Everybody loves sports, especially here in California; however, few people consider their eye safety when playing sports. Yet it’s estimated that more than 25,000 people are treated for a sports-related eye injury every year in the U.S. It’s no surprise when you consider how vulnerable the eyes are in almost any sport that involves physical contact (from basketball to boxing) or equipment (such as hockey sticks or tennis balls).

To help spread awareness about the importance of protecting your eyes while playing sports, April has been designated as Sports Eye Safety Month.

Eye Safety Tips

Injuring the area around your eye (or the eye itself) can cause significant damage and can even result in blindness in the affected eye. As such, it’s critical that you protect your eyes when playing sports. The following are a few tips that can help prevent eye injuries:

• Always wear the proper equipment: If you’re playing baseball and you’re up to bat, don’t play without a helmet. The same goes for hockey and other sports that typically require safety equipment to be worn.
  
• Use helmet face shields: Make sure that if you’re wearing a helmet, you also wear a face shield on that helmet. If a sport requires a helmet, it means that there’s a risk of injury to the head. However, most helmets don’t cover the eyes (such as baseball helmets), so be sure to wear a helmet that has a face shield.
  
• Wear safety goggles: You should wear safety goggles when playing any sport that involves a ball of any kind, such as tennis or basketball. A tennis ball or a basketball to the face can cause serious damage to your eye or eye socket. It’s worth noting that sports goggles can also help shield your eyes from the sun’s glare.

If you don’t protect your eyes while playing sports, you could end up with a serious eye injury that may prevent you from playing your favorite sport in the future. Severe eye injuries can even lead to blindness, so be sure to keep eye safety in mind. For more safety awareness tips, visit us at The Benefits Store today.