Monday, August 13, 2012

Sports Eye Injuries Prevention

Sports Eye Injury Prevention 



What You Need to Know
A sprained ankle cannot change a child's life, but an eye injury can. As sports participation statistics continue to climb, the number of athletes who fall victim to eye injuries has the potential to grow at alarming rates.The impact of a ball or other equipment as well as an opponent's hands and elbows pose a threat to an athlete's visual safety.  Regardless of an individual's age or skill level, every athlete's eyes are targets for injury.
Belill Eye Care is a certified Sports Injury Prevention Center. It is our duty to inform and educate the public about this important issue. Despite the consensus support from the medical community and United States government for the use of protective sports eyewear, the majority of athletic programs, coaches, schools, parents and athletes remain unaware that a problem even exists. And every thirteen minutes an emergency room treats another preventable sports eye injury.
It is a virtual certainty that the use of proper protective eyewear for risk-prone sports will eventually be legally mandated. However, the legislation is a long process. Consider that it took DECADES for mandated use of seat belts, car seats and bicycle helmets. Even though most youth sport leagues currently do not require the use of eye protection, parents and coaches must insist that ALL children who play sports use proper protective eyewear, not just those who normally wear ordinary glasses or contact lenses. It is especially important for student athletes who have normal vision in only one eye.
Whether you are a parent, coach, or athletic director, you can encourage schools to adopt a policy on protective eyewear and be a good role model by wearing it yourself. By providing your children with proper protective sports eyewear, you can help prevent them from becoming another statistic.

FREQUENT
§  Every 13 minutes in the United States, an E.R. treats a sports-related eye injury.
§  More than 600,000 injuries related to sports and recreation occur each year.
§  27% of all eye injuries of sports-related (40% for kids between ages of 11-14).
§  Over 50% of children play organized sports.
§  School-aged competitors are particularly prone to eye injuries since their athletic skills (hand-eye coordination, balance, reaction time and speed) are still developing. Consider that 66% of all sports eye injuries occur in participants between ages of 5-24).
§  Baseball is the leading cause of eye injuries in children 14 and under.
§  Basketball is the leading cause of eye injuries among 15 to 24 year olds.
§  One-in-eighteen college athletes sustain an eye injury each season. The odds increase to one-in-ten for basketball players.
§  Sports with highest rates of eye injuries include -
basketball, water sports, baseball/softball, Guns (air, BB), football, bicycling, racquet sports, golf, exercising/weightlifting, winter sports, and soccer.

SEVERE
§  Eye Injuries are the leading cause of BLINDNESS in children and most injuries occuring in school-aged children are sports-related.
§  Approximately 13,500 legally blinding sports eye injuries occur each year.
§  Categories of Eye Injuries : blunt trauma, penetrating, radiation
§  The one-eyed athlete is 150 times more likely to go completely blind than an athlete with two fully functioning eyes.
§  Eye injury is the leading cause of visual impairment in one eye.
§  Playing high risk sports without certified protective eyewear is one of the greatest dangers to a child's vision.
§  Types of eye injuries: Corneal abrasion, fractured orbital bone, eyelid laceration, ruptured eyeball, blood seepage into eyeball, iris tear, retinal detachment, optic nerve tear

PREVENTABLE
§  An estimated 85% of children do NOT utilize protective sports eyewear in situations that present a risk of eye injury. (Contact lenses, ordinary glasses, or sunglasses do NOT protect against eye injuries).
§  Protective sports eyewear may prevent up to 90% of sports-related eye injuries.
§  Protective sports eyewear are eyeglass frames or goggles specifically designed to meet or exceed the appropriate ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) certified impact protective standards. Lenses in protective sports eyewear must be made of polycarbonate or Phoenix plastic material. These are impact resistant and shield eyes from harmful UV radiation.
§  Protective sports eyewear should be fitted by an eyecare professional to be sport-specific and comfortable on the face. With many new styles and colors available, protective sports eyewear is no longer geeky. It is effective AND stylish.
§  BEWARE: Studies show that children participating in sports wearing ordinary glasses or sunglasses (those that do not meet ASTM certified protective standards) are at a far more severe risk of serious eye injury that participants using no eye protection at all.
§  Increasing the use of protective eyewear in sports is an objective of the National Health Institute's "Healthy People 2020" initiative. This document states the health goals of our country.
§  The use of protective eyewear for all participants during sports in which there is a risk of eye injury is strongly recommended by the following groups: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, National Eye Institute, Prevent Blindness America, International Federation of Sports Medicine.
§  Despite the fact that the medical community and the federal government have made their positions clear, the majority of athletic programs, schools, coaches, parents and players aren't even aware that sports eye injuries are a problem.
§  A recent market sampling in Michigan showed that 97% of high schools do not have a Sports Vision Program
§  We all know how seriously a coach, athletic director and school system view their responsibility to protect their athletes. Kids wouldn't be allowed to play their sport without the proper protective equipment (elbow pads, shin guards, face masks, mouth guards). Yet there is no policy to protect eyes. We protect our children against broken bones and bruises - why not protect them from blindness too?
§  Currently, most youth leagues do not require the use of protective sports eyewear. Parents and coaches must insist that all children who play should use protective sports eyewear - not just those who wear ordinary glasses or contact lenses. For those children that need ordinary glasses, protective sports eyewear can be made to match their prescription.
§  Now that you are educated - take action to help prevent a child from becoming a statistic. Whether you are a parent, coach, or teacher - you can encourage schools to adopt a mandatory policy on protective sports eyewear. Meanwhile, besides ensuring that all children who play protect their eyes - also be a good role model by wearing it yourself.
§  Protective sports eyewear is similar to seat belts, car seats, and bicycle helmets. Even though in some cases not very popular, they are vital pieces of equipment that protect children from serious injury.
§  Make it clear to school-aged athletes: if they do not wear proper protective sports eyewear, then they DO NOT PLAY.
LINKS

