More than 1 million people sustain eye injuries every year, according to Oregon University Health and Science University's Casey Eye Institute. While your face is designed to give protection to your eyes because your eyeballs sit within bony sockets, serious eye injuries can still occur. More than half of all eye injuries occur to people under the age of 25, according to the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. More males than females are injured in eye accidents, according to the Archives of Ophthalmology. However, 90 percent of these accidents are preventable.
Step 1
Child-proof the house. This is especially important if small children live in your house or visit. Don't leave knives or other sharp objects on the counter top within reach of small hands; children can reach further than you may think, just far enough to knock a sharp object off a counter into their upturned face. Put paints and household chemicals, especially those in spray bottles, under lock and key. Cover sharp coffee table edges with rubber guards; coffee tables are right at a small child's eye level during a fall. Any object with a sharp edge can be lethal if a child falls while holding it.
Step 2
Think things through. Before starting any activity, think about what's involved. Is there any possibility of eye damage? If you're playing sports, painting, using chemicals, power tools or anything that might involve flying objects, such as mowing the lawn, wear safety glasses. Regular glasses are not enough protection; you need 3-millimeter-thick polycarbonate glass with plastic or polycarbonate frames, to resist breakage, according to the Kellogg Eye Center. Even hobbies such as fishing have risks, due to flying sharp hooks during casting.
Step 3
Read the instructions. Whether you're mixing chemicals, putting together toys that fly or building a model, know what potential dangers might occur and take steps to minimize them.
Step 4
Play sports safely. Almost 40,000 people have eye injuries from playing sports, according to the Casey Eye Institute. Boxing, according to the Kellogg Eye Center, is a dangerous sport with no adequate protection available and a high risk of serious eye injury. If you must box, use thumb-less gloves. Face masks or helmets should be used when playing hockey, baseball, tennis, racquetball or soccer, according to Kellogg.
Step 5
See a health practitioner if any injury to the eye is suspected. Damage to the inside of the eye can't be seen and may not cause as much pain as you may think, and damage to the retina would not necessarily cause pain. Keep in mind that retinal damage can happen from a blow to the head, not just to the eye directly. Any complaints of blurred or disturbed vision should be checked by an ophthalmologist, according to Merck.
Tips and Warnings
- Wash out chemicals or other contaminants such as sand or dirt that you get in your eyes with plain water as quickly as possible; don't rub the eyes, or a scratch to the corneas, the eyes' outer layers, could result.
- If an object penetrates the eyeball, do not remove it yourself. Take the person immediately to the emergency room, where trained personnel can assess the damage and remove the object safely.
