NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire Discusses Eye Injury and the Importance of Protective Eyewear
May 29, 2009

At the Vision Summit 2009: Focus on Eye Protection, the Better Vision Institute (BVI) welcomed experts from across America in the fields of Home, Work, UV, and Sports Eye Protection to the National Press Club in downtown Washington, DC. Held on May 28th and 29th, the Vision Summit brought leaders from government agencies and private entities to discuss the growing need for awareness about eye safety.

The Summit welcomed a new spokesman for Eye Protection: NBA Rookie of the Year, 4-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Medalist Amar’e Stoudemire. Stoudemire, who suffered a season ending detached retina, has vowed to wear eye protection for the rest of his career and used this year’s Summit to spread his message of safety to America through the event itself and a national media tour surrounding it.

The Phoenix Suns forward shared his personal experience with a season-ending sports-related eye injury. In late February, Stoudemire underwent surgery to repair a detached retina following an on-court incident. The injury and subsequent surgery ended the all-star’s season, which led Stoudemire to declare he will never again play basketball without protective eyewear.

“There is no doubt that if I had kept wearing protective eyewear, I would have prevented my eye injury,” said Stoudemire. “I am committed to wearing protective eyewear anytime I am on the court, and I encourage all athletes to do the same.”

“The Vision Council encourages all sports enthusiasts, both professional athletes and ‘weekend warriors,’ to wear protective eyewear,” said Ed Greene, CEO, The Vision Council. “The good news is that more than 90 percent of sports-related eye injuries are preventable if people just remember to wear appropriate protective eyewear.