Protective eyewear for squash players is becoming mandatory now in many countries throughout the world. We would like to provide you with some facts about the squash game that were published in the Sports Medical Journal in December 1997, to justify how important it is for you to use protective eyewear during all your games:
The ball is played at various angles, the racquet stroke requires a wide arc at speed and there is a need to face the back of the court on occasion. It is easy to see why there is a risk of being hit by the ball or the racket.
Squash has been established as a major contributor to the incidence of sports related to eye trauma.
The impact of a squash ball at 150 kph is equal to the same energy impact of a .22 bullet. This speed is well within the scope of most juniors and women.
The impact of a squash ball at 200 kph has 4 times the energy of a .22 bullet.
The racquet head speed has the potential of approaching 161 kph.
It is estimated that there may be a 25% risk of eye injury in a lifetime of playing squash
Even though it is not mandatory for all our members to wear protective eyeglasses, we strongly urge you to do so as this can prevent serious injuries to yourself.
WSF's relevant information and regulations follows:
