I see a lot of children as patients in my Santa Clara chiropractic office. And, as a chiropractor in Santa Clara, I’m concerned with many things that affect their growing musculoskeletal system, from sports injuries to carrying a backpack, either improperly or packed too heavily. Now that it’s back-to-school time again, I’d like to add a health warning that you don’t always hear from a chiropractor, but one that is important, indeed. I know that parents are super-busy not only buying their kids back-to-school clothes, but also equipping them with all the sports gear they need for safe play, such as helmets, pads, braces and mouth guards. I applaud all parents who take that extra step to prevent broken bones, bruises and chipped teeth. But, there is one more danger zone that needs parental attention. Your child’s eyes. Eye injuries such as a scratched cornea, fractured eye socket, or permanent vision loss, can be avoided with taking these steps, encouraged by The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind what are they doing to prevent possible permanent vision loss, a scratched cornea, or fractured eye sockets?Ways to help your child to enjoy their favorite sports this season safely:

• Wear proper eye guards (lensed polycarbonate protectors) for racket sports, basket ball, tennis or volleyball;

• Use batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields for baseball and softball;

• Use helmets and face shields approved by the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association when playing hockey.

It is important for parents to know that regular reading glasses, sunglasses, or even safety glasses do not provide the adequate eye protection for many sports. Eye guards can be purchased at sports stores or local optical store. But, be sure to ask someone familiar with your child’s eyesight to fit them properly, making certain that the eye guard contains cushioning along the eyebrow and the edge of the nose to help prevent your young athlete from cutting or damaging his or her face.

Source: Pennsylvania Association for the Blind

Technorati Tags: child safety, eye injuries, sports injuries, Where:Santa-Clara-CA

Tags: child safety, eye injuries, sports injuries, Where:Santa-Clara-CA

This entry was posted on September 7, 2010 at 12:50 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Posted in child safety by Dr. David Hoewisch Comments Off