Healthy Vision Month E-bulletin
March 2008/Issue 1 |
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Feature Article – Gear Up for Healthy Vision Month
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Every 13 minutes a sports-related eye injury is treated in an emergency room in the United States. The majority of these eye injuries occur in children under the age of 15. Most can be prevented with the use of protective eyewear.
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Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards designed for a particular sport. Ordinary prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses do not protect against eye injuries. Safety goggles should be worn over them. Read more...
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Community Programs – Ohio Ophthalmological Society
 The Ohio Ophthalmological Society provides professional knowledge, services, and legislative advocacy to its members. Since 1999, the society’s “Play Hard. Don’t Blink.” program has worked to prevent sports-related eye injuries among Ohio children aged 5 to 18. The program is dedicated to the following:
- Enlightening parents, coaches, children, and others about sport-specific protective equipment, how to select equipment, and where to acquire equipment.
- Encouraging sports directors, schools, athletic organizations, and parents to create a policy requiring the use of protective eyewear.
- Distributing appropriate protective eyewear to baseball and softball teams in Ohio.
The program is funded on an annual basis through a grant from the Save Our Sight Fund of the Ohio Department of Health. The Fund collects donations from Ohioans when they renew their vehicle registrations every year. The Ohio Ophthalmological Society received a Healthy Vision Community Award in 2005 to help the program promote the use of goggles and recreational eyeglasses as essential equipment for all sporting activities.
For more information, visit www.ohioeye.org.
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Tools and Resources
Use these resources to inform children, teachers, parents, and coaches in your community about preventing sports-related eye injuries and the need for protective eyewear.
Drop-in Article for Adults (PDF)
Download this article and use it in your publications and newsletters to inform others about the importance of protective eyewear in sports. |
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Fact Sheet (PDF)
Download this fact sheet and pass it out to coaches, teachers, parents, and other adults to spread the word about protective eyewear. |
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Fast Facts
- Baseball is the leading cause of sports-related eye injury among children aged 14 and under.
- Little League Baseball recommends using face guards on batting helmets to better protect players.
- One in 50 soccer players will suffer an eye injury in an eight-year career.
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