Why should we as parents worry about the incidence of eye injury with respect to sport and recreation?  I do not know about you, I want to keep my child safe.  So if I know that there are situations that can put one of their vital senses in danger, I want to know about it.  That way I can do something to mitigate the chance that it can happen to them.

We all know that even minor injuries can be painful and debilitating.  Remember the feeling of an eyelash in your eye as an example.   Further to this serious injuries can occur, leading to permanent impairment, such as loss of vision and this can lead to a decrease in the quality of life.  We all know that even a mild eye injury can cause inconvenience in daily life and carry a burden of treatment costs.

There are over 600 000cases of sports- and recreation-related eye injuries annually worldwide.  The incidence of injuries has been shown to be dependent on the popularity of a sport in the region.  For example in USA eye injuries most commonly occur during basketball and baseball games.  While in Europe the injuries occur during floorball and soccer.

In Australia, a Western Australia study found that the majority of injuries occur while playing basketball, rugby, soccer, or badminton.  Squash and lacrosse have regulations around eye protection as previously they were shown to be at high risk of permanent eye injury resulting in loss of vision.

A recent study across 4 hospitals looked at the patients that presented with an eye injury, to try and determine the causes.  Of the 349 injuries observed that resulted from sport or recreation soccer was the most common causal activity with 21% of the eye injuries observed mainly in teenagers, individuals in their 20s, and men.  Badminton and soccer were found to be significantly associated with visual impairment at the first hospital visit compared with combat sports.

Intervention to prevent these injuries from occurring should be geared towards the promotion of wearing protective eyewear during these activities for individuals to be mandatory.