Preventing Sports Related Eye Injuries in Children - by Jenelyn Russo - featuring Dr. Berman


We help them put on their shin guards and elbow pads. We make sure they have a helmet that fits properly. As parents of our child athletes, we do whatever we can to ensure that our kids have all of the best state-of-the-art equipment for their sports participation.

But what about protecting their eyes?  

According to Prevent Blindness America, more than 42,000 sports-related eye injuries occur each year, and up to 90 percent of them can be avoided. "The greatest risk to a child's vision is eye injury, which in most cases is sports-related," says Dr. Paul Berman, an optometrist with VSP, a national network of vision care providers. "Every 13 minutes, a child goes to the emergency room due to a sports-related eye injury."

These injuries can range from minor abrasions to irreversible damage or blindness involving parts of the eye, such as the cornea, retina, iris or eye socket. Blunt trauma and penetrating injuries are often the most debilitating.

Sports that use equipment such as bats and/or balls are where the majority of these eye-related injuries are found, and they present a higher risk for eye damage. This would include year-round favorites in Orange County, sports that typically do not include protective eyewear as a part of the standard equipment: basketball, baseball, tennis and soccer.

According to Berman, the sports that pose the greatest risk for eye injury are basketball (for children over age 14) and baseball (for children under age 14). In baseball, two-thirds of eye-related injuries occur on the field, not at bat.
"A line drive or a bad hop off the infield grass can lead to a baseball-related eye injury," says Berman. "But those types of injuries are easily preventable."

So what steps can parents take to help protect their young athletes' eyes out on the court or the field? The key, Dr. Berman says, is incorporating the use of proper equipment and annual eye exams.

Comprehensive annual eye exams for your child will not only ensure that any vision issues are promptly dealt with, they'll allow both parents and kids to receive information regarding available protective eyewear products.

These products, as recommended by Prevent Blindness America, include safety goggles (with lensed polycarbonate protectors) for racquet sports or basketball, along with batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields for youth baseball. Berman cautions against young athletes wearing regular glasses or sunglasses while participating in their chosen sport, as those products are not shatterproof and could cause serious damage if broken while in use.

"The protective eyewear needs to provide UV protection and be sports- certified, made to withstand impact," says Berman.
And for those kids who require vision correction, parents have a few options. Sports-certified protective eyewear is available with prescription lenses, or children can be fitted with contacts to be worn in conjunction with protective sports goggles.

Since sports are such an integral part of so many Orange County families, the use of eye protection will allow kids to safely enjoy the sports they love. So when reviewing all the pieces of equipment needed for that upcoming baseball or soccer season, don't forget to consider eye protection.

"Protecting your kid's eyes now with the proper equipment, and annual eye exams, will help them stay on top of their game, both on the field and off," says Berman. 

By Jenelyn Russo

Dr. Berman to Receive the Lions "Champions of Change" Award at the "White House"


Dr. Berman to Receive the Lions "Champions of Change" Award at the "White House"

Dr. Paul and Diane Berman were honored to be invited to the White House for Dr. Berman to receive this prestigious award.  Dr. Berman was humbled that he is one of 10 recipients of this award and to visit the White House actually for the first time, not as a tourist, but as a guest and honoree.  He is particularly happy that he can share this experience with his wife, Diane.  To be chosen from all the great Lions that do so much great work is indeed humbling.  Dr. Berman received this award for him being the Founder of Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes and also for the work he is doing working with Essilor to provide low-cost lenses to make it more affordable for his fellow Lions and other charities to help people see.  Dr. Berman will be receiving this honor on October 2, 2012 and, obviously, will be posting pictures of this event.

Dr. Berman goes to Newark Day Care Center


Dr. Berman goes to Newark Day Care Center

Dr. Berman worked with VSP to provide vision care for 52 adults and children at the Newark Day Care Center.  Several of the prescriptions were the first time that the patient wore glasses and they were life altering.  He indeed finds it gratifying to be able to make a difference and make it so people can see the world clearly.