Proper Eyewear and Healthy Vision Crucial for Athletes’ Performance
Florida Optometric Association stresses visiting an optometrist for comprehensive eye care
Miami FL May 4th, 2015 As athletes gear up for a game, a vital component must be on their checklists—eye protection. Although extremely important, eyewear isn’t always a priority for some. According to the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) 2014 American Eye-Q® consumer survey, only 21 percent of those surveyed wear protective eyewear when playing contact sports. Athletes also need to be sure their eye health and vision are at their best—after all, a player’s vision could be the difference between their team’s win or loss.
Eye Desire can recommend appropriate eye protection for athletes and ensure their vision is sharp for the game.
What sports are considered high-risk for eye injury?
Sports considered by the National Eye Institute to be high-risk for eye injuries include baseball, softball, basketball, hockey, and racquetball. Basketball, in particular, has been ranked as a leading cause of eye injuries among 15- to 24-year-olds.
Tips to prevent serious eye injury
To prevent injury, athletes are advised to wear eye protection that may include safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards designed for a particular sport and that meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. These types of protection are designed to be impact resistant without clouding an athlete’s vision. Dr. David Roth can advise a patient athlete, coach, or parent on the best protection for that athlete and his or her needs.
UV protection is also important to consider, as exposure to UV radiation without proper protection can lead to serious problems.
“Short-term exposure to UV rays could lead to photokeratitis, also known as ‘sunburn of the eye,’” said Dr. David Roth. “Symptoms of photokeratitis include red eyes, a foreign-body sensation or gritty feeling in the eyes, extreme sensitivity to light and excessive tearing. Long-term exposure to UV can cause damage to the eye, possibly resulting in cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, or other visual impairments.”
For optimal eye sun-safety, the AOA recommends wearing sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B rays. Click here to learn more about UV protection.
Be prepared for an injury
Those on the sidelines need to keep an ocular emergency first aid kit on the bench so eye trauma can be dealt with swiftly and properly.
“A kit should include saline solution to ‘flush out’ an athlete’s eyes and a penlight with a blue filter and fluorescein dye to detect foreign bodies,” said Dr. David Roth “Coaches should also have an ocular emergency triage card on hand so they know when it’s time to visit the optometrist for an eye injury.”
Click here to download an ocular emergency triage card from the AOA Sports Vision Section, which works year-round to advance the quality and delivery of optometric sports vision care.
By visiting Eye Desire or Roth Eye Care regularly for comprehensive eye care, athletes can perform their best on the court or field with clear and healthy vision, as well as be sure their eyes are protected and, hopefully, bring home a win.
To make an appointment with Dr. David Roth for a comprehensive eye exam, visit www.eyedesire.com or call our office at 305-673-1211
Roth Eye Care Eye Desire
136 NE 2nd Ave 1211 17th Street
Miami FL 33132 Miami Beach FL 33139
Phone: 305-371-2020 Phone: 305-673-1211
Fax: 305-374-2123 Fax: 305-532-7684
Dr. David Roth & Dr. Ashley Roth
About the American Eye-Q® survey:
The ninth annual American Eye-Q® survey was created and commissioned in conjunction with Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB). From March 20-25, 2014, PSB conducted 1,000 online
interviews among Americans 18 years and older who embodied a nationally representative sample of the U.S. general population. (Margin of error is plus or minus 3.10 percentage points at a 95% confidence level)
About the American Optometric Association (AOA):
The American Optometric Association, a federation of state, student and armed forces optometric associations, was founded in 1898. Today, the AOA is proud to represent the profession of optometry, America’s family eye doctors, who take a leading role in an individual’s overall eye and vision care, health and well-being. Doctors of optometry (ODs) are the independent primary health care professionals for the eye and have extensive, ongoing training to examine, diagnose, treat and manage disorders, diseases and injuries that affect the eye and visual system, providing two-thirds of primary eye care in the U.S. For information on a variety of eye health and vision topics, and to find an optometrist near you, visit www.aoa.org.