Original Research
Sports Medicine & Eye Health
Key Takeaways
- Sports-related eye injuries account for a significant proportion of all eye injuries presenting to emergency departments, and children and young athletes are disproportionately affected.
- Most sports-related eye injuries are preventable through the use of appropriate protective eyewear — yet awareness of eye injury risk and protective equipment use among junior athletes remains low.
- High-risk sports for eye injury include badminton, squash, hockey, cricket, basketball, and martial arts — sports where projectiles, racquets, sticks, fingers, or elbows can strike the eye area at speed.
- Research found that junior athletes’ awareness of eye health during sport needs significant improvement, and that coaches play a critical role in promoting protective eyewear use.
A Preventable Problem
Every year, thousands of young athletes worldwide sustain eye injuries during sport that could have been prevented with appropriate protective eyewear. The consequences of sports-related eye injuries range from temporary discomfort (corneal abrasions, bruising) to permanent vision impairment (retinal detachment, globe rupture, traumatic cataract) and, in the worst cases, complete loss of vision in the affected eye.
What makes sports-related eye injuries particularly tragic is that the overwhelming majority — estimated at over 90% — could be prevented through the use of sport-appropriate protective eyewear. Unlike many health problems where prevention is complex and multifactorial, the solution here is remarkably straightforward: wear proper eye protection during sports where eye injury risk exists. Yet uptake remains low, particularly among junior athletes.
Which Sports Pose the Greatest Risk?
The risk of eye injury varies significantly between sports, depending on the presence of projectiles (balls, shuttlecocks, pucks), implements (racquets, sticks, bats), body contact (fingers, elbows, heads), and the speed at which these potential hazards move.
| Risk Category | Sports | Primary Hazards |
|---|---|---|
| Very high risk | Squash, badminton (doubles), hockey, cricket, martial arts, boxing | High-velocity projectiles in enclosed spaces; direct strikes to the face |
| High risk | Basketball, football, futsal, tennis, volleyball, handball | Ball impact, finger pokes, elbow strikes during contested play |
| Moderate risk | Swimming (chemical irritation), cycling (debris/insects), running (branches/debris) | Environmental hazards rather than equipment/contact |
| Lower risk | Athletics (track), gymnastics, rowing | Minimal projectile or contact risk |
In the Malaysian context, badminton deserves particular attention. It is the country’s most popular sport, played recreationally and competitively at all levels from school to international competition. The shuttlecock can travel at speeds exceeding 300 km/h in competitive play (the fastest recorded smash exceeds 400 km/h), and even at recreational speeds, a shuttlecock striking the eye can cause serious injury including hyphema (bleeding inside the eye), lens dislocation, and retinal damage. The compact, enclosed nature of badminton courts, combined with the small size of the shuttlecock and its unpredictable flight path, creates a significant eye injury risk that many players do not appreciate.
Why Junior Athletes Don’t Wear Eye Protection
Research examining junior athletes’ attitudes toward protective eyewear identified several barriers that help explain the low uptake despite the clear risk. Many young athletes were simply unaware that eye injuries were a realistic possibility in their sport — they associated eye protection with industrial work or laboratory science, not with sport. Those who were aware of the risk often dismissed it as unlikely to happen to them, demonstrating the typical adolescent sense of invulnerability. Concerns about appearance and peer perception played a significant role — wearing protective goggles was seen as unnecessary, unfashionable, or suggestive of weakness. Some athletes believed that protective eyewear impaired their peripheral vision or comfort, affecting their performance. And in many cases, protective eyewear was simply not available, not required by competition rules, and not promoted by coaches or sporting bodies.
The Coach Factor
Research consistently identifies coaches as one of the most influential figures in shaping young athletes’ safety behaviours. If a coach requires and normalises protective eyewear, compliance is dramatically higher than if eye protection is left to individual choice. Conversely, coaches who do not mention eye safety or who themselves do not model protective behaviour implicitly communicate that eye protection is unnecessary.
This places a significant responsibility on coaches, particularly those working with junior athletes. A coach who insists on proper footwear, shin guards, and mouthguards but ignores eye protection sends an inconsistent message about safety priorities. Integrating eye protection into the standard equipment requirements for training and competition — in the same way that helmets are non-negotiable in cycling or seatbelts in driving — would shift the cultural norm from “optional extra” to “standard practice.”
Guide for Parents and Young Athletes
- Assess the risk of your sport. If your child plays badminton, squash, hockey, basketball, or any sport involving projectiles or body contact, eye protection should be considered essential, not optional.
- Choose appropriate eyewear. Sports protective eyewear should meet recognised safety standards (such as ASTM F803 or equivalent). Regular prescription glasses and sunglasses do NOT provide adequate protection and may shatter on impact, causing additional injury.
- Ensure proper fit. Protective eyewear that fits poorly will be uncomfortable, impair vision, and be removed — defeating its purpose. Visit an optometrist or sports equipment specialist for fitting.
- Normalise it early. Children who start wearing protective eyewear when they begin a sport accept it as normal equipment. Introducing it later, after habits are formed, faces more resistance.
- Talk to coaches. Ask your child’s coach about their eye safety policy. Advocate for protective eyewear to be included in team equipment requirements.
Implications for Malaysian Sports Policy
Malaysian sporting bodies should review their regulations regarding protective eyewear, particularly in high-risk sports like badminton, squash, and hockey. Mandatory eye protection for junior competitions would establish a norm early that carries into adult sport. Coach education programmes should include eye safety awareness and the responsibility coaches bear for promoting protective equipment. Schools with sports programmes should include eye protection in their equipment requirements for relevant sports. Public awareness campaigns — featuring local sporting heroes — could help shift perceptions of protective eyewear from “uncool” to “smart” among young athletes. And optometry services should be accessible and affordable for young athletes, including sport-specific vision assessment and protective eyewear fitting.