Sports Related Eye Injuries


Each year, participating in sports causes many cases of eye injuries. Most of these occur in kids, and about 90% of them can be avoided. Basketball and baseball cause the most eye injuries, followed by water sports and racquet sports. Learn about the risks and common injuries, as well as how to help prevent them and when to see your doctor.



Common eye injuries

Interestingly, the highest number of eye injuries for children ages 14 and under occurs in baseball. For adolescents and young adults, it’s basketball. Other sports with a high risk of eye injury are boxing, hockey, paintball, racquetball, softball and squash.

The most common types of injuries include:
  • Eyelid lacerations
  • Corneal abrasions
  • Foreign bodies in the eye
  • Broken blood vessels

Facts on Eye Injuries

No one sets out for a sport expecting an eye injury, but just a few preventive measures can make the difference. Here are some interesting facts regarding sports-related eye injuries:
  • An estimated 40,000 sports-related eye injuries occur each year in the United States.
  • About 90 percent of sports-related eye injuries are preventable.
  • One-third of the victims of sports-related eye injuries are children.
  • Baseball accounts for the largest number of eye injuries in children ages 5 to 14, at about 21 percent, while basketball is responsible for 28 percent of eye injuries in 15- to 24-year-olds. In baseball, most eye injuries are due to ocular contact with the ball. In basketball, most eye injuries are due to eyes being poked by fingers and elbows.

Things to consider

Your family doctor should examine you before you play any sports. Make sure to tell them if you have eye problems or a family history of retinal problems. If so, you should see an eye doctor before playing any high-risk sports. This will help you learn to protect yourself from severe eye injury.
Also, do not try to treat the injury yourself or remove something from your eye. If you have a scratch, it may feel like you have an eyelash or other foreign object in your eye that you can’t seem to remove. Do not rub your eye, because that can make the injury worse. Seek care right away if you have symptoms, such as:
  • loss of vision
  • intense pain
  • blood in your eye
  • fluid coming from your eye
  • cut on your eye
  • object in your eye
  • an eye that is swollen shut.

Preventing eye injury

  • Wear eye protection or goggles while playing any sport
  • Wear eye protection, if you have an eye problem
  • Decrease the hardness of the ball
  • Coaches and parents should make sure that players are following the rules of the game.
It’s important that parents educate themselves in the rules of the game – and know rules for that particular age group, so their children are protected. If your child sustains an eye injury, make sure not to put any pressure on the wound and seek medical attention immediately.Do not return to sports until the doctor says it is safe. Do not take pain medicine or topical anesthetics to play through the pain. You also should not play if your vision is impaired. When you return to sports, make sure you wear proper eye protection. 

Location: New York, NY, USA

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