Legal claims brought by athletes or sportsman suffering ocular injury from ophthalmic lenses or frames allege that the lenses or frames were defective or that the prescribing practitioner was negligent. Practitioners should take an adequate history before prescribing eyewear for patients who participate in sports, and when a reasonable risk of injury is present, polycarbonate lenses and frames meeting American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F803-88a standards should be prescribed.
