a. Eye injuries are the leading cause of preventable blindness and visual impairment in children, and most injuries occurring in school-aged children are sports-related;

b. Every 16 minutes a child incurs a sports-related eye injury severe enough to require a visit to the emergency room;

c. According to Prevent Blindness America, 90% of all eye injuries can be avoided by the use of appropriate eye protection; and

d. It is necessary and prudent to educate parents and children about sports-related eye injuries in order to reduce the needless loss of sight that can occur during sports activities.

L.2013, c.183, s.1.