Keep Eyes Safely On The Ball(py and fortunatethat we were able to sav...),Health

After ten surgeries Maura still struggles with her vision, but feels confident about her efforts to change the way people view eye protection and sports. Living in Washington, DC, she now does policy work, a natural outgrowth of the advocacy campaign she undertook after her injury, to encourage local schools to mandate protective eyewear for school sports. Within three years after she started the effort, most of the local schools required protective eyewear for their field hockey teams.

"Instead of being taken down by this very serious injury, Maura turned it into a drive to prevent it happening to others," said Dr. Schuman.

September is Children's Eye Safety Awareness Month; the Texas Ophthalmological Association reminds Texas student athletes and school sports programs to get EyeSmart and use appropriate, sport-specific protective eyewear properly fitted by an eye care professional. Most youth sporting leagues don't require protective eyewear, so parents should take special care to ensure their children's eye safety. "This is an important way for parents to spare their children unnecessary injury and pain," says Dr. Schuman.

"I recommend safety goggles for all sporting activities, even when it comes to children playing in their own homes," said Dr. Bhavsar. "We even put on safety goggles when we play catch with a baseball in our own backyard."

Learn more about eye injuries, eye diseases, and the names of Eye M.D.s in your area by visiting http://www.GetEyeSmart.org.

About the Texas Ophthalmological Association

The TOA is a member organization of over 800 Texas ophthalmologists which was founded in 1956 to promote the science and art of medical eye care. Eye healthcare is provided by three sources - opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat all eye disea
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