When your child heads back to school, you may be thinking about new shoes, school supplies, sports physicals, practices, and an increasingly busy schedule. Eye safety probably is not at the top of that list.
But once school and fall activities begin, children can spend more time around flying balls, racquets, sticks, playground equipment, science projects, and other situations where an eye injury can happen unexpectedly.
You cannot prevent every bump, fall, or accident. You can, however, take practical steps to protect your child’s eyes and know what to do if something does happen.
As your family gets ready for another school year in Minnesota, here are several practical ways to make children’s eye safety part of the routine.
Why Should Eye Safety Be Part of Your Back-to-School Routine?
Children are active, and that is a good thing. Sports and physical activity can be an important part of staying healthy, building confidence, and spending time with friends.
The same movement that makes these activities enjoyable can also create opportunities for eye injuries.
A ball can take an unexpected bounce. A finger or elbow can make contact during a basketball game. A racquet can swing closer than expected. A child can fall or collide with another player. Eye injuries can also occur away from organized sports, including during recess, home projects, yardwork, or activities involving toys or objects that can become projectiles.
The goal is not to make children afraid to participate. It is to think about eye protection in the same way you already think about helmets, mouthguards, shin guards, or other safety equipment.
Which Sports and Activities Can Put a Child’s Eyes at Risk?
Some activities create more opportunities for eye injuries because they involve fast-moving balls, bats, sticks, racquets, or close contact between players.
The National Eye Institute identifies sports such as baseball, softball, basketball, hockey, fencing, paintball, mountain biking, racquetball, and squash among activities with a higher risk of eye injury. Other sports, including soccer, tennis, tackle football, golf, and badminton, also carry some risk.
That does not mean your child should avoid these activities. It means the protective equipment should match what your child is doing.
Even outside organized sports, think about activities that can send debris or objects toward the face. Safety eyewear can matter when children are participating in certain science activities, helping with home projects, or spending time around tools or equipment.
Do Regular Glasses Protect Your Child’s Eyes During Sports?
If your child already wears prescription glasses, it is understandable to assume those glasses provide some protection.
Ordinary prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses, however, are not designed to serve as sports eye protection.
Depending on the activity, your child may need sports goggles, a helmet with an appropriate face guard, or another form of protective eyewear. Polycarbonate is commonly used for sports eye protection because it is highly impact resistant.
Children who need vision correction do not necessarily have to choose between seeing clearly and protecting their eyes. Many types of protective eyewear can be made to match a child’s prescription, and some safety goggles can be worn over regular glasses.
The important point is that the eyewear should be designed for the particular sport or activity, meet the appropriate safety standard when one applies, and fit comfortably and securely.
How Do You Know Which Protective Eyewear Your Child Needs?
There is no single pair of goggles that is right for every sport.
A basketball player, baseball player, hockey player, lacrosse player, and racquet-sport athlete can face very different types of eye injury and therefore may need different forms of protection.
For example, some sports call for polycarbonate sports goggles, while others use helmets with attached face masks or guards. Certain positions within a sport can require different protection as well.
Before the season begins, check the safety requirements for your child’s league or school and consider asking an eye-care professional about appropriate protection if your child has a prescription or a history that makes eye safety particularly important.
Proper fit matters too. Protective eyewear works best when a child can see comfortably through it and will actually keep it on during practices as well as games.
What Should You Do If Your Child Gets Hit in the Eye?
Even when everyone is careful, eye injuries still happen.
A child may get elbowed during a game, be struck by a ball, run into another player, or fall onto something near the face. When that happens, it can be difficult for a parent to tell from the outside how much injury has occurred.
After a blunt injury, such as being hit by a ball or elbow, gently place a cold compress over the area without pressing on the eye. Because an eye injury can involve more than the swelling or bruising you can see, contact an appropriate medical or eye-care professional if you are concerned about the injury. Pain, a change in vision, bleeding, an unusual appearance of the eye, or another significant symptom warrants prompt evaluation.
Different eye injuries require different responses. The National Eye Institute offers additional eye injury first-aid guidance for parents and children.
If dirt, sand, or another loose particle gets into the eye, do not rub it. Rinsing the eye with clean water can help flush out loose material.
If a chemical gets into the eye, begin flushing it with clean, lukewarm water immediately and continue rinsing for at least 20 minutes. Do not delay irrigation while arranging care. Seek immediate medical attention after a chemical eye exposure.
If an object has penetrated or become lodged in the eye, do not try to remove it and do not press on the eye or the object. Seek emergency medical attention.
Which Symptoms After an Eye Injury Need Prompt Attention?
A sudden or significant change in vision after an eye injury should be evaluated promptly rather than simply watched until the next school day or practice.
Some injuries require immediate care. Seek emergency medical attention for a penetrating or embedded object, a significant chemical exposure, severe trauma, or a sudden major loss of vision. New flashes, floaters, or a shadow or curtain in the vision after an injury also warrant prompt eye evaluation.
When the symptoms are less clear but you are concerned about how your child’s eye looks, feels, or functions after an injury, contacting an appropriate eye-care or medical professional can help determine the next step.
At Claris Eye Surgery & LASIK in Burnsville, we believe clear information can make it easier to know when a change in vision deserves attention.
Can Eye Injuries Happen Somewhere Other Than the Playing Field?
Absolutely.
Back-to-school eye safety extends beyond organized sports.
A child working on a science experiment could encounter a chemical splash. A teenager helping with yardwork could be exposed to flying debris. Toys, projectiles, sticks, and certain recreational activities can also result in eye injuries.
That makes a simple question useful: Could this activity send something toward your child’s eyes?
If the answer is yes, consider whether protective eyewear belongs alongside the other safety equipment.
Make Eye Protection Part of the Routine, Not an Afterthought
Parents already do a tremendous amount to help children get safely through the school year. Adding eye protection does not need to become another complicated task.
Before a sports season or new activity begins, find out what protective equipment is appropriate. Make sure it fits correctly. Encourage your child to wear it during practice, not only during competition. And talk about what to do if an eye injury occurs rather than encouraging children to simply play through it.
Many eye injuries happen quickly. Preparing for them does not have to.
Building simple eye-safety habits into sports, school, and everyday activities can help reduce avoidable risks and give you a clearer sense of what to do if an injury occurs.
If you would like general information about the care available at Claris Eye Surgery & LASIK in Burnsville, you can use our contact form to get in touch with our team. If your child has a specific eye symptom or injury, contact an appropriate eye-care or medical professional for guidance about the next step.
Disclaimer: The articles on this blog are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For guidance about a specific eye symptom, injury, or vision concern, contact an appropriate eye-care or medical professional.