It's winter and many are enjoying their favorite winter sports and outdoor activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice-skating, ice-hockey, and more.
Now is a great time remember that before you hit the slopes, trails, or skating rinks, you need to make sure you are equipped with appropriate protective eyewear to help reduce the chance of eye injury.
Eye injuries from winter activities can occur from a fall in the snow while skiing or sledding or by a puck or stick to the face while playing hockey. Rocks and tree branches buried in the snow can become projectiles if run over while snowmobiling, and even a simple snowball fight can result in a traumatic eye injury. And, although direct sunlight from the sun itself can be extremely damaging to eyes, reflected UV rays from the snow can be even more dangerous.
More than 90% of sports- and recreation-related eye injuries can be prevented by using appropriate eye and facial protection. Although eye protection can't prevent every injury, the use of proper eye protection can help to reduce the number and severity of eye injuries.
Protect. Prevent. Play., an educational resource from the International Sports Vision Association (ISVA) and Zyloware Eyewear, was created to help educate parents, coaches, teachers, athletic trainers and athletes of all ages and skill levels about the importance of wearing appropriate protective eyewear to help reduce the chance of eye injury. It includes information about types of sports related eye trauma, what to do (and not do) following an eye injury, along with important information about selecting the proper protective eyewear for the sport(s) people play.