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Protecting Your Eyes During Sports

Eye exams in Chicago

If you play sports regularly, you should ask an ophthalmologist near Chicago for tips on preventative eye care and protective eyewear. Opticians recommend that you wear protective eyewear during sports in order to reduce your risk of serious eye injury or damage. Here is a look at how eye doctors recommend you protect your eyes while playing high-risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk sports.

Eye Protection for all age groups in Chicago

Eye Protection for High-Risk Sports

If you regularly play high-risk sports, your ophthalmologist will recommend that protective eyewear become a regular part of your eye care routine. Eye protection is particularly necessary if you wear contact lenses, as they put you at higher risk for eye injury and damage. High-risk sports include paintball, basketball, racquetball, softball, and football. These sports are high-risk because they involve swinging bats, fast moving balls, and heavy contact. You’re much more likely to need to visit an eye doctor for emergency eye care if you don’t wear protective eye wear while playing high-risk sports.

Eye Protection for Moderate-Risk Sports

Moderate-risk sports include golf, tennis, and soccer. While these sports still carry the risk of eye injury due to fast moving balls and swinging clubs and racquets, they are lower contact sports. Your eye doctor or ophthalmologist can recommend eyewear that will fully protect you from injury. It’s important to remember that wearing eyeglasses or sunglasses does not provide adequate protection from trauma, and the wrong eyewear might actually make an injury worse. You should visit your local optical center to discuss the most appropriate forms of protective eyewear for your sport.

Eye Protection for Low-Risk Sports

While low-risk sports are much less dangerous, they still care a risk of eye injury. Your optician can evaluate the level of risk and determine what form of protective eyeglasses you will need. Low-risk sports include swimming and cycling. You might need to wear protective goggles to eliminate the risk of eye irritation, scratches, and foreign objects becoming caught in your eyes. Again, this is particularly important if you wear contact lenses.