title: Ocular injuries in basketball and baseball: what are the risks and how can we prevent them?
abstract: Ocular trauma is a frequent result of sports-related injury during basketball and baseball. A screening sideline examination should be performed immediately to assess vision and evaluate the severity of damage. The team physician should be able to treat minor injuries and identify vision-threatening trauma for immediate referral. Injuries range from minor, including corneal abrasion and foreign bodies, to more severe, including hyphema, orbital fracture, and globe rupture. Resultant damage may be vision-threatening and permanent. Most of these injuries can be prevented with full-time use of sport-specific protective eyewear. Physicians should recommend appropriate eye protection and counsel patients accordingly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Heimmel
authors.forename: Marjorie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries; D001484:Baseball; D001490:Basketball; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005135:Eye Protective Devices; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult