Assessment of ocular protection for racquetball.

We evaluated the ability of 11 commercially available eye guards (lensless and closed) and eight piano spectacles (varying in lens thickness and material) to prevent ocular trauma from racquetballs. A guard was judged to be effective if the lens or frame did not shatter or dislodge after a minimum of ten direct blows with a racquetball and if eye contact was prevented. All spectacles failed; either the lens or the frame shattered. Open eye guards permitted the ball to contact the eye or were themselves propelled into the eye. Three commercially available closed guards failed because their frames broke. Only four guards passed our criteria for effectiveness.