Sports or physical activities form an important part of our daily lives. But do you know, sports related eye injuries occur at quite an alarming rate? In the U.S, there are 100,000 reported cases of sports eye injuries in a year! Out of this 100,000, 42,000 go to the ER and 13,500 go blind. Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the U.S treats a sports related eye injury. More than half of these eye injuries are actually preventable. These statistics shed much light on the importance of preventing such injuries from happening, not only for eye injuries, but also for other physical injuries when engaging in sports.

The most common types of sports related eye injuries are: 1.Blunt trauma, where the eye is hit by a blunt object such as a bat or a person’s elbow. 2. Penetrating injury, where the eye is penetrated by a sharp object such as broken glass. 3. Radiation injury, where the eye is being excessively exposed to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays due to long hours in the sun. High risk sports such as basketball, martial arts, baseball and football are sports which are more prone to causing injuries due to its nature of being contact sports.

There are two ways to prevent injuries during sports.

1. Use Proper Eye Protection

The protective eye gear or sports goggles you choose should fit securely and comfortably, and allow the use of a helmet if necessary. For lenses, always choose polycarbonate (PC) lenses as they are more impact resistant and shatterproof. When out in the sun, opt for polarized lenses or wear a proper pair of sunglasses.

2. Change Your Glasses When Needed

This is important yet easily overlooked. Having a pair of comfortable and functioning glasses is essential in ensuring that your vision does not hinder the execution of physical activities. For example, if your glasses lack holding power on your face, it may constantly slide down or bump up and down during physical activities such as running. This would definitely cause discomfort and unstable vision. In some cases, wearers may choose to secure their glasses with headbands which might be too tight, causing the glasses to press too closely to the face. Other than discomfort, this will also cause lenses to fog up easily due to the heat and perspiration. If your glasses are already defective, for example, the hinges or nose pads are loose or broken; do get them replaced immediately as they are possible sources of injuries, especially during active usage.

COOSH is specially designed to provide you with a comfortable and well-balanced fit to support you in your daily physical activities.

With the invention of the world’s first patented spring hinge technology in eyewear, the unique ‘spring back’ function of the spring coil provides excellent holding power on the face during physical activities and sports usage. This minimizes sliding and jerky movements of glasses on your face, allowing wearers to experience stable vision, clarity and superior comfort. Built for resilience, COOSH can also withstand high impact usage under harsh environments. Now, you don’t have to worry about your glasses going out of shape or breaking easily as you go about doing your exercises or trainings.

COOSH – your sports companion and go-to pair of glasses for daily active use. Grab yours at all Nanyang Optical outlets today!