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Biomedical subjects

T J Pashby

Publications and source records attributed to T J Pashby.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Eye injuries in Canadian sports and recreational activities.

Over 4000 eye injuries, including 449 blind eyes, have been reported in sports and recreational activities in Canada over the past 20 years. This is not only a great personal loss but also a financial loss, both to the injured person and to the community. Statistics should be tabulated on catastrophic injuries that leave the person with a physical or mental deficit, such as a blind eye, and efforts should be directed toward preventing such injuries. Changing and enforcing game rules and providing proper eye protection has proved very beneficial in Canadian hockey, racket sports and war games. Educational programs supported by the media and government that alert players to the need for eye protection are required. Such measures may lead to the prevention of up to 90% of injuries in sports and recreational activities in Canada.

Athletic Injuries↗

Eye injuries associated with war games.

War games, an outdoor activity combining recreation, military maneuvers and fantasy, are becoming a popular recreational sport. Increasing numbers of players are suffering eye injuries. In the last year 26 cases of serious eye injuries were reported to Canadian ophthalmologists; in 15 eyes vision was reduced to 6/24 or less. Although eyeguards are provided, all the injuries had occurred when the participants were not wearing them. Methods of preventing eye injuries in war games are discussed.

Adult↗

Ophthalmologic injuries.

The types of eye injuries that occur in various sports are discussed, with an emphasis on racquet sports and ice hockey. Both field management and treatment by a specialist are considered. Physicians should encourage players to wear polycarbonate or industrial safety-thickness lenses or protective face cages.

Adolescent↗

Ophthalmologic injuries.

Increasing numbers of young people are being attracted to organized sports. Racquet sports, as they are individual sports, will give a lifetime of continual pleasure. Increasing numbers of eye injuries are being seen, however. Now that adequate eye protection is available, it behooves all physicians who are interested in prevention of eye injury to encourage players to wear polycarbonate or industrial safety thickness lenses, or protective face cages in suitable sports frames, to prevent any of the catastrophic, serious, and blinding eye injuries seen in the past.

Adolescent↗

Eye injuries in Canadian hockey.

Increasing public concern led the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, in January 1974, to form a committee to study the incidence, types and causes of hockey eye injuries and to devise means of reducing such injuries. Retrospective and current studies were undertaken, and face protectors were tested. In both pilot studies, sticks were the commonest cause and the highest number of eye injuries was in players 11-15 years old. An average of 15% of all injured eyes were rendered legally blind. Cooperation with hockey authorities has resulted in changed rules and their sticter enforcement, and formulation of standards for face protection approved by the Canadian Standards Association. In this interim report the committee recommends that all amateur hockey players wear eye protectors and urges ophthalmologists to participate in efforts to improve the design of protective equipment.

Adolescent↗

Eye injuries in Canadian amateur hockey.

Two studies, one retrospective (1972 to 1973) and one prospective (1974 to 1975), CONcerning eye injuries incurred by hockey players were conducted by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society with questionnaires to its members. Responses to the questionnaires were analyzed by age, type of injury, cause (i.e., hockey stick, puck, or other means), and results to visual acuity. The results were also designated by organized or unorganized participation. Almost 300 eye injuries were reported in each study. In the first study, 13.7% of the injured players became legally blind as a result of the injury; in the second study, 16% became legally blind. Organized hockey produced more injuries than unorganized hockey. The majority of the injuries were caused by the hockey stick. The injuries were both intraocular and extraocular. The group of 11- to 15-year olds received the highest number of injuries, and the older age group had the higher incidence of blindness. Studies have led to setting more rigid standards, altering rules of the game, and selecting face protectors for hockey players. Older players who care for their equipment prefer the plastic shield face protectors, and the younger players (who complain of fogging and scratching of the plastic) prefer mesh protectors through which neither the stick nor the puck can penetrate. New high sticking (above the shoulder level) rules were included in the 1976 official rule book for Canadian amateur hockey.

Adolescent↗