Many of these injuries can be prevented with appropriate eye protection. The American Academy of Pediatrics categorizes sports into collision, limited contact and non-contact. These designations, however, do not correlate with the risk of significant eye injury. Devastating eye injuries can occur even more frequently in non-contact sports, such as golf, than in football and basketball combined. The violence of the sport itself can not be used as a predictor for the occurrence of eye injury.
Most sports related eye injuries are due to blunt trauma, frequently a finger poke.
Many of these can be evaluated and treated on site. Others require immediate referral to an ophthalmologist. Inspect globe surface looking for redness, lacerations or tear of conjunctiva. Inspect cornea and anterior chamber looking for rupture. Look for any foreign body.