It's Summer! Now Make Sure to Protect Your Eyes!

This summer, make sure you protect your family's eyes.

Each year, thousands of sports-related eye injuries occur in the United States. The arrival of summer brings more outdoor sports and with them, the increased danger of eye injuries.

Everyone knows about the sun and the protection needed from harmful UV rays, but very few take the proper steps to protect their eyes from a very different, but equally dangerous hazard–sports!

Dr. Wahab at SEEN Vision Care urges even casual athletes to protect their sight–and that of teammates–by keeping street eyewear off the playing field and wearing proper protective eyewear instead.

“Conventional frames and lenses do not meet the minimum requirements for impact resistance in most sports, which can turn a small collision into a sight-threatening injury,” Dr. Wahab says.

Sports-protective eyewear is tested to meet rigid standards and most can now have your prescription put right into them so there is no lack of visual acuity.

"Eye protection should be of major concern to all athletes, especially in certain high-risk sports," says Dr. Wahab. "Thousands of children and adults unnecessarily suffer sports-related eye injuries each year.

"Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United States treats a sports related eye injury, and nearly all could be prevented by using the proper protective eyewear," he adds. "And, if you participate in sports, get an eye exam. It can detect whether you have vision problems, like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, which could diminish your performance and lead to physical injuries during sports."

Some cautionary sports vision statistics include:

• Approximately 600,000 documented sports-related injuries are reported each year in the United States. (Tri-Service Vision Conservation and Readiness Program, Eyes (Ears) and Workers Compensation)
• More than 42,000 sports-related eye injuries require emergency room attention. (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
• An estimated 13,500 cases result in permanent loss of sight. (Protective Eyewear Certification Council)
• Approximately 72 percent of sports-related eye injuries occur in people younger than 25 years and approximately 43 percent occur in children younger than 15 years. (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Sports vision goes beyond choosing the correct protective eyewear that protects and provides clear vision. Just like speed and strength, vision is an important component of how well you play your sport. And there is much more to vision than just seeing clearly. Your vision is composed of many interrelated skills. And, just as exercise and practice can increase your speed and strength, they also can improve your visual fitness and accuracy.

Because all sports have different visual demands, Dr. Wahab at SEEN Vision Care can assess your unique visual system and recommend the proper eyeglasses or contact lenses, or design a vision-therapy program to maximize your visual skills for a specific sport.

Sports with a moderate to high risk of eye injury include basketball, baseball, softball, cricket, lacrosse, field hockey, ice hockey, squash, racquetball, fencing, boxing, full-contact martial arts, air rifle, tennis, badminton, soccer, volleyball, water polo, football, fishing, golf and wrestling.

The most common sports vision concerns include:

1. Protection: Athletes' eyes need certified sports protective eyewear that will protect against injury with lenses that protect from ultra-violet light.
2. Correction: Spectacle wearers require sports-protective eyewear that also will correct their vision, while contact-lens wearers may need a different lens than their everyday one. For example, skiers spend their time in cold, dry conditions and need a contact lens that will provide more moisture.
3. Vision enhancement: Athletes often need help enhancing their binocularity or depth perception.

Visit Dr Wahab this summer at SEEN Vision Care located at 22137 Michigan Avenue in West Dearborn , call 313-278-SEEN for an appointment or visit haveyoubeenseen.com.  SEEN Vision Care has recently been recognized as a National Eye Injury Prevention Center and they carry a wide array of protective eyewear for every sport.