Safety glasses are protective eye wear designed to prevent injuries to the eyes. They are made of hardened plastic and absorb impacts that could otherwise damage the eye, potentially severely, if it struck the eye (even if the lids closed) rather than the hardened plastic. These can prevent both short term injuries, which make kids sit out the game, and long term injuries, which endanger the student's sight or ability to use the eye.
Any sport with a flying ball, which covers most sports, poses the potential to injure students' eyes. This risk is usually recognized in special education courses in sports offered at specialty schools and college campuses, such as racquetball. In these sports, the use of safety glasses in mandatory to participate in the class. However, many other sports commonly played in physical education classes, such as baseball and basketball, have the potential for eye injury, but schools do not generally require the use of safety glasses for these other sports.
The Vision Council recommends that students wear protective glasses in any sport which involves rapid movement with a ball or among other players. While flying balls are one source of concern for injuries, errant arms, hands and elbows are similarly dangerous if they hit a student's eye during the course of a physical education sport. The organization cites basketball, a sport which is non-contact and uses a ball that travels at relatively low speeds, as being the number one source of eye injuries for sports related eye injuries among 15 to 24 year olds.
While hardly stylish, wearing safety glasses over a students prescription glasses during PE can prevent costly damage to glasses. Most schools require students to participate in PE classes whether they wear glasses or not, yet many schools do not accept any liability for broken glasses. Covering regular glasses with the high impact resistant plastic of safety glasses can ensure that the student will not have to go through the day without being able to see properly after a PE accident, and can save him and his parents the cost of replacing damaged eye wear.