Soccer May Become Worldwide the most Common Cause of Sports Injury

An analysis of eye injuries in soccer players suggests that players could benefit from protective eye gear, researchers report. Because of the rapid rise in popularity among school children, "it is possible that soccer may become worldwide the most common cause of sports injury," according to Dr. Joao C. Capao Filipe of the University of Porto School of Medicine in Portugal and colleagues.

In their study, the researchers looked at 163 soccer players who sustained an eye injury between 1992 and 2000. Although the injured ranged in age from 8 to 48, the bulk of the patients were young men who sustained an eye injury from a kicked ball while they were near the goal post. Only three patients had permanent, severe vision loss, but 12 percent required hospitalization and 14 percent of patients needed one or more surgical procedures, usually for a detached retina. Overall, 76 percent of injuries were classified as "severe."

"One of the most surprising results of our data was that the age, sex, type of soccer, level of athletic expertise and player position did not relate to the severity of ... injury," according to the report in the journal the Archives of Ophthalmology. "It is a common misconception that experience in itself protects from injury," they write.

The findings suggest that protective eyewear designed specifically for soccer is needed, the researchers conclude. This may be especially important for players who require prescription lenses, those who have had surgical procedures that weaken the eye or those who already have severe vision loss in an eye, they said.