Eye Injuries On The Rise In Youth Sports

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When it comes to sports-related injuries, you probably think of concussions and broken bones.

As turns out, there are also a lot of eye injuries, especially in youth sports.

Three years ago, it was a mom's nightmare at the baseball field.

"One had just taken a backswing, and Henry was standing right behind him," Tracy Adams said. "I heard him screaming in pain… I thought he broke -- I thought it was going to have significant eye damage. It was terrifying…And when I took his hands away, the whole side of his face had swollen up massively."

"I wasn't that smart back then, so I honestly thought my skull was going to fall apart," Henry Adams said.

Henry is far from alone. A high number of eye injuries from sports is getting attention.

"Glancing injuries, corneal abrasions, contusions around the eye," West Penn Hospital Ophthalmology Dr. John Guehl said.

According to a study in JAMA Ophthalmology, these injuries send 300,000 people a year to the emergency department.

"Basketball, you can catch an elbow or get poked in the eye. Less likely to have an injury from the ball itself," Dr. Guehl said. "Probably the worst injury I had was some years ago and was with racquetball. The sport became popular before goggles became popular."

The average age of the patients with these injuries is 22. They're more like to be male. The injuries occur most frequently with basketball, followed by baseball, and air guns. One-in-five baseball injuries involves fractures in the bones around the eye.

"The bulk of the force here is going to be taken by the bone," Dr. Guehl said.

In cases where vision is damaged, one-in-four was related to paint ball and air guns.

"It's going to compress the eye, it's going to push the eye back against t the optic nerve, it's going to squish the eye a little bit, and that's going to cause tearing inside and bleeding," Dr. Guehl said.

Safety glasses can protect your eyes, but not all athletes wear them.

"It's going to be a nuisance, people will complain about it, it affects their vision, their peripheral vision, or sweating, or things of that sort," Dr. Guehl said.

"We get resistance from kids, they don't want to wear these big standout goggles. And all their friends don't have them. So, they kind of resist a little bit on that," Visionworks' Desiray Pavkovich said.

But, near misses are often motivating. And bright colors matching sports uniforms can sway a reluctant youngster.

One optical shop manager recommends special nose pads for cushioning and to reduce fogging. Also polycarbonate lenses can resist shattering.

When you're looking for protective eyewear, the fit is very important. You don't want anything too big, because that will just get jostled. And an attached strap that goes around the back of the head will keep the glasses in place during vigorous activity.

Parents look for safety features in their children's glasses, whether it's for soccer, basketball, or even recess. Adults look for recreational protection, too.

"A lot of times, they'll just want to wear their contacts for sport. Well, things get in your eyes," Pavkovich said. "People who drive motorcycles, getting hit in the face with rocks and debris."

As for Henry, he did not have a fracture. The swelling went down and now he's more careful.

"We wear helmets with masks," he said.

"I think it's a great idea to have some sort of goggle," Tracy said. "It's definitely something I'm more aware of, after this…We're very lucky he has such a hard head."

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter