Sport eye injuries - a preventable cause of vision loss

Eye injuries are the largest single reason for loss of vision in one eye and second in two eyes. In children, many of these occur during sports. The good news is that up to 90% of these eye injuries can be prevented.

The objective to prevent eye injuries gained attention when it was listed as one of the ten Vision Objectives of Healthy People 2010. The Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries was created to decrease this tragic loss of sight. With synergy comes strength and since that time the National Eye Institute, Prevent Blindness America, The Vision Council of America, the American Optometric Association and the American Academy of Optometry have been working together to launch programs. How these organizations have been able to work together and their activities on this blindness prevention initiative will be discussed.