Americans love sports and they love to look fashionable. And we often times insist that sports and fashion go together, sometimes to our own detriment. While protective eye gear may never be the latest craze, think for a moment about the logic of not protecting our eyes.

We take extra steps to prevent concussions, broken bones and bruises and chipped teeth, but what do we do to prevent the possibility of permanent vision loss, a scratched cornea or fractured eye socket?

Broken bones and bruises will heal, but a serious eye injury can put you on the disabled list from your favorite sport for the rest of your life. Not only sports, but your average jobs around the house can be just as dangerous and can cause serious eye injury. Mowing your lawn, weeding and using a chain saw are also things that should be done while wearing eye protection.

How do I protect my eyes while playing sports?

The ways in which an unprotected eye may be injured in a sporting event are too numerous to count. But the ways in which we can protect our eyes are simple. It is especially important that children who are learning to coordinate or who have low skill levels wear protective eye gear. To reduce the risk of a serious eye injury, the following precautions should be taken when playing.

Baseball

In the event of an errant pitch, a ball lost in the sun or a thrown bat, a baseball player should wear a faceguard made of a sturdy plastic or polycarbonate material along with eye goggles or eye guards.

Basketball

Players should wear eye goggles at all times in the event of an errant elbow, a stray poke from another player's finger or even an errantly thrown basketball.

Soccer and football

Like other contact sports, an errant elbow, ball, foot or finger can cause serious damage to the unprotected eye. Players should wear sports eye guards and in football a full faceguard.

Hockey

Ever get a good look at a hockey player's teeth? Imagine such damage to your eyes. Sticks, pucks and elbows fly freely during a match, and a player should wear a full polycarbonate material or wire mask to prevent eye injuries.

Tennis and racquetball

To protect your eyes from an errant or misjudged ball, or in the case of racquetball your opponent's racket, protective eye goggles should be worn at all times.

How do I know my eye gear will be effective?

Regular reading glasses, sunglasses and sometimes even safety glasses don't provide necessary eye protection for sports participants. Athletes need to purchase sports eye guards that are tailored to protect the eyes while playing the specific sport.

Other suggestions include:

€ Purchase eye guards at a sports store or optical store and have someone familiar with your eyesight and the sport fit you for the eyewear

€ Don't purchase eyewear that doesn't contain the correct lenses; lenses should be secure because with many demanding sports there is the chance that a lens may pop inward

€ Eye guards should contain cushioning along the eyebrow and the edge of the nose to help prevent the athlete from cutting the face

How will protective gear affect my performance?

Because the eyes help an athlete determine timing, coordination and speed, the ability to see well while protecting vision is of the utmost importance. Fortunately many sports eyewear manufacturers today take into account an athlete's activity, along with environmental factors to create eyewear that will give players an edge in their chosen sport. Also, if the sport is being played outdoors, it is very important for athletes to wear eyeglasses that contain UV protection from sunray blockage.

Mark DiVietro is an optician at Silbert Optical in Auburn