Abstract
Wearing a facemask (FM) reduces the spread of COVID-19, but it also blocks a person's lower visual field. Many new public safety rules were created in response to COVID-19, including mandated FM wearing in some youth sports like youth ice hockey. We hypothesized that FM wearing in youth hockey players obstructs the lower field of view and may impact safety. Youth hockey players (n = 33) aged 12.03 (1.6) years button press when they saw an LED on the floor turn on in two conditions (wearing FM or no FM) in random order. An interleaved one-up/one-down two-alternative-forced-choice adaptive staircase design was used. Visual thresholds were calculated for each condition and participant. The visual angle threshold (VAT) was determined using standing eye height and the linear distance from the tip of the skates to the visual threshold. Paired t-tests determined whether mask wearing changed the VAT. We modeled the probability a player could see the puck on their stick in four distinct scenarios to estimate the potential impact of FM wearing during hockey play. The average unmasked VAT (11.4 degrees) was significantly closer to the skates than the masked VAT (20.3 degrees) (p < 0.001). Our model indicated a significant reduction in ability to visualize the puck using peripheral vision when more upright while wearing a FM. FM wearing compromised their lower visual field, suggesting a downward head tilt may be necessary to see the puck. Playing ice hockey while wearing a FM may lead to unsafe on-ice playing conditions due to downward head tilt to see the puck.
Highlights
While the COVID-19 pandemic is far from eradicated, there are definite signs of hope for a return to normalcy
Ice hockey was designated as a “moderate or high-risk” sport related to the potential for COVID-19 spread in several US states, and rules were developed for players/coaches/officials to wear facemasks (Maine Department of Economic Comminuty Development, 2021; MinnesotaHockey, 2021)
We modeled the relationship between the FM induced reduction in the lower visual field and the ability to see a puck on their stick
Summary
While the COVID-19 pandemic is far from eradicated, there are definite signs of hope for a return to normalcy. With the emergence of contagious variants, considerations other than disease transmission are relevant to decisions about universal masking in youth sports This is Facemasks and Youth Ice Hockey highly relevant as winter approaches and there is a greater emphasis on indoor sports that were largely cancelled or required athletes to wear masks during play (Dergaa et al, 2021). Obstruction of the lower visual field related to wearing a facemask may worsen balance for people with higher fall risk (Kal et al, 2020; Klatt and Anson, 2021). Another arena where facemask wearing may have detrimental consequences related to increased risk for injury is the sport of ice hockey. To date the impact of mask wearing on aspects of exercise or sports participation, such as player safety, has received little attention
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