Until recently the position of the Ontario Badminton Association (OBA) on the use of protective eyewear when playing badminton was: THE WEARING OF POLYCARBONATE LENSES IN A FRAME DESIGNED FOR SPORT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. This sentence, or words to that effect, used to appear on entry forms for OBA sanctioned events. In the era of on-line registration, this recommendation is less visible, if it appears at all in the "Tournament Rules".

The following resolution was carried (with one abstention) at the OBA Annual General Meeting, June 4-5, 2005, at Niagara Falls.

BE IT RESOLVED that the ONTARIO BADMINTON ASSOCIATION strongly recommends that all players wear eye protects which meet or exceed the impact standards set out in ASTMF803 "STANDARD SPECIFICATION FOR EYE PROTECTORS FOR SELECTED SPORTS" for BADMINTON/SQUASH".

The preamble to this resolution provided the rationale for the OBA to reaffirm it's support for the use of protective eyewear and to recommend a specific standard that these should be tested against. The preamble stated:

"Whereas the impact of shuttlecocks and badminton racquets with the eye has resulted in severe eye injuries, including, in very rare cases, the permanent loss of sight in the affected eye of badminton players; and

the Canadian Ophthalmological Society recommends the use of eye protectors by badminton players; and

the use of appropriate eye protectors has been found to reduce the risk of significant eye injury by at least 90%, when fitted properly; and

the incidence of eye injuries to badminton players has been reported to be greater than that in squash and racquetball players and that this has been attributed to the increased use of eye protectors by players in these sports; and

The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM F803) "Standard Specifications for Eye Protectors for Selective Sports" indicates that Eye Protectors that provide eye protection against the impact of a squash ball will provide similar protection against the impact of shuttlecocks and badminton racquets; and

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Policy Statement, "Protective Eyewear for Young Athletes (2004): indicates: "streetwear (fashion) spectacles that conform to the requirements of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z80.3.11, and safety eyewear that conforms to the requirements of ANSI standard Z87.1,12 which is mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for industrial and educational safety eyewear, are not satisfactory for eye-injury risk sports" because streetwear frames are often fragile and have poor lens retention properties and standard Z87.1,12 is not designed to test for the impact of projectiles and racquets used in racquet sports; and

the Ontario Badminton Association has a duty to advise its members and badminton players at large (and their parents) of avoidable risks associated with the sport and the means to mitigate these risks.

The OBA subsequently passed resolutions regarding the mandatory use of eye protectors for Junior players in OBA-sanctioned tournaments. The OBA policy for these circumstances is

THE USE OF PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR (ASTM F803) FOR DOUBLES PLAY IN ALL OBA-SANCTIONED EVENTS IS MANDATORY FOR ALL JUNIOR PLAYERS BORN IN 1992 OR LATER

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2006, THE USE OF PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR (ASTM F803) FOR DOUBLES PLAY IN ALL OBA-SANCTIONED EVENTS IS MANDATORY FOR ALL JUNIOR PLAYERS BORN IN 1987 OR LATER.

EYE INJURIES IN BADMINTON

The following information may be of interest for those considering whether or not to use protective eyewear for themselves or their children when playing badminton and/or people intending to purchase protective eyewear.

People who followed the Badminton competition at the 2004 Olympic Games via Worldbadminton.net, were probably surprised to learn that the Men's Singles silver medalist, Shon Seung-Mo of Korea was partially sighted. By his account, "I was 15 then and training with the other youngsters. But a shuttle hit my eye and I had to go for surgery. My right eye has not completely recovered". He lost 2/3 of the sight in that eye (1).

This serves as a reminder that badminton players can sustain serious eye injuries. A research paper published in 1981 estimated that the risk of eye injuries for 100000 playing sessions in badminton is 3.6, compared to 5.2 for squash, 1.3 for tennis and 0.1 for table tennis. Many studies have shown the ocular risk of participating in squash, racquetball, tennis and badminton. There is no correlation of players' level of experience with eye injury (2).

