(September 8, 2008 - Insidermedicine) Eye injuries are rare in children learning to play golf, but when they occur they can be devastating. A little prevention can go a long way, according to research published in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Here are some tips for helping your children play golf safely:

•    Never let children play with golf equipment without close adult supervision.

•    Be sure children playing golf are far enough away from each other that they cannot strike each other with their golf clubs.

•    Insist that children learning to play golf use protective eyewear.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine studied golf-related eye injuries that occurred in 11 children over a 15 year period. These children, whose average age was about 10 years, were followed-up for an average of one year.

Ten injuries were caused by a golf club, and one was caused by a golf ball. Only one injury occurred on a golf course. All of the injuries involved a fracture of the eye socket, while four also involved blood in the eye, and three involved injury to the optic nerve. Nine children required surgery. At the final follow-up visit, two children were totally blind in one eye. Vision was 20/70 in one eye and 20/20 or better in eight eyes.

Today’s research highlights the need to be aware of the risks of eye injuries among children playing golf. Most of these injuries occur away from the golf course and are the result of one child striking another with a golf club.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.