This weekend, I get to return back to where See To Play started in 1981. The place where my drive and energy started in helping athletes of the future reach their dream of becoming elite athletes.

I'm going back to Petersburg High School in Petersburg, WV. This is where I graduated as part of the Class of 1981.  I also became part of the statistics.....the one that states 4 out of 10 athletes won't make it to the professional level because of defects in their visual system. 

Elite athletes run faster, jump higher, lift heavier weights, have faster eye hand coordination.....and, oh yeah....they see better!  Visual issues are why most athletes are "cut".

Lebron James made it to the NBA as part of the statistic group where 2 out of 10 athletes who require vision correction will make it to the pros.  He had LASIK surgery.  He also went on to be a part of a championship team

Torry Holt made it to the NFL wearing contact lenses in the statistically matched group, 2 out of 10, that make it to the NFL needing vision correction.  He went on to be part of a championship team.

My life's mission has been to help the 4 out of 10 prospective professional athletes make it to the pros who would statistically get cut because of minor flaws in their visual system.

I'm also very excited that my current work is leading the country in helping athletes rehab from concussions which have a visual component.

This weekend I will be the guest speaker at my Alma Maters' Athletic Award Ceremony.  I feel very honored.

I'm even more honored to be inducted to my high school's athletic Hall Of Fame.  I had a great career as an athlete at my high school ....but I've had an even better career being an integral part of helping elite athletes reach their genetic potential..   

My hope is that, through my talk,  I will help at least one athlete reach their genetic potential! The difference from one athlete making it to the pros over another is a fine line.  I hope those in attendance on Sunday will realize that vision plays one of the biggest role in athletes becoming their best.

I am headed back to the future!

I hope every mom had a great Mother's Day yesterday.

This was my first Mother's Day since my mom passed away.  It was a great day.  I got to spend it with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and my wife....so...three moms!

I was also very fortunate to perform the song I wrote for my mother in church with some incredible musicians.  I would like to share that youtube with you.

I had to post a link to this parody performed by Illinois College of Optometry.  It's hilarious.  There just not many funny things eye doctors can do.  Enjoy!

Really, when I think back about it, it was just my time to have a loss.  It happens to everyone.  No one is immune.  It’s actually happened to me before but just not at this level.

I lost my mother.  (Actually, I didn’t lose her, I know where she is.)  She died from glioblastoma.  Glioblastoma is a form of brain cancer.  It’s the big daddy of them all.

This loss was turned into a big win this past weekend.  The community she lived in got together and threw her a huge celebration.  The official “Ceremony of Life” program lasted around 2 hours on Saturday where we heard a program of family, friends, preachers and community celebrate how much she lived, loved, laughed and gave.  Sunday morning, the church turned their program into a cantata of songs that she loved (she was their pianist for over 35 years).

It was such a joyous weekend!  A big win!

 

When one dies, those of us left behind usually want to list the one million accolades of the person and build a monument.  I wrote a song. 

If anyone of you reading this has lost a loved one, I hope you find solace in this song as well. This is where they are:

Congrats to Nicole M. for winning the Jeff Skinner Autograph puck given away on this blog!  Stay tuned for some more fun giveaways in the future!!

Yesterday, I fielded a lot of questions about what happens to the eye when a puck hits it.  Marc Staal's eye injury from Tuesday night was on everyone's mind. 

Unfortunately, puck injuries to the eye or around the eye are common and no stranger to the NHL Carolina Hurricanes.  As their eye doctor from the time the Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh in 1997, I've seen too many.  (Really, one is too many!)  I've even been called into the visitors dressing room several times to assess those types of eye injuries.


Glen Wesley took a puck to the eye in 2000 and was out for two games.

Jeff O'Neill got hit with a puck in his right eye during game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Toronto in 2002 where he ended up scoring the winning goal with an almost shut swollen black eye. (Cudos to Pete Friesen's work on keeping the swelling down)

These are just two of the more public ones.

Ron Francis became one of the first players to wear a visor due to a puck in his eye early in his career.  Past head coach Paul Maurice lost vision in an eye due to an eye injury as did Vice President and Assistant GM Jason Karmanos (while playing as a Raleigh Ice Cap)

The great thing about the design of the body is that the eyes sit in a very protected room of bone known as the orbit.  Many times, the bones save the eye.  Direct hits to the eyeball itself create the most problems (I dedicated a whole chapter to this in my book, See To Play)

So, what type of injuries happen?  I'll start with the most common and move down to the least.

1. Bruised eyelid or Black eye- The injury is more to the outside of the eye and the boney area protected the eye.

2. Bruised eyeball (iritis) This is very common and steroids have to be used to help it clear.  This takes 48 hours to a week to heal.

3. Blood in eyeball- the colored part of the eye (iris) rips and bleeds inside the eye.  Very common and takes 48 hours to a week to heal.

4. Broken Bone- The orbit, or bones around the eye, can break.  This can take 6-8 weeks to heal.  Sometimes surgery has to occur to build the eye back up because the floor broke.  Sometimes the wall near the sinus breaks as well.

5. Bruised retina- The back of the eye becomes swollen.  This usually takes over a week to heal.  Scarring and permanent vision can be lost.

Injuries due to the a stick hitting the eye can be similar, but many times the cornea (the front of the eyeball) is cut.

As eye doctors, we're trained to be ready for these types of injuries.  Fast treatment with the tools and medicine we have today can usually allow fast and full recovery.  There may be some problems with glaucoma and cataracts later on down the line.

These guys could play with visors and really limit eye injury.  They could also play in those great big sumo wrestling outfits and be completely protected from body injury. 

The debate rages on.

First of all, thoughts and prayers go out to Marc Staal after being hit in the eye last night with a puck.  It's a horrific injury to watch, and as the team eye doctor of the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, it's one of the injuries we feel is the easiest to avoid.....wear a visor.  Click here to read more on Marc's injury

I was working the Hurricanes last night when I heard about his injury.  I had just said "Our team has a pretty good percentage of visors this year" to an eye doctor from our group who was watching the game next to me.  The reason: many of our players are lower to the ground and closer to the blades.  Taller players elect not to wear visors.

In my book, See To Play, I address the topic by sharing a conversation that I had with Rod Brind'Amour.  In general, until it's mandatory to wear a visor, some players feel they have an edge by not wearing one.  They can see more of the ice.  There is no distortion. And, most importantly, there is no worries that the edge of the shield will interfere with the view of the puck.

At rookie training camp, I devote part of my talk to the importance of wearing visors.  All the players present at that meeting have worn one since they started playing hockey.  There introduction into the professional level is the first time they can contemplate not wearing one. 

I say these words "Save your eye, wear a visor".  I show them a bloodied picture of an eye that's been hit with a puck.  I then show them this slide regarding instructions written on the back of the eyeball:

We've had several eye injuries with the 'Canes.  Glen Wesley had a similar eye injury to Marc's which sidelined him for a couple days (click here). 

This is one eye doctor who hopes visors become mandatory.

Save an eye....wear a visor!

My thoughts about vision testing was well represented in an article that was just published in Men's Health.  Please click here to read the article.