September Declared as Sports Eye Safety Month by Prevent Blindness to Educate Public on Importance of Sports Eye Protection

Prevent Blindness, the nation's leading volunteer nonprofit eye health organization, has declared September as Sports Eye Safety Month to help educate the public on the importance of wearing the proper eye protection while playing sports. Annual data from Prevent Blindness shows that there were more than 26,000 sports-related eye injuries treated in the United States last year.

The new data also showed that the category of "non-powder guns, darts, arrows, and slingshots" had the overall highest rate of eye injuries for the previous year. For children ages 0-12, "pools and water sports" had the highest rate of injuries. These types of injuries may include eye infections, irritations, scratches or trauma.

Prevent Blindness strongly recommends that athletes of any age wear protective eyewear when participating in sports. Prescription glasses, sunglasses and even occupational safety glasses do not provide adequate eye protection.

Prevent Blindness offers the following guidelines to help find the best eye protection for sports:

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), spectators at sporting events should also be careful. Balls, bats, and players can end up in the stands at any time. Spectators should keep their eyes on the game and watch out for foul balls and other flying objects. The AAO also advises that for those who already have reduced vision in one eye, check with your ophthalmologist to see what appropriate eye protection is available and whether they advise participating in any high impact or other high-risk sports.

"Wearing the proper eye protection while playing sports is essential to protecting healthy vision today and in the future," said Jeff Todd, president and CEO at Prevent Blindness. "An eyecare professional can help to make sure you are using the correct eye protection for your sport and your individual needs."

For more information on sports eye injury prevention, please visit Prevent Blindness at PreventBlindness.org/sports-eye-safety.

About Prevent Blindness Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, visit us at preventblindness.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/data_from_prevent_blindness_shows_more_than_26_000_eye_injuries_related_to_sports_treated_last_year/prweb18861497.htm

© 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Ad Disclosure: The rate information is obtained by Bankrate from the listed institutions. Bankrate cannot guaranty the accuracy or availability of any rates shown above. Institutions may have different rates on their own websites than those posted on Bankrate.com. The listings that appear on this page are from companies from which this website receives compensation, which may impact how, where, and in what order products appear. This table does not include all companies or all available products.

All rates are subject to change without notice and may vary depending on location. These quotes are from banks, thrifts, and credit unions, some of whom have paid for a link to their own Web site where you can find additional information. Those with a paid link are our Advertisers. Those without a paid link are listings we obtain to improve the consumer shopping experience and are not Advertisers. To receive the Bankrate.com rate from an Advertiser, please identify yourself as a Bankrate customer. Bank and thrift deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Credit union deposits are insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

Consumer Satisfaction: Bankrate attempts to verify the accuracy and availability of its Advertisers' terms through its quality assurance process and requires Advertisers to agree to our Terms and Conditions and to adhere to our Quality Control Program. If you believe that you have received an inaccurate quote or are otherwise not satisfied with the services provided to you by the institution you choose, please click here.

Rate collection and criteria: Click here for more information on rate collection and criteria.