Badminton injuries have been summarized as follows (3):

"Although the shuttle decelerates rapidly, sufficient energy is present, especially after the smash, to cause significant ocular injury. In southeast Asia, badminton is played seriously; in Malaysia it accounts for two thirds of all eye injuries and 53% to 56% of all hyphemas [accumulation of blood post-injury in the anterior chamber of the eye] from all causes [according to a survey reported in 1972]. Fifty percent of all persons with badminton-related injuries suffer some permanent decrease of best-corrected vision and 11% result in 20/200 or worse, with macular changes, traumatic cataract, and glaucoma the main causes of visual impairment [according to the results of a 5 year survey published in 1988]. In doubles, shuttlecocks hit the eye off both the partner's and opponent's racket; but racket impacts which occur 14% to 48% of the time, are only caused by the doubles partner. Because of the potential of injury in doubles from the racket as well as the shuttle fired by friendly forces it is not surprising that 70% of all badminton eye injuries occur in doubles. The racket has enough force to shatter eyeglasses, causing corneal-scleral laceration, but there have been no reports of a spectacle lens shattering on impact from the shuttle. Most injuries from the shuttles are to players at the net".

In Canada, where two of the eleven eye injuries reported in the 1976-1977 season resulted in legal blindness, the relative incidence of badminton-related injuries increased from 1982-1989. In a 3-year period ending June 1989, there were 64 badminton-related eye injuries reported by ophthalmologists in Canada; 57 of 64 were caused by the shuttle. School children suffer badminton induced hyphemas while supervised by physical education teachers who rarely recommend protective eyewear. Badminton is responsible for 19% of severe sports-related eye injuries in the United Kingdom [according to a survey published in 1979].

[In a survey of injuries in competitive badminton players in England in the 1976-1977 season] sixteen of 231 (7%) received an eye injury; three players required hospitalization, and one player required surgery. All of these injuries were from the shuttle, with 81% hit by the opponent and the rest hit by the player's doubles partner or glancing off the player's own racket".

Some of these figures are dated, but there is no reason to believe that the incidence would have decreased since then, although the absolute number may have declined because fewer people may be playing badminton.

According to the Dr Tom Pashby Sports Safety Website (4), "more eye injuries are reported by badminton players than racquetball, squash and tennis combined. 1135 racket sports eye injuries have been reported including 47 legally blind eyes". Dr Pashby's statement on the relative numbers of eye injuries has been the trend since 1986. The increased proportion of badminton injuries has been attributed to the increased use of eye protectors by squash and racquetball players (5).

The data that Dr. Pashby refers to were collected by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) from 1976 to 2002. The COS system depends on voluntary reporting of cases by individual ophthalmologists and the reported cases have been characterized as "an indeterminate small percentage of the actual injuries" (6). In contrast, during the same period for hockey there were 1369 eye injuries and 248 legally blind eyes (but no blind eyes were reported in players wearing Canadian Standard Association (CSA) certified full face protectors, and 9 were in players wearing visors) (7). It has been said that "from an eye injury perspective, it is far more dangerous to play badminton without an eye protector than to play ice hockey with a full face mask" (8).

In the USA it was estimated that in 1998 there were 2767 eye injuries from all racquet sports, with 36% of these occurring in children 5 to 14 years of age (9). During the period from 1984 to 1994, it was estimated that there were 1674 eye injuries among badminton players (10). These were considered to be only a fraction of the total number of eye injuries because the database from which these numbers were extracted, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, does not include eye injuries seen in ophthalmologists's offices and specialty eye hospitals (9).

RECOMMENDATIONS BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS FOR PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR FOR SPORTS

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have a Policy Statement, Protective Eyewear for Young Athletes (11), which is updated every five years. This recommends eye protectors for a number of sports including badminton (the other sports are baseball/softball, basketball, bicycling, fencing, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, paintball, tennis, paddle tennis, handball, squash, racquetball, soccer, street hockey, track and field, water polo/swimming). For badminton, they recommend protective eyewear that conforms to the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard F803 for racquet sports. The most recent version of this Policy Statement (2004) states:

All athletes and their parents should be made aware of the risks associated with participation in sports and the availability of a variety of certified sports eye protectors. Although eye protectors cannot eliminate the risk of injury, appropriate eye protectors have been found to reduce the risk of significant eye injury by at least 90% when fitted properly. It would be ideal if all children and adolescents wore appropriate eye protection for all eye-risk sports and recreational activities.

Polycarbonate is the most shatter-resistant clear lens material and should be used for all safety eyewear.

All youths involved in organized sports should be encouraged to wear appropriate eye protection.

Because some children have narrow facial features, they may be unable to wear even the smallest sports goggles. These children may be fitted with 3-mm polycarbonate lenses in ANSI standard Z87.1 frames designed for children. The parents should be informed that this protection is not optimal, and the choice of eye-safe sports should be discussed.

Because contact lenses offer no protection, it is strongly recommended that athletes who wear contact lenses also wear the appropriate eye protection.

