Eye injury. What protection to get back onto the field?

PS The face shields you often see basketball players wear after these kinds of injuries seem like overkill?

Johnny

trust the eye Dr your  son has suffered a great injury. Do not be supid

Bob

Well understood, Coach. Thank you! Definitely listening to them. Wondering more about what protection he should / should not wear when he gets back.

My son had a diminished HS junior year due to mono - we needed to be sure he didn't rupture his spleen. It's hard because we enjoy watching them, and they love the game. I would highly suggest getting the opinion of a qualified sports orthopedic and doing exactly what they recommend.

Your son already has college interest, and winning for a club team is pretty much irrelevant so why risk his health?

My son had nobody recruiting him in HS, did a juco tryout, won a spot, transferred to a P5 and was drafted. IMO taking the time to let him heal is not going to change your son's long term trajectory.

Great advice, JD. Definitely listening to the doctors. Was there anything that your son did differently, though, after he was cleared to play? While my son wants to get back to this team and set of coaches who helped him get noticed in the first place, I am well aware that it is my job as his dad to keep him safe and make sure he is cleared healthwise. Appreciate the comment!

Just a lot of time - it took quite a while for him to be cleared and then regain his strength. It happened at the beginning of the HS season, and I don't think he fully regained his strength until summer.  

Information from the American Academy of Ophthalmology on baseball eye injuries and the type of protection they recommend: https://www.aao.org/eye-health...fety-often-takes-hit

You can order Rec Specs online or find a local store: https://www.libertysport.com/a...ective/baseball.html

A website where you can buy the recommended protection from a variety of manufacturers: https://www.sporteyes.com/eyew...l-sport-goggles.html

Best wishes for a full recovery.

Does the doctor who treated him handle athletes? Sports specialists understand the competitiveness of athletes wanting to get back on the field combined with how to do it safely.

Very sorry for your son. Hope he gets back to 100% as soon as possible.

Heal up first.  It’s not worth reinjuring the eye.  Without good eyes a player becomes an ex-player, or a coach (!), or a high school JV umpire (!)

Jokes aside, at his age he needs his parents to step up and protect him from himself.  Sounds like a tough kid.  He will heal up quick

Thank you, SD! Those websites were very helpful! We are talking to a surgeon who deals with NHL players, but their protective gear is obviously not the same!

RJM, that is exactly what I was thinking too, which is why I wanted to check and see if others had had similar experience here. As I said in my OP, I see the trend towards C-flaps in helmets and how a lot of MLB players have adopted them after they themselves got hit. I have seen a photo of Bryce Harper wearing one that goes nearly to his eye. Was curious if anyone has seen something for baserunning. Those goggles that SD suggested look good.

Thank you NYCdad and 3and2 for the best wishes.

Hi, Everyone. Just wanted to post an update, because you were all kind enough to show your concern. All things considered, son is in remarkable shape. He saw a number of doctors including an ophthalmologist, an occulo plastic surgeon and a neurologist / concussion specialist, who all remarked how lucky he was considering what happened. It could have been much worse.

During this forced break, he took his first college visit. Son has healed so fast, apart from some lingering redness in that eye, that the coach could not even tell that he had been hit!

Looking forward to putting this injury behind him and hopefully sharing positive news on the recruiting front. Thanks for all the good wishes! I'm sure they have helped.

@JohnnySakko posted:

Hi, Everyone. Just wanted to post an update, because you were all kind enough to show your concern. All things considered, son is in remarkable shape. He saw a number of doctors including an ophthalmologist, an occulo plastic surgeon and a neurologist / concussion specialist, who all remarked how lucky he was considering what happened. It could have been much worse.

During this forced break, he took his first college visit. Son has healed so fast, apart from some lingering redness in that eye, that the coach could not even tell that he had been hit!

Looking forward to putting this injury behind him and hopefully sharing positive news on the recruiting front. Thanks for all the good wishes! I'm sure they have helped.

Did you get the protective goggles?

Hi, SD! I greatly appreciated the advice but he was actually told to try a plastic face shield, since he is trying to protect that eye socket from taking another direct hit. Even checked out a company that makes eyewear for rugby players, but that company itself recommended more of a full face shield.