Optometrist warns soccer players of eye damage
An optometrist in Saskatoon is warning soccer players and parents about the chance of injury from a ball hitting them in the eye.
Dr. Elisabeth Foucault said within the past year she has seen three such cases. One player had a tear in the retina — the sensory tissue at the back of the eyeball — which, if left untreated, can lead to retinal detachment and loss of vision. Another two players had commotio retinae, which causes greying of the vision in dim light. Both of those cases "resolved spontaneously," Foucault said.
Foucault has also played soccer and has experienced injury first-hand.
"I got a hard ball in my right eye at my last outdoor game," Foucault recounted. "And my night vision was affected by commotio retinae for a week after."
She added that two of her teammates have had floaters — specks that float in your field of vision — and commotio retinae from soccer ball injuries.
"So it is something more common than we may think," Foucault said.
Coach says injuries are rare
Terrol Russell, who has coached soccer for 21 years, said eye injuries are rare in the sport. He said such injuries are less common than basketball and baseball.
But within the past six months, Russell has seen one player in Saskatchewan lose some vision in one eye, and another player in Ottawa lose total vision in one eye.
Meanwhile, Foucault has been unable to find any research in Canada on how many soccer players injure their eyes in a year, but said in the United States between one and two per cent of all soccer injuries are eye-related.
Foucault has raised her concern with the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists. She also wonders if safety glasses might be in order.
Player says 'no' to safety glasses
Russell is not keen on that idea, saying, "There's inherent injuries in sport. And at what point do we take over the individual aspect of sport in which athletes can make decisions for themselves?"
Plus, he said that players can be trained to avoid being hit in the face with a ball, adding that he would like to see research on the need for eye protection for young and inexperienced soccer players.
Teen player Claudia Erikson said she would not wear safety glasses.
"I wouldn't be focused on the game," Erikson said. "I'd be more focused on what was on my face and if it was moving."
For now, Foucault offers this advice: if you do get a soccer ball in the eye, have a dilated eye exam within a day so that any damage can be treated early and possibly reversed.
