However, with the proper protective equipment or safety procedures, most of these injuries can be prevented. Contrary to popular belief, shatterproof street-wear glasses and soft contact lenses do not constitute protective eyewear. Here are some guidelines for recreational eye safety:
- For basketball, tennis, soccer, and all racketball sports, wear prescription or nonprescription polycarbonate sports goggles with side shields.
- For baseball and lacrosse, wear a helmet a with polycarbonate face mask or wire shield.
- For ice hockey, helmets should be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
- For skiing, wear goggles or glasses that filter UV and excessive sunlight.
- For boxing, there is no adequate eye protection, butt humbless gloves are believed to reduce injuries.
- The following precautions should be taken to protect children at play:
- Choose games and toys that are age appropriate, and have an adult supervise play.
- Avoid projectile toys (darts, bows and arrows, and so forth) and air-powered guns.
- Keep children away from fireworks and chemicals that can spray into eyes.
- Do not allow children to play in an area where lawnmowers or power tools are in use.
Research over the last ten years has shown that prolonged exposure to the sun can threaten your sight and cause skin problems. The sun's rays produce ultraviolet (UV) light in two wavelengths that are dangerous: UV-A wavelengths contribute to skin aging and UV-B is the type of radiation that causes sunburn and skin cancer. Both types can cause ocular damage, which results in a greater incidence of glaucoma and macular degeneration.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology makes the following recommendations for protecting against overexposure to the sun:
- Given the increased risk of skin cancer and some types of cataract associated with UV exposure, the public should protect their eyes, especially when exposed to excessive sunlight. If there is sufficient UV present to cause sunburn, a hat and sunglasses are advised.
- People with high UV exposure, especially those spending prolonged duration in the sun or in the snow during the middle of the day, or those exposed to intense artificial sources such as welding arcs or sun tanning lamps, should consider using close-fitted goggles or sunglasses with lenses that absorb all UV-B and UV-A, and possibly a substantial portion of blue light as well.
- 3. Consumers should be able to determine the UV and visible light absorptive properties of sunglasses. Manufacturers are encouraged to adopt a simple coding system for sunglasses that clearly indicates the degree of UV-Band UV-A radiation, as well as the blue and visible light absorbed on.
