Sports first aid kit essentials for eye injuries
As a player of any sport, it’s likely that you’ve experienced or seen an eye injury. There are tens of thousands a year, with a staggering 90% believed to be preventable.
Whether you’re fencing, swinging a racquet or kicking a football, there is always a risk - which is why it is vital to have the correct equipment in place to help prevent and aid these injuries.
The three main eye injuries to be aware of are:
Blunt trauma injuries
This is an injury caused by something hitting in or around your eye. This will often cause a black eye - which is due to the very loose skin surrounding your socket swelling up as fluid builds. Despite the appearance, the eye itself is often not injured, and the bruising will heal by itself within a few days.
Other blunt trauma injuries include:
- Ruptured globe (a broken eyeball)
- Detached retina (where part of your eye separates)
- Orbital blowout fracture (a broken bone underneath your eyeball)
Penetrating injuries
This type of injury happens when something cuts your eye. Often, this can be a nail scratching you, or glasses breaking if hit.
These range in severity from mild to deep cuts, and are more commonly seen in higher-risk contact sports. If not treated correctly, they can lead to dizziness, sensitivity to light and headaches.
Radiation injuries
You will often find radiation injuries from outdoor sports, such as cycling, watersports, or snowboarding, where exposure to UV rays (through sunlight) can cause damage to the corneal epithelium, the outer layer of the eyeball. This can result in a welding flash burn, a form of Photokeratitis.
Eye protection
After a packed summer of Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games, we’re sure you’re ready to spring off the sofa and try to replicate the sports stars.
However, for schools and sports clubs, having the correct protection to aid eye injuries is vital. At First Aid Warehouse, we offer a range of sports first aid kits, suitable for any situation, including the Complete Essential Sports Kit In Series Bag.
This easy-to-carry, portable sports kit from Blue Dot contains a wide variety of first aid items, making it a versatile option for low-risk situations. The cleansing wipes, dressings, ice pack and eye pads provide cover and make it an ideal and affordable choice.
Alternatively, if you are looking for cover in higher-risk sporting situations, you may opt to go for the Blue Dot Essential Sports Kit Complete range. We offer three options in this range, each coming in a highly visible orange bag, with adjustable straps.
The Essential Sports Kit Complete Small features gloves, cleansing wipes, bandages, ice packs and dressings, to aid less severe blunt trauma eye injuries. However, for more comprehensive aid for penetration injuries and graver trauma injuries, you may opt for the Medium size, or even the Premium Advanced Kit in Large.
This features a host of extra items ideal for tending to injuries, including:
- Eye wash pods
- Skin closure strips
- Zinc Oxide tape
- Crepe bandages in various sizes
- Dressings
If you’re looking to stock a sports clubhouse with extra protection against eye injuries, our eye wash stations are an ideal option.
Eye injuries often need immediate care, to minimise the damage. Whether this is an impact injury or a scratched eye, having eye wash available can be vital to clean the damaged area and prevent infection.
The Sterile Eyewash First Aid Kit contains two 500ml sterile eyewash solution bottles, alongside two eye dressings, suitable for use once the eye or wound has been cleaned.
The durable box is built with an integrated wall mounting bracket which is ideal for storing inside sports facilities and schools. It also makes it a more flexible option, as you can remove it quickly and adapt to your needs. The cover is also transparent, making it easy to identify when acting quickly to provide aid.
Fixed Stations
If you prefer a rigid option, we offer highly visible stations with pre-drilled holes for a fixed location. These are beneficial for larger sports clubs and facilities, where the risk of eye injury is more frequent.
Our Compact 20ml Sterile Eye Wash Station houses eight pods, containing 0.9% sodium chloride solution. This is perfect for irrigating a cut or graze, or removing small foreign bodies within the eye, which can cause infection. It is condensed in size, with a small mirror to provide assistance when aiding the individual.
However, if the risk of eye injury at your club, school or facility is larger, it may be worth opting for our Compact Eyewash Station which includes two 500ml bottles of eyewash.
Like all of our stations, it is a highly visible green, making it straightforward to locate and use. The larger bottles of the solution provide further cover for future use, with two boxed eye dressings provided, alongside a small mirror.
Another option is our Emergency Eyewash Station. This again provides two 500ml eyewash solution bottles but features a larger, central mirror.
If a cut, graze or bruise is severe, this is perfect for offering a clear view of the affected area. Due to the high frequency of eye injuries, you may need to top up your supply of eyewash solution. We offer sets of 25 20ml Eyewash Pods, as well as 250ml and 500ml eyewash bottles.
Additionally, our range of dressing and eye care products can keep you prepared for a range of sports and injuries.
For cuts, our Skin Closure Strips are perfect. They’re widely used in hospital A&E and theatre departments and are simple to use with high tensile strength.
Though sustaining an eye injury during sports is always a risk, you may be one who ducks out of the way of the basketball, or never falls off your bike - but if you do, we’re here to provide cover.