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97 EW IN OTHER NEWS by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Staff Writer football players in "skill" positions demonstrate faster visual reaction times. 1 The types of injuries and time commitment for the ophthalmol- ogist vary from sport to sport, Dr. Toyos said. "The time commitment is huge when you're talking about a sport like basketball or football," Dr. Toyos said, noting that the team ophthal- mologist for these sports is expected to be at every home game to treat the ocular injuries of both the home and visiting teams. As far as the NFL is concerned, Dr. Hersh said the team ophthalmol- ogists start ramping up shortly after the draft with newly signed and re- turning players receiving eye exams. Dr. Toyos broke down ocular injuries sport by sport, in terms of the most common he sees: • Basketball: Corneal abrasions, orbital fractures, optic nerve evulsion, conjunctival lacerations. "These are big guys with elbows swinging all over the place," he said. • Football: Poke in the eye, corneal abrasions, orbital injuries • Baseball: Hit by a pitch, corneal abrasions, contact lens-related issues • Boxing: Retinal detachment, trau- matic cataract, other trauma-in- duced issues • Hockey: Puck to the eye. In 2013, the NHL issued a mandatory visor rule for new players entering the league; those already in the league were not required to start wearing visors, although the majority do. 2 Dr. Toyos said he thinks oph- thalmologists can play a role in identifying players with concus- sions as well. A few years ago, he developed the Toyos Concussion Detection Test. The idea is to take a baseline pupillometry measurement of athletes at the start of the season. If they take a hit that could poten- tially cause a concussion, pupillome- try is done on the sidelines again to determine if there are any changes from their baseline measurement. A few studies have also suggested that pupillometry could be used to help assess athletes with possible at Northwestern University, Chica- go. He was in practice in Memphis when the Grizzlies moved into the area and asked him to be the team ophthalmologist. For Peter Hersh, MD, team ophthalmologist for the NFL New York Jets, it was related to his long-standing interest in eye inju- ries, having coauthored the book Eye Trauma, and research he had done years prior with then-resident Bruce Zagelbaum, MD, Hicksville, New York, on the topic of professional athletes and sports eye injuries. Dr. Zagelbaum subsequently authored the book Sports Ophthalmology and became the team ophthalmologist for the Jets when they were locat- ed in Long Island. When the team moved to Florham Park, New Jersey, they called Dr. Hersh. Dr. Zagelbaum has remained involved in profes- sional sports as chief ophthalmology consultant to the NFL, and he and Dr. Hersh continue to do research together looking at sports ophthal- mology. Recently, they completed a study showing that professional you don't feel this thing, and I can get you back in the game, if you want to go,'" Dr. Toyos recalled. Side-eyeing Dr. Toyos—and the scoreboard—the player, who had a corneal abrasion, agreed to the numbing drop and contact lens. "It was the hardest contact lens I've ever put in," Dr. Toyos said of the player's reluctance. The player was back in the fourth quarter of the game and his was the winning shot. This is just one of hundreds of memories Dr. Toyos accumulated in his 10 years as the team ophthal- mologist for the Grizzlies. Dr. Toyos has also treated professional athletes from football players to baseball players to boxers and others. He authored a book, The Life and Times of a Sports Ophthalmologist, published in 2015, detailing some of his expe- riences. So how does one get to be a team ophthalmologist in the first place? Dr. Toyos started seeing athletes with ocular injuries as a resident Team ophthalmologists share what it's like to be on the sidelines T he NBA Memphis Grizzlies were in the playoffs, and one player in particular was hot. He was hitting every shot, carrying the game for his team. Then he got poked in the eye. Now warming the bench, this player watched as the lead he'd help build got smaller. As the team ophthalmologist, Rolando Toyos, MD, medical direc- tor, Toyos Clinic, Memphis, Tennes- see, knew he could get this player back in the game within minutes—if only the player would let him. "He had a real phobia of anyone getting near his eye, and he was ornery," Dr. Toyos said. As Dr. Toyos put it, opening this patient's eye would be like prying open a crocodile's mouth. "I said, 'I can get you back in that game. I can put a numbing drop and a contact lens in so that August 2017 Ophthalmologist to the pro athletes Dr. Hersh is team ophthalmologist for the New York Jets NFL team. Source: Peter Hersh, MD continued on page 98

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