Accidental eye injuries: causes and prevention

How’s this for statistics to make you think seriously about protecting your eyes:

• More than a million people in the US have eye injuries each year.
• Accidental eye injury is one of the leading causes of vision loss and impairment.
• 90% of the said injuries are actually preventable.

Although a lot of eye injuries may occur in the workplace, many people are not aware that a lot of injuries also happen at home and at leisure time.

Here are major ways of injuring your eyes:

Fireworks and firecrackers

In almost every country, fireworks are part of national celebrations. Today is Canada Day. The 4^th of July is just around the corner. Fireworks are beautiful and fun but they can cause major injuries, including the eyes, to users as well as to bystanders. Keep firecrackers out of little children’s sight and reach. Not only are they fire hazards, they can also cause injuries.

Chemicals

Those who are dealing with chemicals in the workplace wear eye protection gear. I’ve worked in a lab before and knew the risks and the precautionary measures. What we tend to forget is that household chemicals can also be hazardous and can cause permanent eye damage. Medicine.Net recommends that

when using household chemicals, read instructions and labels carefully, work in a well-ventilated area and make sure to point spray nozzles away from you.

Machinery and appliances

Household appliances and machinery can also cause eye injuries. Look at your hobby room, your workshop. Do you wear protective eyewear when you use that electric saw? That potter’s wheel? The kitchen blender? Any other moving machinery?

How about the lawnmower or the power trimmer? Projectiles in the form of stones, branches and pieces of debris can shoot from these machines during use. These projectiles present risk not only for the machine operator but for the bystanders as well.

Sports and recreation

Sports and other recreational activities are fun but they can cause eye damage, too. A blow from a hockey stick, puck, or ball can have some devastating effect on the eye. In April, I posted a resource post on Sports Eye Safety.

So what do we do in case of an eye injury?

Medicine.Net recommends:

• Injuries such as cuts, chemical burns or foreign bodies stuck in the eye are emergencies. Don’t try to treat these yourself – contact your Eye M.D. or emergency room for help immediately.
• Even a seemingly light blow can cause a serious eye injury. If a black eye, pain or visual problem occurs after a blow, contact your Eye M.D. or emergency department immediately.
• In case of a chemical burn to the eye, flush the eye with clean water and seek emergency medical treatment immediately.

For more information about eye injury prevention, check out recommendations by the American Academy of Ophthalmology