Polycarbonate Eyewear Reduces Ocular Injury Risk in Soccer

Polycarbonate eyewear may reduce the retinal stress and strain resulting from the impact of a soccer ball to the eye, according to research published in the Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Researchers used a finite element computer simulation to demonstrate the effect of soccer ball trauma on a model of the eye with and without eye protection. Using both acrylic and polycarbonate eyewear with lens thicknesses of 3 mm placed 10 mm from the edge of the eye, the team quantified stress and strain experienced by the eyeball in each model.

Overall, both protective eyewear materials demonstrated the ability to lower ocular stress and strain by absorbing and redirecting energy from the ball. Polycarbonate eyewear reduced the average stress the retina experienced by 61%, compared with the unprotected eye model. The acrylic model reduced the average stress by 40%.

Both types of eyewear protection reduced the maximum strain on the retina. Polycarbonate eyewear lowered strain by 69% compared with 47% for the acrylic lenses, reducing the deformations of the eye on impact.

“[T]he results of these simulations demonstrate that protective eyewear is effective in
greatly reducing both ocular stress and strain, suggesting a consequent reduction in the severity of soccer-related ocular injury,” according to the study authors. “Given the commonplace nature of such injuries in pediatric populations, the authors recommend the use of eye protection to lower the impact the eye experiences during a collision that could lead to short- and long-term vision impairment.”

Study limitations include a failure to include in vivo models or determine the effects of soccer-related trauma on non retinal structures.