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. 2023 Jul 19;9(3):e001644.
doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001644. eCollection 2023.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus paper on sports-related ophthalmology issues in elite sports

Morten Carstens Moe  1 , Emin Özmert  2   3 , Christophe Baudouin  4 , Abhinav Binadra  5 , Sven Crafoord  6 , Young Jo  7 , Hayyam Kiratli  8 , Melita Moore  9 , Yannis P Pitsiladis  10   11 , Udo Rolle  12 , Ben Tan  13 , Özge Yanik  2   3 , Richard Budgett  5 , Ugur Erdener  5   8   14 , Kathrin Steffen  15 , Lars Engbretsen  5   15   16
Affiliations

International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus paper on sports-related ophthalmology issues in elite sports

Morten Carstens Moe et al. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. .

Abstract

Vision plays an important role in an athletes' success. In sports, nearly 80% of perceptual input is visual, and eye health and sports medicine are closely intertwined fields of utmost importance to athletes. The physical nature of sports activities renders individuals more prone to various eye injuries than the general population. Ocular trauma can lead to lifelong sequelae, and impaired vision requires careful follow-up and management. Apart from injuries, athletes may also experience vision problems that can hamper their performance, including blurred vision, double vision, and light sensitivity. The interdisciplinary nature of sports medicine necessitates collaboration between sports medicine professionals and ophthalmologists. Through such collaborations, athletes can receive appropriate eye care, education on proper eye protection and guidance on adopting good eye health practices. If any inconspicuous symptoms are not detected and treated promptly, athletes may acquire systemic injuries because of defective vision, preventing them from achieving high level athletic performance in competitions. The protection of the elite athlete is the responsibility of all of us in sports medicine. To advance a more unified, evidence-informed approach to ophthalmic health assessment and management in athletes and as relevant for sports medicine physicians, the International Olympic Committee Consensus Group aims for a critical evaluation of the current state of the science and practice of ophthalmologic issues and illness in high-level sports, and present recommendations for a unified approach to this important issue.

Keywords: Eye; Injuries; Knowledge translation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: RB is the IOC Medical and Scientific Director. LE is the IOC Head of Science Activities and an Editor of BJSM IPHP. UE is an IOC member and the Chair of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission. KS is coeditor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine—Injury Prevention & Health Protection. BT is a member of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, and Vice President of the Singapore National Olympic Council. YPP is a member of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Scientific Commission of the International Sports Medicine Federation (FIMS), a member of the Scientific and Education Commission of the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA), a member of WADA’s Health Medical Research Committee (HMRC).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Eye anatomy: ocular surface; (B) eye anatomy: orbital content; (C) eye anatomy: division of the eye; (D) eye anatomy: retina.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CT scan of a tennis player who received a direct hit of the ball to the left eye. (A) Coronal view: there is a large bony defect in the medial part of the left orbital floor with herniation of the inferior rectus muscle and orbital fat into the maxillary sinus (arrow). (B) CT scan of a tennis player who received a direct hit of the ball to the left eye, sagittal view.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ocular surface diseases encompass a range of pathologies involving the structures and tissues.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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