|
|
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Face Guards Reduce Facial Injuries For Young Batters |
SourceAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology ForumsHealth, Safety, Nutrition and KidsRelated ArticlesProtective Eyewear for Young AthletesInformation and news releases furnished by the members of PR Newswire, who are responsible for their fact and content. |
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 19, 1998 -- Wearing a face mask can reduce the number of facial injuries to young athletes by up to 47 percent, according to a 1997 Indiana study involving 2,000 youth league baseball players, their parents and coaches. Ronald Danis, M.D, president of the United States Eye Injury Registry, who conducted the study with Prevent Blindness Indiana, presented his findings at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Baseball is the number one cause of both severe sports-related ocular and pediatric dental injuries among young athletes in the United States. Every season, one in 200 players has a facial injury serious enough to warrant medical attention. The batter is the most vulnerable to sustaining such an injury. Face guards, commercially available for about $10, must meet America Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. They mandate guards must prevent face contact from a hard ball fired at 69 miles per hour. The face guard affixes to the standard youth batter's helmet, a piece of safety equipment players are already accustomed to wearing. In 1996, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission recommended youth leagues adopt face guards to decrease the high prevalence of severe facial injuries among youth league players. The study was met with enthusiasm by parents. Eighty-five percent requested face guards for their children the next season. Coaches also felt players' performances were not inhibited by the use of face guards and most were receptive to their use in youth leagues. The mission of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the largest medical association of ophthalmologists, the Eye M.D.s, is to achieve accessible, appropriate, and affordable eye care for the public by serving the educational and professional needs of the ophthalmologist. Visit the Academy's web site at www.eyenet.org. CONTACT: broadcast, Kimberly Bowes Westhoff, or newspapers, Michelle Stephens, or magazines, Arthur Stone, all of American Academy of Ophthalmology, 415-561-8500, or media@aao.org |
