NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire Discusses Season-Ending Eye Injury and the Importance of Protective Eyewear

Phoenix Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire shared his personal experience with a season-ending sports-related eye injury at The Vision Council’s Vision Summit in Washington, DC. In late February, Stoudemire underwent surgery to repair a detached retina following an on-court incident. The injury and subsequent surgery ended the all-star’s season, which led Stoudemire to declare he will never again play basketball without protective eyewear.

“There is no doubt that if I had kept wearing protective eyewear, I would have prevented my eye injury,” said Stoudemire. “I am committed to wearing protective eyewear anytime I am on the court, and I encourage all athletes to do the same.”

Sports-related eye injuries are very common, yet many Americans do not wear protective eyewear. According to the National Eye Institute, more than 100,000 eye injuries related to sports and recreation occur each year and 42,000 require a trip to the emergency room. These types of eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children.

“The Vision Council encourages all sports enthusiasts, both professional athletes and ‘weekend warriors,’ to wear protective eyewear,” said Ed Greene, CEO, The Vision Council. “The good news is that more than 90 percent of sports-related eye injuries are preventable if people just remember to wear appropriate protective eyewear.”

Any activity or sport that uses a ball or racket, involves rough contact with other players or requires travel at high speeds poses a risk for serious eye injuries. Wearing protective eyewear should be considered as vital as wearing a helmet or pads.

The Vision Council, along with other leading vision groups, recommends wearing protective eyewear that meets or exceeds industry standards.

• Polycarbonate lenses
• 100 percent ultraviolet (UV) protection and a scratch-resistant coating.
• Padded or rubber nose
• Deep-grooved eye wires
• A face-formed shape to provide a wider field of vision
• Headband attachments to keep the frames from slipping.

The Vision Summit, an annual meeting of The Vision Council’s Better Vision Institute brought together leading vision experts to discuss research and best practices for protecting vision in the home, at work, during sports activity and from ultraviolet rays.

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