Minnesota man stresses importance of eye safety

Nobody knows the importance of protecting one's eyes more than 43-year-old Mike Delaney. The Gwinnett Daily Post reports that the Duluth, Minnesota, resident has been unable to see out of his right eye for more than a year after a softball took an unexpected bounce and tore his retina.

According to the news source, the injury has affected more than just his eyesight. An avid baseball fan before the accident, Delaney now finds it tough to watch games.

"I cannot watch a baseball game now. I just know it's a matter of time. Every time I see the ball hit or thrown I know somebody’s going to get hurt," Delaney told the news provider.

Despite suffering from diminished vision, Delaney is using his accident to stress eye safety when playing sports. He recently joined with local optometrist Mark Forster and has been trying to popularize protective sports eyewear.


Prevent Blindness America reports that sports-related eye injuries affect more than 40,000 people every year and 90 percent of them can be prevented. Eye protection is most crucial in sports such as basketball, baseball and racquet sports.