The debate about whether to mandate protective eyewear in field hockey started six years ago when the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports discussed the possibility but stopped short of a recommendation.

In 2003, though, the committee did recommend that eye protection become required equipment in field hockey when appropriate protective eyewear was identified and available. The group later advocated a pilot study to compare injury risk rates of players wearing protection versus those not wearing protection, similar to the process followed for assessing lacrosse eye protection.  At this point, field hockey players are allowed to wear protective eyewear; though it is not an NCAA rules modification for the sport, and approval rests with the umpires at each game site.

In January, the competitive-safeguards committee reviewed the process to establish eye protection and agreed to study more data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS).

The protective-eyewear issue has been hotly debated at both the collegiate and high school level in the past few years. Imagine 22 players striking a 5.5 ounce hard, plastic ball at an average speed of 61 miles per hour, with a wooden stick on uneven ground, without any eye protection. That’s a risk field hockey players face every time they take the field. 

As a former Division III student-athlete and current first-year optometry student at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, I have learned that the key to reducing eye injuries is to prevent them altogether. In fact, more than 90 percent of eye injuries can be prevented by using protective eyewear. For that reason alone, it is our responsibility to express concern and advocate for mandatory protection in field hockey.

Some people think it’s not necessary to require eyewear because other preventative measures may be taken to reduce the injury risk. For example, coaches could instruct players on proper techniques and safety, or officials could be stricter in calling foul play, which would reduce aggressiveness and injury risk. Others say meticulously maintained fields would reduce the likelihood of injury due to the elevation of field hockey balls. While all those arguments may be valid to a degree, the reality is that no governing body or person could enforce them.

Some in the field hockey community believe eyewear would hinder their sport and affect the level of play. Yes, there are problems associated with eye protection, such as fogging of goggles, decreased peripheral vision and some discomfort, but the benefits of eye protection outweigh those negatives.

Others argue that eye injuries don’t occur frequently enough to warrant new regulations. The ISS shows that field hockey has the fourth-highest prevalence of eye injuries in both practices and games. Of the head and facial injuries in field hockey, one of every 10 (11 percent) affects the eye. That equals the amount of injuries to the mouth and teeth. If mouth guards are required for field hockey, why shouldn’t eyewear?

The Department of Health and Human Services launched “Healthy People 2010” in January 2000. One of the objectives in that initiative includes increasing the use of protective eyewear. On a similar note, the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and Prevent Blindness America — among other organizations — recommend the use of protective eyewear for athletes.

The field hockey community may resist change, but at the same time, if eyewear is mandated, no one player would feel singled out. New requirements only would ensure the safety of student-athletes. The implementation of eyewear at the college level most likely would create a domino effect, and in turn, increase the amount of eye protection required at youth levels.   

I appreciate the thought and the consideration that the NCAA and the field hockey community have put into this issue, but there is no need to think about it any longer. Rather than contemplating whether eye injuries in field hockey are a real issue, we need to start preventing them from occurring. The American Academy of Ophthalmology sums it up best in saying: “Hindsight doesn’t work if you lose your sight. Wear eye protection, and keep your sight for life.”

Kelly Cyr is a former soccer student-athlete at St. Joseph’s College (Maine) and a current member of the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.