Eye injuries in Canadian sports and recreational activities.

Over 4000 eye injuries, including 449 blind eyes, have been reported in sports and recreational activities in Canada over the past 20 years. This is not only a great personal loss but also a financial loss, both to the injured person and to the community. Statistics should be tabulated on catastrophic injuries that leave the person with a physical or mental deficit, such as a blind eye, and efforts should be directed toward preventing such injuries. Changing and enforcing game rules and providing proper eye protection has proved very beneficial in Canadian hockey, racket sports and war games. Educational programs supported by the media and government that alert players to the need for eye protection are required. Such measures may lead to the prevention of up to 90% of injuries in sports and recreational activities in Canada.

Eye injuries in sports.

Of the 3,500 sports and recreational eye injuries reported in Canada over the past 15 years, 400 eyes remain legally blind. Most of the eye injuries could have been prevented. The activity causing most sports eye injuries varies from country to country. The sport causing most eye injuries in Canada is ice hockey. A study done in the 1970s by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society resulted in high stick rules and the wearing of certified face protectors by hockey players. The availability of certified eye protectors for racquet sports players has greatly reduced the incidence of eye injuries in racquetball and squash. Probably 90% of sports injuries can be prevented by modifying and enforcing game rules and by wearing certified eye protection.

Eye protection.

Eye injuries frequently occur in the home, at work and at play. Many result in legally blind eyes, and most are preventable. Awareness of potential hazards is essential to preventing eye injuries, particularly in children. In addition, protective devices must be used appropriately. We have developed eye protectors that have proved effective in reducing both the overall incidence and the severity of sports eye injuries.

Eye injuries associated with war games.

War games, an outdoor activity combining recreation, military maneuvers and fantasy, are becoming a popular recreational sport. Increasing numbers of players are suffering eye injuries. In the last year 26 cases of serious eye injuries were reported to Canadian ophthalmologists; in 15 eyes vision was reduced to 6/24 or less. Although eyeguards are provided, all the injuries had occurred when the participants were not wearing them. Methods of preventing eye injuries in war games are discussed.

Eye injuries in Canadian amateur hockey.

The incidence of eye injury in Canadian amateur hockey has declined sharply, from 257 cases in the 1974-75 season to 124 in the 1983-84 season, since face protectors certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and attached to CSA-certified helmets became mandatory for minor hockey players in this country. None of the reported cases in 1983-84 were in players wearing such equipment. The average age of the injured players was 14 years in 1974-75 but 24 years in 1983-84; that is, younger players are now protected, but older players are not. Hockey sticks and pucks were the top two causes of eye injury in both seasons, but hyphema became the commonest type of injury in 1983-84, surpassing soft tissue damage. The frequency of legal blindness as the visual outcome fell from 19% in 1974-75 to 11% in 1983-84. A suitable face protector must now be developed for older players.

Ophthalmologic injuries.

The types of eye injuries that occur in various sports are discussed, with an emphasis on racquet sports and ice hockey. Both field management and treatment by a specialist are considered. Physicians should encourage players to wear polycarbonate or industrial safety-thickness lenses or protective face cages.

Ophthalmologic injuries.

Increasing numbers of young people are being attracted to organized sports. Racquet sports, as they are individual sports, will give a lifetime of continual pleasure. Increasing numbers of eye injuries are being seen, however. Now that adequate eye protection is available, it behooves all physicians who are interested in prevention of eye injury to encourage players to wear polycarbonate or industrial safety thickness lenses, or protective face cages in suitable sports frames, to prevent any of the catastrophic, serious, and blinding eye injuries seen in the past.

Eye injuries in canadian racquet sports.

Racquet sports eye injuries have increased steadily in recent years. To determine the magnitude of the problem, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) Athletic Eye Injury Committee has sent questionnaires to COS members since 1976 to be completed for all racquet sports eye injuries treated. In the first year of the questionnaire 48 injuries were reported, including three legally blind eyes. From July 1978 to May 1981, 154 squash and 91 racquetball eye injuries were reported. Half the injured players required hospitalization and surgery was frequent; some players had permanent vision loss. These findings led to assessment of available eye protectors. Open-type protectors can be penetrated by balls and some closed-type protectors are not sufficiently sturdy. Steps are underway to write a Canadian standard for racquet sports eye protectors. Meanwhile the public must be informed of the danger of racquet sports eye injuries and the importance of wearing closed-type protectors.

Prevention of eye injuries.

In Canada 30,000 people are registered as blind; in one third of these, blindness might have been avoided. Prevention is the key to reducing the number of eye injuries and blind eyes. The role of the family physician in early identification of treatable conditions and in the education of patients is discussed, but responsibility for prevention belongs to all physicians. The success of prevention is seen in the great reduction in eye injuries in industry and sports since eye protectors have been commonly used. However, many dangers to the eyes are either not recognized or are not taken seriously enough. This paper discusses some of the common causes of serious eye injuries in the home, in sports and in industry.

Eye injuries in Canadian amateur hockey.

Two studies, one retrospective (1972 to 1973) and one prospective (1974 to 1975), CONcerning eye injuries incurred by hockey players were conducted by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society with questionnaires to its members. Responses to the questionnaires were analyzed by age, type of injury, cause (i.e., hockey stick, puck, or other means), and results to visual acuity. The results were also designated by organized or unorganized participation. Almost 300 eye injuries were reported in each study. In the first study, 13.7% of the injured players became legally blind as a result of the injury; in the second study, 16% became legally blind. Organized hockey produced more injuries than unorganized hockey. The majority of the injuries were caused by the hockey stick. The injuries were both intraocular and extraocular. The group of 11- to 15-year olds received the highest number of injuries, and the older age group had the higher incidence of blindness. Studies have led to setting more rigid standards, altering rules of the game, and selecting face protectors for hockey players. Older players who care for their equipment prefer the plastic shield face protectors, and the younger players (who complain of fogging and scratching of the plastic) prefer mesh protectors through which neither the stick nor the puck can penetrate. New high sticking (above the shoulder level) rules were included in the 1976 official rule book for Canadian amateur hockey.