It’s time to head outdoors for activities not requiring gloves, snowsuits and toques! Whether you’re fleeing the city for cabins, cottages or campgrounds, or kicking back at home, here are some tips for playing it safe all season long:
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Vision plays a critical role in sports and should not be jeopardized to eye injuries. Statistics show that more than 70 per cent of eye injuries occur in people under the age of 25 years of which 40 per cent occur in people under the age of 15 years and 8 per cent occur in children under the age of 5 years. Hockey accounts for 27 per cent of all sporting injuries among Canadian children. As an optometrist, I work with athletes and believe parents play an active role in encouraging their children to wear eye protection.
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With so many digital games and organized activities, it’s a challenge to get kids to bike. The statistics show that children bike less than a generation ago. Parents today often need to coax children. But the effort is well worth it.
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The Brain Injury Association of Canada states that roughly 2,000 kids are injured each year while sledding. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, children younger than 10 were hospitalized most often for injuries as a result of skiing, snowboarding and sledding in 2010 to 2011. These are major injuries to our children’s essential nervous system. However, let’s think for a moment about the ‘minor bumps and tumbles’ they take while playing in our winter wonderland.
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