PAO Board President, Joseline Sikorski (and many other players) wear eye protection on the courts. Read her story below to find out why and check out an interesting article from Sunnybrook Health Centre on the importance of protection.
As younger and sometimes more aggressive players join the sport, (a very good thing!) all players should consider wearing appropriate safety glasses and frames. I started wearing them four years ago, after a hard return shot deflected off my paddle and hit the right side of the right. I had internal bleeding in the eye and was extremely lucky there weren’t permanent injuries! I never thought it would ever happen again! However, last week in a match a new, younger player quickly released a hard side arm shot that hit me square in the left eye. It was so quick I didn’t see it coming! No doubt if I was not wearing glasses I would have had a serious injury. The force knocked the lens out of the frame. I was extremely lucky as the force of the impact could still have easily caused a detached retina.
I learned an important lesson, although the frames contained tridex safety lenses a better quality than recommended polyvinyl, the frame was only a half frame like cycling glasses and does not have sufficient cushioning to absorb some of the impact. So, I will be replacing them to insure better protection.
I believe it is the responsibility of every player to take ownership to protect their eyes. Too many people believe they are safe with the plastic ball but the specialist at Sunnybrook (the Health Centre where I was treated) was emphatic that there is no such thing as a safe ball.
Be careful out there!
Joseline Sikorski (PAO Board President)
Watch a very informative video from Sunnybrook Health Centre on the importance of eye protection!
http://health.sunnybrook.ca/sunnyview/safety-glasses-sports-goggles/