The Use Of Safety Eye Protection By Children In Recreational Sports.

Background: This research study was designed to assess the proportion of children that
wear safety eyewear while playing sports. We have designed this study not only to benefit child athletes, but also to further educate parents and coaches regarding the importance of safety eye protection. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 600,000 eye-related sports injuries occur each year. 42,000 of these are emergency room-related and of these emergency room injuries, one third are children. Research indicates that children account for 43% of sports and recreational eye injuries. The American Optometric Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Ophthalmology all strongly recommend eye protection in sports that pose a risk for eye injuries. Methods: Our plan to gather data was by utilization of a survey distributed to all parents of pediatric patients at the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University. This project intends to increase the awareness of utilizing protective eyewear in sports. Results: Seventy-eight (78) individuals were included in the target group for the study, the majority of which (25%) played soccer. The target group for this survey was children aged between four and seventeen. It was found that only two (2) individuals (3%) of our study group wore sport-specific safety eyewear. One (1) individual (1.5%) in our target group suffered
from a sports-related eye injury. Conclusions: It was determined that an overwhelmingly low number of individuals in our target group wore safety eyewear while playing sports. It is important to increase the education of awareness regarding the significance of wearing safety eyewear to prevent the risk of sports-related eye injuries.