An athlete who requires prescription spectacles has 3 options for eye protection:

a) polycarbonate lenses in a sports frame that passes ASTM standard F803 for the specific sport;

b) contact lenses plus an appropriate protector.

c) an over-the-glasses eyeguard that conforms to the specifications of ASTM standard F803.

The policy statement describes two types of eyewear that are not satisfactory for eye-injury risk sports.

1. Streetwear (fashion) spectacles that conform to the requirements of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z80.3.11

2. Safety eyewear that conforms to the requirements of ANSI standard Z87.1,12 which is mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for industrial and educational safety eyewear.

Streetwear frames are often fragile and have poor lens retention properties and standard Z87.1,12 is not designed to test for the impact of projectiles and racquets used in racquet sports..

The Policy Statement goes on to say, "protectors that have been tested to an appropriate standard by an independent testing laboratory are often certified and should afford reasonable protection. The Protective Eyewear Certification Council has begun certifying protectors that comply with ASTM standard F803 (racket sports, basketball, baseball, women's lacrosse, and field hockey), ASTM standard F1776 (paintball), and ASTM standard F910 (youth baseball batters and base runners) standards".

Squash Canada has the following policy regarding protective eyewear (12).

Eyeguard Certification Policy:

That only protective eyewear appearing on the Squash Canada list of acceptable eyeguards meeting the ASTM designation F803 (Standard Specification for Eye Protectors for Use by Players of Racket Sports), shall be allowable at any Squash Canada sanctioned event where the use of protective eyewear is mandatory.

June 1997

Junior Eyeguard Policy:

That all juniors who are members in good standing of Squash Canada shall appropriately wear eyeguards which are on Squash Canada's list of acceptable protective eyewear, in any Squash Canada sanctioned events and on-court activities for which they receive funding from Squash Canada, or activities where they are members of a Canadian Team or Squad.

January 1998.

ASTM F 803 "STANDARD SPECIFICATION FOR EYE PROTECTORS FOR SELECTED SPORTS" (13)

ASTM F803 applies to eye protectors for use by wearers of corrective lenses and also by those players who do not require prescription eyewear. Polycarbonate spectacle lenses should be used if spectacles are worn under protective eyewear.

This standard applies to the following two types of eye protectors for racquet sports (badminton, handball, paddleball, racquetball, squash, tennis)

Type I: A protector with the lens or lenses and frame frontpiece molded as one unit. Frame temples or other devices, such as straps, to affix the lens/frontpiece may be separate pieces.

Type I I: A protector with a single lens or lenses, either plano [non-prescription] or prescription, mounted in a frame that was manufactured as a separate unit.

Eye protectors for racquet sports are tested under this standard to resist impacts with the projectiles and racquets used in the sport. In addition it contains criteria related to optical requirements - light transmittance, peripheral vision, blind spots, etc., to insure the eye protector meets the visual requirement of the sport while at the same time reducing the probability of an injury to a specified level. In other words, wearing an eye protector should not affect your vision when playing badminton.

For High Velocity Impact Resistance for squash, badminton and handball, the test uses a squash ball that is hurled at the Eye Protector mounted on a headform at a speed of 90 mph (40 ± 2 m/s) (as measured within a metre of the point of impact). On impact there shall be:

No contact with the eye of the headform (that is the eye protector should not be deformed/pushed so far back toward the eye on impact that it actually touches the eyeball).

No displaced fragments or complete fracture of the frame or lenses .

No displacement of the lens from the frame (that is the lens is not separated from the frame).

For every eye protector tested, eight "samples" of the new and complete product as offered for sale, are used and each one is impacted by one ball at one of the following impact points:

(1) the at center of any lens, or principal viewing area, from the front horizontal direction.

(2) the front corner of any hinge from the front horizontal direction;

(3) at any hinge from the side horizontal direction, 90 degrees from front dead center;

(4) the bottom of the protector from directly in front;

(5) the top half of the protector from directly in front;

(6) For impact from the side, the headform is rotated 45 degrees so that the test ball is projected at an angle of 45 degrees from the temporal side of the headform in the horizontal plane through the pupil,

(7) Impact elsewhere as determined by the testing agency, based upon previous impacts.

If a failure of the model being tested occurs during any one of the eight required impacts, all eight shots must be repeated for retesting.

To test for racket impacts, a device propels a regulation 200 ± 10-g squash racket at a head linear velocity of 25 (11 m/s) ± 2 mph, striking the Eye Product mounted on a headform at 4 different impact points.

