, a disease that causes malformation of the curvature of the cornea, can be treated by a corneal transplant. Chemical burns that cause scarring on the cornea leave people blinded or partially blind.
If you were to do a Google news search for sports-related eye injuries today, chances are you'd find multiple recent stories about some pretty scary eye injuries. Whether they are professionals, high school or college athletes, or kids in community sports programs, no one is immune to the increased danger sports brings to the eyes.
Here are some facts about sports-related eye injuries:
- Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children in the United States and most injuries occurring in school-aged children are sports-related.
- One-third of the victims of sports-related eye injuries are children.
- Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United States treats a sports-related eye injury.
- These injuries account for an estimated 100,000 physician visits per year at a cost of more than $175 million.
- Ninety percent of sports-related eye injuries could be avoided with the use of protective eyewear.
Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards designed for individual sports.
Protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate or Trivex.
Ordinary prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses do not protect against eye injuries. Safety goggles should be worn over them.
The highest risk sports are:
- Paintball
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Racquet Sports
- Boxing and Martial Arts
The most common injuries associated with sports are:
- Abrasions and contusions
- Detached retinas
- Corneal lacerations and abrasions
- Cataracts
- Hemorrhages
- Eye loss
