Sports Vision Eye Care and Safety At Our Andrew Stone Optometry in Columbia, MO

Playing sports is a healthy thing to do overall, but it does involve some risks. One of the things that people often underestimate or forget about is the risk of eye injury. Sports vision means not only making sure that you can see your best while playing, but also taking proper eye care precautions. Here at Andrew Stone Optometry in Columbia, we encourage you to protect your eyes at all times.

Eye Safety for Athletes

Although protective gear of all kinds is standard in many sports, protective eyewear is not common in most of them. For example, did you know that experts recommend that you wear protective eyewear when playing basketball? Many people don't.

Sports are grouped into four basic categories:

• High-risk sports include anything with close, aggressive contact (basketball) or small projectiles (badminton, paintball, etc.)
• Medium-risk sports include those with larger projectiles (tennis, golf, etc.) and less aggressive contact (soccer)
• Low-risk sports include those without projectiles, bats, or clubs, and which do not include physical contact (swimming, cycling, etc.)
• Safe sports (those with the lowest risk of eye injury) include track and field and gymnastics

The most important thing that you can do is wear eye protection appropriate for the sport. The type of eye protection varies by sport but can include face shields (think batting helmets for baseball or goalie's face masks for hockey), goggles, or specially-designed glasses. Regular glasses do not provide enough protection and may even increase the risk of injury in some circumstances.

Andrew Stone Optometry Asks You to Protect Your Eyes!

You only get one set of eyes in your life, so protect them carefully. Proper protective eyewear is made of polycarbonate and appropriate for the sport that you are playing. Remember to model good eye care and safety habits for your children, as well! For questions or to make an appointment with Andrew Stone Optometry in Columbia, call 573-445-7750 today.