According to Dr. Paul Vinger, "in developing the F803 standard, eye protectors were impacted with the shuttlecock, which proved an extremely difficult test object, as it veered off course immediately after it left the propulsion device and consistent impact locations were almost impossible to attain. The next test object tried was a cylindrical dart, on which was mounted a shuttlecock tip, that weighed the same as a shuttlecock. The ballistics were somewhat better, but not sufficiently accurate for consistent laboratory testing. Spheres with the same mass as a shuttlecock had excellent ballistics, but not the same mechanical properties as a shuttlecock. Because of the inability to develop a reliable test object with the same mechanical characteristics as the shuttlecock, and because the impact with the squash ball is the most severe test for racquet sport eye protectors, the squash ball is used to certify protectors for badminton. These protectors work well, as we know of no badminton eye injuries to any player wearing a protector that passes ASTM F803 for squash".

Thus the standard states "When tested in accordance with Section 11, protectors which pass with the squash ball will pass also for badminton". Furthermore with respect to the impact of a badminton racquet it has been determined that "no protector that passed with a [squash] ball failed with a racket".

An eye protector that is certified by this standard for use in racquetball does not meet the requirements for badminton.

The standard also requires "Product Marking", to appear on the product itself or in the accompanying labelling, which allows users (and parents, tournament organizers, badminton associations etc.) to identify products that have been tested and shown to meet the standard, and provides some cautions on their use. These requirements include:

A clear statement on the package shall define the sports for which the protector is designed. (For example, this eye protector has been tested and is in compliance with Specification F 803 for (stipulate sports).

Clear and prominent markings stating the size (small, medium, large) with age and gender guidance (as per this standard) which the protector has been designed for and has satisfied the applicable requirements of this standard.

A warning stating that if the eye protector is severely impacted, short of failure, then the degree of protection provided will be reduced and the eye protector must be replaced. Failure to do so may result in permanent injuries to the eye; and

A warning stating that if a lens pops out due to impact during play, the wearer should stop playing and have the protector replaced.

A warning statement that if the eye protector is stored at cold temperatures it should be allowed to return to room temperature before use.

It is important to note the limitations stated in the "Scope" of the specification: "This specification covers eye protectors, designed for use by players of racket sports, women's lacrosse, field hockey, basketball, baseball, and soccer that minimize or significantly reduce injury to the eye and adnexa due to impact and penetration by racket-sport rackets and balls, women's lacrosse and field hockey sticks and balls, baseballs, soccer balls, hands, elbows, and fingers. Protective eyewear offers protection only to the eyes and does not protect other parts of the head".

During several million player-years of use, there have been no eye injuries to any player wearing a protector that conformed to ASTM F803 requirements (14).

The ASTM and the CSA began to develop testing procedures through independent but cooperative studies in 1979-1980, which resulted in the publication of performance standards for racket sport eye protectors by the ASTM in 1983 and the CSA in 1986 (15). The CSA standard, CSA P400 standard is often cited at squash websites, but this standard and related testing is no longer available from the CSA due to lack of stakeholder interest in Canada.

Standards developed at ASTM are the work of over 30,000 ASTM members. These technical experts represent producers, users, consumers, government and academia from over 100 countries. Participation in ASTM International is open to all with a material interest, anywhere in the world. That is, the ASTM is considered an international standard setting organization whose standards are used around the globe (16). ASTM standards are reviewed and updated every 5 years. The last revision of ASTM F803 was in 2003.

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

Once a standard has been agreed on by "stake holders" (e.g., manufacturer's, distributors, sports organizations, consumers, physicians, government and academia) the product must then be tested against that standard and certified to have passed the test. The process and requirements have been described as follows (17)

"To determine whether products pass the applicable standards, they are submitted to a testing laboratory. The testing laboratory must comply with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Inter-European Commission (IEC) Guide 25-1990. The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) accredits all types of laboratories, except medical. A laboratory must be able to provide evidence of the successful completion of the A2LA evaluation process to perform the tests that are relevant to the standard test procedures. A2LA was approved under the Accrediting Body Evaluation Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. By the end of 1997, 987 laboratories were accredited and 330 laboratories were in the process of obtaining accreditation".

