Superspecs provides free protective eyewear to keep student-athletes safe as sports and recreation-related eye injuries continue to be the leading cause of blindness in children in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Superspecs, the only state-wide program of its kind to offer free protective eyewear to children ages 18 and younger, is gearing up Ohio’s youth athletes in honor of Sports Eye Safety Month. As a program created by the Ohio Ophthalmological Society, Superspecs provides baseball and softball helmets with face masks, fielders’ masks, goggles, career/technical eyewear and prescription sports goggles to thousands of children each year—all completely free of charge.

Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children, according to the Ohio Ophthalmological Society. Approximately 45,000 sports and recreation eye injuries occur each year with more than half of those incidents occurring to children.

“All student-athletes should be able to love the game they play and not be worried about access to the equipment that keeps them safe and focused, especially now as spring sports ramp up,” said Laura Rosenberg, Program Director. “Superspecs is here to make sure accessibility is not an issue and to stress the importance of eye safety.”

Superspecs has three primary programs focused on eye safety:

• Youth Sports – Soccer, baseball, softball, and basketball athletes can play more confidently using protective eye equipment, free of charge.
• Vocational – Students can focus on learning with their free eye safety wear in career/technical programs such as dental hygiene, heating and air technology, engineering and architectural design, welding and fabrication, auto body collision and repair, and auto services.
• Prescription Goggles – Free prescription sports goggles for qualifying children who wear glasses.

In 2024, Superspecs spent nearly $200,00 on 38,000 pieces of equipment that were distributed throughout all 88 counties in Ohio and worn by over 80,000 children.

If interested in participating in Superspecs, league administrators, parents and teachers can apply online. Multiple teams and classrooms requests can be completed in one easy application. For prescription goggles, qualified applicants can take the completed information to a local, participating provider to complete the order.

About Superspecs:
Superspecs, formerly Play Hard Don’t Blink, was created in 1999 by the Ohio Ophthalmological Society and has since outfitted more than two million Ohio children with protective eyewear. Superspecs is funded through the Ohio Department of Health’s Save Our Sight program and is the only program of its kind in the country. Interested schools, teams and individuals can learn more about Superspecs and how to receive free protective eyewear at www.superspecs.org.

Contact: Audrey Adair, Irvin PR
(614) 570-0111, [email protected]

SOURCE Superspecs