Eye Protection for Children

Flags: flexpage,

The following information is provided to parents through a brochure titled "Eye Safety for Children" from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Accidents resulting in eye injuries can happen to anyone. But the fact is, over half of the victims are under the age of twenty-five.

Many of these injuries, over 100,000 annually, occur during sports or recreational activities. Perhaps the most startling statistic of all is that 90% of all eye injuries could have been  prevented.   Parents are advised to acquaint themselves with potentially dangerous situations at home and in school and to insist that their children use protective eyewear when participating in sports or other hazardous activities.   Sports eye protectors with polycarbonate lenses should be worn for sports such as basketball, racquet sports, soccer, baseball fielders, girls lacrosse and field hockey. Choose eye protectors that have been tested and meet the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards or pass the CSA racquetsport standard.   Contact lenses offer NO PROTECTION and contact lens wearers require additional protection when participating in sports.   General eye safety for children   It is strongly recommended that children with good vision in only one eye wear protective glasses to protect the good eye even if they do not need glasses otherwise. The lenses should be made of polycarbonate and have a center thickness of 2mm for daily wear and 3mm for sports.   Choosing a sturdy frame will reduce the risk of injury from the frames themselves. Frames that meet the ANSI industrial standards offer the best available protection for general spectacle wear.   Prescription lenses can be fitting into some types of sports eye protectors, but at present "empty" (lensless) frames do not provide adequate protection.   When an injury does occur   When an eye injury does occur, it is always best to have an ophthalmologist (eye physician or surgeon), or other medical doctor examine the eye as soon as possible. The seriousness of an eye injury may not be immediately obvious.