The long-term health benefits of sports are clear: they provide good exercise for maintaining proper weight, improve strength and coordination, and help build lifelong healthy habits and social skills. But for more than 40,000 people each year, there are health risks for sports as well in the form of eye injuries, the vast majority of which were preventable. Injuries range from abrasions of the cornea and bruises of the eyelids to internal eye injuries, such as retinal detachments and internal bleeding. Many of these injuries lead to vision loss and permanent blindness. Marnie Robbins, a senior at University School of Milwaukee and skilled field hockey player is spreading the word about the importance of eye protection after two injuries suffered while playing field hockey that almost permanently damaged her vision. The following letter written by Marnie to her teammates and their parents emphasizes the importance of protective eyewear:
Dear USM Field Hockey players and parents,
My name is Marnie Robbins and I am a senior captain on the varsity 1 team. I began playing field hockey in 7th grade and my passion for the sport has seemed to grow with every year I play. For the past 3 years, I’ve played year round and tried to participate in as many tournaments as possible-And now, I am writing to all of you on behalf of my parents and myself to make you aware of a very important danger surrounding the sport; however, this one can easily be rectified.
As most of you know, in the St. Louis Tournament I was hit in the eye and sustained a pretty gruesome laceration on my right eyelid which required 10 stitches. What most of you don’t know was that last year, at the College Connection Field Hockey camp at the University of Massachusetts, I received another stick hit, only this time above my left eyebrow. That gash required 20 stitches and loads of Band-Aids to keep the scar from the sun. In both instances, my eyesight wasn’t damaged-but I was lucky! As my dad said in St. Louis “You can stitch a face but you can never repair lost eye sight!”
I have purchased a face mask from Longstrength and I know it’s taking a bit to get used to however; it’s well worth the effort. I spoke to several players on a team in St. Louis that also wore the face guards and they said, that once you get used to them, it truly doesn’t make a difference.
What I want to know is if any players on our teams would also like a mask, I will gladly order them for anyone and everyone. In women’s Lacrosse, face masks are mandatory. Field Hockey is every bit as dangerous and in my opinion a much better sport. We should take action and protect our face so you don’t have to learn the hard way, just look at my face.
Thanks,
Marnie Robbins
Fortunately, specific protective eyewear is available for just about all activities, allowing today’s athletes to choose from various types of sturdy, lightweight and effective eyewear that is appropriate for their sport. When properly fitted, eyewear does not hinder performance and can prevent 90 percent of sports eye injuries. As a result of Marnie’s letter 34 out of 63 girls purchased the face mask on the Varsity and Junior High team and have started wearing them regularly.
