Protective Eyewear for Athletes

Injuries are a risk we all take when participating in sports.  Sprained ankles, broken bones, bruises – they are all par for the course.  So are injuries to the eye. 

Since the smallest collision has the potential to turn into a sight-threatening injury, the AOA is offering the following tips to ensure optimal eye and vision safety while playing sports:

• Always wear protective eyewear during team or contact sports, especially those that require an apparatus such as lacrosse or ice and field hockey.
• Keep street eyewear off the playing field. Conventional frames and lenses often do not meet the minimum requirements for impact resistance in most sports.
• When shopping for protective eyewear, make sure the equipment conforms to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications for that particular sport.

There are well-defined standards for protective eyewear for the playing field. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) sets standards for protective eyewear in many of the top American sports. When shopping for products for your athlete, make sure the equipment conforms to the following ASTM specifications: (more at www.astm.org)

*or Trivex™ lenses