Eye on Manny Malhotra

OUCH! That's the first thought that came to mind when I saw the injury Manny Malhotra sustained during last week's game against Colorado. Not the average ouch "that looks like it hurts"... it was a more serious OUCH! "I hope its not a detached retina".

Manny suffered a blow to the eye and eye socket (orbit) by a deflected puck. Any injuries to the eye can have a lot of different and potentially serious consequences. While the blood dripping from his brow was enough to make some people think the worst, its actually the stuff you don't see that is most concerning.

The Canucks just announced today that Manny will not be returning to play for the rest of the season (including playoffs). Based on this report, its a safe bet that this problem is a lot more serious than a few stitches a couple of Tylenol tablets. However, the Canucks would not report on what exactly Malhotra's current condition is.

Since the Canucks won't tell us, let's talk about some possibilities...

Detached Retina - The retina is a thin film that lines the inside of our eyes and is reposible for receiving images before they are sent to the brain. Compression of the eyeball causes the retina to lose shape and detach. Retinal detachments do not cause any pain.

Cataract - Trauma can cause changes to the lens inside the eye. It becomes clouded and makes vision blurry. Very dense cataracts can cause the pupil to look white rather than the usual black.

Glaucoma - Damage to the nerve (Optic nerve) that sends signals from the retina to the brain. The drainage system inside the eye can be damaged (Angle recession glaucoma) due to impact or blocked by blood building up inside the eye (hyphema, see image below). This causes pressure inside the eye to increase and compress the optic nerve.

Corneal abrasion - The cornea is a clear dome at the front of the eye. It is very fragile and can be easily scratched or scraped. Very painful and can leave a permanent scar.

Orbital bone fracture - The eye socket is formed by mutiple little bones. Breaking any one of these can result in different complications including sinus leakage, trapped eye muscles, and nerve damage.

All the conditions mentioned above can lead to partial or complete, temporary or permanent loss of vision in the affected eye.

A Few Other Notable Eye Injuries in Recent Years

Mattias Ohlund (1999)-
Injury: Hyphema, cataract, glaucoma
Treatment: Multiple surgeries, has a small tube permanently implanted to allow fluid to drain from his eye
Missed: 2 months

Bryan Berard (2000)-
Injury: Detached retina and cataract, legally blind in right eye
Treatment: 7 surgeries
Missed: One and a half seasons

Steve Yzerman (2004)-
Injury: Broken orbital bone and scratched cornea
Treatment: Surgery
Missed: 2004 playoffs and 2004 World Cup

Mats Sundin (2005) -

Injury: Broken orbital bone

Missed: 1 month

Can you guess what all of these players (including Manny) had in common? Drum roll, please...
Answer: None of them were wearing a visor on their helmet.

So why, in a sport that is based around a 3-inch disk of solid rubber flying through the air at 100 mph and careening in different directions within the blink of an eye, doesn't the NHL make it mandatory to have some sort of eye protection?

Bryan Berard said AFTER returning from his injury "We're pro athletes, and the choice should be ours."

I guess thats why...

For the rest of us NON-professional athelets, please try to use protective eyewear whenever possible!!
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