A Bit More Perspective on How Dangerous Fishing Is

By Michael Eldridge

According to the National Eye Institute, sports and recreational-related eye injuries result in an estimated 100,000 physician visits yearly. These visits cost more than $175 million per year. And that's in the U.S. alone.

The Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries says that the following sports are each considered a high-to-moderate risk for eye injury: basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, soccer, volleyball, water polo, football, air rife, BB gun, paintball, boxing, martial arts, cricket, squash, racquetball, fencing, badminton, golf, and fishing.

Injuries from just fishing make up 9 percent of all sports-related injuries, and of that number, a hook in the eye accounts for 38 percent of injuries, a sinker or body of a lure striking the eye causes 44 percent of injuries, and the majority of the remaining 18 percent come from overuse injuries.

Even more startling, eye injuries from fishing--a treble hook lodged in the eye, or a sinker hitting the eye--have surpassed eye injuries from basketball as the No. 1 sports-related eye injury. Dr. Tom Parr corroborates this statistic by noting that fishing is the most common cause of sports-related eye injuries in America's emergency rooms. Dr. Parr further notes that, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA), wearing regular sunglasses or prescription eyeglasses fails to provide enough eye protection for the eye from the impact of a flying fishing lure.

How can these injuries be prevented? By wearing eyewear that is impact-resistant. Fortunately, there is a great selection of safety eyewear that provides ideal protection against flying hooks and sinkers. They also protect eyes against 99 percent of harmful rays from the sun.

Taking it a step further, wearing fishing sunglasses not only provides the best way to prevent eye injury while fishing but with eyewear best suited for the sport. Many anglers are actually hooked on polarized fishing glasses because they also enhance visibility in all lighting conditions.

Fishing is not the most dangerous sport for the body as a whole. However, more eye injuries come from fishing than from any other sport. Hopefully, this information motivates anglers to protect their eyes not just from the sun's rays but from their own fishing gear as well.

About the author: Michael Eldridge is a U.S. Marine veteran and the founder of SafetyGlassesUSA.com. He's passionate about protective eyewear and promoting vision safety. In his spare time, he enjoys target shooting, fishing, CrossFit, mountain biking, camping with his family, and watching Detroit Tigers baseball.