Eye Health News

Eye doctor's wife gets hit in eye with tennis ball

Remember the adage, "The son of the shoemaker has no shoes?" Ophthalmologists are of the same ilk. Many eye doctors fail to get their own eyes or their family members' eyes examined. And even more alarming, many fail to take the same safety precautions that they recommend for their patients. This past Monday, I saw a women get struck in the eye from a tennis ball that caromed off of her own racquet. Her husband is an ophthalmologist, yet she was wearing no protective eyewear. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that protective eyewear can prevent 90% of eye injuries. While the message has gotten through to members of certain sports, tennis remains a holdout - where sunglasses or glasses would help from getting struck in the eye. Among the highest risks are playing net and getting struck at close range.