Golf-related ocular injuries often vision-threatening

This meta-analysis and literature review found that ocular golf-related injuries occur less frequently than other ocular sports injuries, but have a higher rate of open globe injury and enucleation.

The authors note that a study of 80 sports showed that only BB guns and arrows/darts caused more enucleations than golf, placing it above hockey, baseball, fishing, hunting, skiing, horse racing, karate, basketball, boxing and football.

Of the 11 studies included in the analysis, 102 subjects were hospitalized following a golf-related ocular injury. The authors found that injuries were most often caused by golf balls (72%), followed by golf clubs (27%) and foreign bodies (1%). Children were significantly more likely to be injured by a golf club (P=0.0001).

Forty-seven of 93 (51%) injuries resulted in an open globe and 27 of 82 (33%) injuries resulted in enucleation. Non-enucleated eyes achieved significant visual recovery, gaining more than 6 lines of vision.

None of the patients were wearing adequate protective eyewear at the time of their injury, leading the authors to postulate that protective goggles may have prevented much of the trauma. They recommend polycarbonate lenses based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard for other sports.