My son wears glasses and I've always worried about him when he's out playing sports. A good smack to the face and he could sustain serious eye injury. Last soccer season, I chalked up the horror movies running through my mind as unreasonable mommy-worries. (Because goodness knows I have a lot of those.) But according to this article, my fears aren't that outlandish after all.

The American Optometric Association reports that there are roughly 600,000 sports-related eye injuries each year. About 13,500 of which result in a permanent loss of sight. Eye protection is a necessary measure in high-risk sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. Other sports, such as golf, tennis, and fishing, may not seem like as big of risks, but protective measures should still be taken.

Purchase protective eye wear from a sporting goods store if you don't wear glasses vision correction. If you do wear glasses, ask your optometrist for recommendations. AOL Body has more tips on sports safety and injury prevention.

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Macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy are just some of the eye diseases we can all face as we age. A recent study from Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute shows that the numbers of vision-threatening disease is on the rise. More than 3 million Americans over age 40 suffer from visual impairment. More than half of those are women; some vision-threatening conditions strike women nearly twice as much as men.

Another eye condition that strikes more women than men is dry eye syndrome. Postmenopausal and pregnant women are at an increased risk due to hormonal changes.

See your eye doctor at least once a year -- even if you don't need vision correction -- to care for your eyes and detect any issues sooner rather than later.

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