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My son took a fastball to the eye this past weekend. It was pretty scary, because he was spitting up blood, and we had to take him to the ER. Good news is that he did not need surgery. Bad news is that he has multiple fractures around that particular eye socket. Tough SOB that he is, he wants to get back onto the field ASAP, especially because his team is thin on pitching and because schools have begun reaching out to him. We're less worried about the schools, because they would understand him needing to take time off. He mostly wants to return to the team.

The doctors are telling him he should not play next week, and he totally understands that he needs to let the bones begin the initial healing. But any advice about what protection he should wear when he gets back? The biggest danger is that he take another direct hit to the same spot. Wearing a C flap helmet when he is batting seems to make sense. We have seen the helmets that Bryce Harper now wears to protect nearly the whole side of his face. What about when he is running the bases or pitching? Do sports goggles make sense? Thanks!

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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!

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.

Last edited by SpeedDemon

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?

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