By Jay D. Prince
Since I started playing squash in 1985, I’ve worn protective eyewear. That could be because I was introduced to the game playing hardball, and virtually everyone wore glasses. After a year, I switched to softball and simply kept wearing glasses without thinking twice about it.
I’ve never been one to talk to opponents who don’t wear protective eyewear about putting them on. But last spring, when I got hit squarely in the eye while playing doubles, I’ve been talking about it a lot. I was wearing my glasses and still spent the next six months making continuous trips to my retina specialist to make sure no damage was developing in my eye.
Like Will Carlin, I was hit from about six feet away. My glasses caused some superficial damage, and the lens was jammed into my eye socket, but as I said to Will in a text, “my glasses saved me from your experience.”
While I do understand the premise that wearing glasses might feel like a disadvantage, I personally believe that is a cop out and just plain ridiculous. Yes, beads of sweat occasionally fall on the lenses, but a quick swipe of my finger takes care of that. Once in a while, my lenses “fog up,” but that too is easily cured.
What would not be easily cured is permanent damage to either of my eyes. I would have regretted every minute had I suffered a devastating injury. Imagine if that had happened when I was twenty-two years old. Sure, I would have had the use of one eye to see my kids, enjoy the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and everything else my eyes have taken in. But I’d also have spent every moment asking myself, “What if I had made the simple choice to protect myself from losing the sight in my other eye?” It’s not hard people. Why take the risk?