Eye Protection Could Prevent Vision Problems

Jun 28, 2015 in Eye Care

Eye Protection Could Prevent Vision Problems

Whether you play sports professionally or as a leisure activity, your eyes are at a risk of being injured. Sports-related eye injuries are quite common, with the top causes being water and pool activities or games, basketball, baseball / cricket, as well as sports involving air guns. Here’s what you need to know about eye injuries and safety glasses.

Sporty Spice

When it comes to eye injuries, sports can be classified as per their risk level. Low-risk sports do not involve a ball or puck and a bat or racquet. Also there’s no body contact involved. Low-risk sports include swimming, gymnastics, cycling, etc. High-risk sports such as cricket, baseball, hockey, tennis and other racquet sports, fencing, etc. involve either body contact or objects such as ball, puck, bat, racquet and the list goes on. Very high-risk sports such as boxing, wrestling and martial arts involve a lot of body contact and often no protective eyewear. Most sports-related eye injuries are caused by blunt trauma, which occurs when something hits your eye. This can lead to bruising, fracture or ruptured eyeball, depending upon severity of impact. Other eye injuries include radiation injuries which are caused by the sun’s UV rays and can occur while engaging in sports such as swimming or skiing.

Safety First

While sports-related eye injuries are quite common, more than 90% of these are usually preventable. Certain sports such as baseball or squash have a higher risk of causing eye injuries; however, most sports have some level of risk to cause a serious, even life-changing, eye injury. Eye injuries can be prevented by the simple act of wearing appropriate sports safety goggles. Wearing protective eyewear during sports should be as basic a requirement as wearing a helmet while riding, or a seat belt while driving. Nowadays you can find specific safety glasses for all sorts of sports – from squash goggles to wraparound glasses for cricket, from ski goggles to spectacles designed for swimming. Be cautious while wearing regular glasses, sunglasses or contact lenses while playing sports. These may actually increase your chances of suffering an eye injury. The lenses may shatter upon impact and tiny glass shards could get into your eyes, damaging them and compromising your vision. Get custom-made glasses and sunglasses that can protect your eyes while you play sports.

Get Framed

Walk into your neighbourhood Leightons Opticians and Hearing Care store and you will find a wide variety of standard safety glasses and prescription safety glasses to keep your eyes protected. We deal with some of the best manufacturers of safety eyewear. You can find polycarbonate lenses or toughened glass lenses, as well as lenses with UV protection and anti-reflective coatings.

We have a huge range of designer frames so you can pick the one that best fits your requirements and the shape of your face. If you need prescription lenses, you can get an eye test done at our store as well. Our eye test is comprehensive and includes a complete lifestyle evaluation as well. Our optometrist will be able to advise you on the safety glasses that best meet your needs. We will also guide you on care and maintenance of the glasses. So drop in at our store or call us on 0800 40 20 20 and we will be happy to help you with your safety glasses requirements.