There is an organization that certifies that testing laboratories have been accredited and that eye protectors have been tested according to ASTM F803. This is the Protective Eyewear Certification Council (PECC) (18) which describes itself as:

"a not-for-profit organization with a volunteer board of directors. The only purpose of PECC is the reduction of eye injury with a program of testing and certification that will result in products easily identified by the PECC seal PECC provides a 3rd party certification service whereby a third party laboratory meeting A2LA standards validates a manufacturer's conformance to standards appropriate to the activity.

The use of the PECC Certification Seal signifies that the manufacturer has received written validation from the independent laboratory that the product associated with the use of the seal conforms with the appropriate standard specifications".

According to the PECC website, http://www.protecteyes.org/program.htm the PECC has certified 3 testing laboratories that meet the A2LA standard. The site lists 4 products that meet the ASTM F803 standard for eye protectors for squash, and therefore, for badminton. This is not to say that there are no other products available that have been tested by accredited laboratories and found to meet the ASTM F803 standard.

There is concern that some products may have been tested according to a less stringent standard and may not offer the same degree of protection.

"Despite the acceptance of ASTM racket sport standards and the existence of certification councils in the United States and Canada, some major manufacturers still promote unsafe eyewear which has not been tested to the ASTM F803 standard, for use in racquet sports. The wearing of inappropriate eyewear is especially dangerous for two reasons: the player is not given the protection that certified eyewear affords and the potentially hazardous eyewear may give the wearer a false sense of security about the amount of protection available and may encourage risk taking and/or bad habits on the court (19)".

A caption under photographs of eye protectors shattering in ASTM F803 test conditions, has the following cautionary tale (20):

"Each of these products was advertised as a protective device for the sports depicted (baseball and squash). None of the major US distributors would produce evidence that the product was tested by an independent laboratory, but gave assurance that "rigid tests" were done by the manufacturer. Each product failed when tested to ASTM F803 for the advertised sport. None of the manufacturers recalled their product when informed of the test result".

One should ask a supplier if the sports eye protector was tested according to ASTM F803 for badminton (or squash) by an accredited testing laboratory. According to ASTM F803, a statement to this effect should appear on the product packaging. If a product was not tested to the specifications of ASTM F803, one should ask to what standard it was tested, bearing in mind that products tested according to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z80.3.11 and Z87.1,12 are not acceptable. If the response is simply that it was tested, one should ask for more information on the testing procedure.

REFERENCES

(1) Shon Sets Sights On Olympic Gold. August 20, 2004. World Badminton.net News http://www.worldbadminton.net/Portal/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=10&ItemID=1579.

(2) Risk of Eye Injury and Effectiveness of Protective Devices for Specific Sports: Small Projectiles, Golf and Racket Sports page 8 book chapter available at the Protective Eyewear Certification Website http://www.protecteyes.org/small_projectiles.pdf

(Individual references to the statements made in this paragraph can be found here).

(3) Ibid. p 11

(4) http://www.drpashby.ca/content/injuries.htm

(5) Reference 2 p. 9.

(6) The Mechanisms and Prevention of Sports Eye Injuries p. 2. Available at the Protective Eyewear Certification Website http://www.protecteyes.org/PECC%20Injuries%20prevention.pdf

(7) Reference 6 Appendix 2 p. 21.

(8) Reference 6 p. 13.

(9) A Practical Guide for Sports Eye Protection Paul F. Vinger, MD. THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 28 - NO. 6 - JUNE 2000 p. 1

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/06_00/vinger.htm

(10) Reference 9 Appendix 1 p. 21

(11) POLICY STATEMENT Protective Eyewear for Young Athletes Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 3 March 2004, pp. 619-622.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/113/3/619

(12) Squash Canada Website (http://www.squash.ca/e/about/policies/eyeguard_print.htm)

(13) F803-03 Standard Specification for Eye Protectors For Selected Sports.

This can be downloaded at http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/DATABASE.CART/REDLINE_PAGES/F803.htm?L+mystore+jvtw5674+1100041306

(14) Reference 9 p. 10.

(15) Reference 2 p. 8.

(16) Material is from the ASTM Website. http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/ABOUT/aboutASTM.html?L+mystore+jvtw5674+1100041163

(17) Reference 9 p. 6.

(18) The Protective Eyewear Certification Council website (http://www.protecteyes.org/program.htm)

(19) Reference 2 p. 8.

20) Reference 6 p. 12.

Prepared by Bob Green

Secretary, Ottawa District Badminton Association (which does not necessarily endorse the statements made in this document).

November 10, 2004.

Revised October 4, 2005.

If you have any comments please contact rmg0450@yahoo.ca.