From Injury Back to Ice: Examining Return to Sport After Retinal Injuries in the National Hockey League

Purpose To forecast the recovery time and likelihood of return to active play for National Hockey League (NHL) players who sustained retinal tears or detachments. Methods This retrospective study identified players who experienced a retinal injury while on an NHL roster between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2022. The type of injury was identified from publicly available press releases and injury reports. Return to sport was defined as the number of days between injury and participation in a subsequent NHL game. Results Over the 22-year study period, 95 eye injuries were reported in the NHL. Of these injuries, 16 players experienced 17 retinal injuries (18%). Fifteen of those players were able to return to sport (94%). Experiencing a retinal detachment was associated with more days out of play (median 151 days [interquartile range [IQR], 85 to 231.5 days]) compared with a retinal tear or similar injury (median 28 days [IQR, 13 to 31 days]; P=0.003). Finally, an examination of the impact of a retinal injury on player performance in the season after the injury found that the average time on ice (ATOI) per game decreased for players who suffered an injury compared with a matched cohort (P=0.010). Conclusions Retinal injuries often occur in high-impact sports. Our study reveals that retinal detachments resulted in longer disability compared with retinal tears or lesser injuries and were more likely to prevent a return-to-sport. This information aids ophthalmologists in counseling patients on surgical recovery timelines and the likelihood of resuming athletic activities.