Eye injuries are an important cause of blindness in children who participate in sports activities.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, roughly 100,000 sport-related eye injuries occur every year. The most common types of eye injury include cuts, bruises, hemorrhages, detachment of the retina, fracture of the bony area around the eye, and loss of the eye. The highest risk sports are paintball, baseball, softball, basketball, fencing, hockey, lacrosse, squash, and boxing. Sports with a low risk of eye injury include bicycling, swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, and track and field. But eye protectors must be designed for the specific sport.