Eye Injury

Nick P · Newbie Joined: 17 Jul 2008 Posts: 22

Hi everyone.

I'm looking for eye protection while I'm boarding. Last time I was out on the lake I took a nasty spill and got a concussion and damaged my left eye. Well not really the eye but the eye lid. I can see the same out of that eye but the lid has a slight droop that won't go away. This was last summer.

I'm about to start back up again this fall. For the first time ever I'll have the opportunity to wakeboard everyday of the week if I want to, as opposed to 2 times a year which was the case when I still lived back home. I can't afford to have another injury to my eye. Or my head for that matter since I'm in college now and taking a lot of classes.

What should I do to prevent concussions?
I'm looking into helemets. I thinking about getting a pro-tec. Anyone use one? Do you like it. I'm not going to be doing rails or ramps anytime soon, since the last time I was out last summer I was still trying to get my w2w down. I'm still a begginer, I just want some protection from those hard faceplants.

What should I do about eye protection?
I don't really want to wear goggles, that would look pretty dorky IMO. But how about some type of sunglasses? Something to soften the impact of the water on my eyes. Any recommendations? Could I wear them with a helmet on? By the way I have contacts.

Thanks,
Nick P

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

To prevent concussions you could get a helmet. I'm not really sure which one is best. There are a lot of threads discussing it though if you do a search. There is a little bit of extra risk to wearing a helmet though. It has a bigger surface area and the edge can catch the water and really torque your neck. But being that you've already had a concussion, and are more likely to have a second one, you'd probably be better off with the helmet.

As far as eye protection, I've never heard of anyone injuring their eyes. Off the top of my head I would think motorcycle sunglasses would probably work pretty well for this application. They're padded, shatterproof, and have a strap so they don't come off. I would think wearing them with the helmet would be best. That way if they do come off your head they can be caught by the helmet.

I just did a quick google search and found this pair:
http://www.opticsplanet.net/body-specs-bs-cups-2-goggles.html

There are a lot of options though.