Eye injuries in Canadian amateur hockey

Abstract

The incidence of eye injury in Canadian amateur hockey has declined sharply, from 257 cases in the 1974-75 season to 124 in the 1983-84 season, since face protectors certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and attached to CSA-certified helmets became mandatory for minor hockey players in this country. None of the reported cases in 1983-84 were in players wearing such equipment. The average age of the injured players was 14 years in 1974-75 but 24 years in 1983-84; that is, younger players are now protected, but older players are not. Hockey sticks and pucks were the top two causes of eye injury in both seasons, but hyphema became the commonest type of injury in 1983-84, surpassing soft tissue damage. The frequency of legal blindness as the visual outcome fell from 19% in 1974-75 to 11% in 1983-84. A suitable face protector must now be developed for older players.