Sussex Eye Hospital sports injuries

To assess the prevalence of sports eye injuries in our area a register was kept over the 18 months from October 1982 to March 1984. Squash, association football, badminton, and tennis were the main offenders. The severest injury was from a golf ball, involving a fractured zygoma. There was one retinal dialysis, and one lens dislocation requiring extraction. Spectacles were broken in six cases and a contact lens in one. Glass fragments needed operative removal in one case, but there were no penetrating injuries. The value of eye protection, not worn by any of our patients, is emphasised.