Eye safety – a vital key to your vision

By Katherine Miller

THE POST SIGNAL

CROWLEY – According to Prevent Blindness America, or PBA, more than 850,000 Americans injure their eyes each year, either during home and work activities or while playing sports.

This week, beginning Friday, June 27 through Friday, July 4, is designated National Eye Injury Prevention Week.

Eye injuries may be sudden and traumatic, as when the eye is hit with flying objects or splattered chemicals, and even intense light.

Eye sight can also be damaged when your eyes receive too much ultraviolet light during welding our being outside. An alarming fact released by the PBA organization states that 90 percent of eye accidents which cause vision loss are preventable with the use of safety eye-wear.

The PBA association says that the most common agents of eye injury include such things as flying objects, tools such as screwdrivers and wrenches, chemicals, harmful radiation, eyelash curlers, fingernails, wind-blown particles, and toys and games with hard/sharp edges.

Dr. John Wise, a local optometrist, says, “Safety glasses should always be worn when a person is working with moving parts that may get into the eye. Also, sunglasses should be worn outdoors at all times to prevent damage from UV rays.”

Eye experts warn that with the approaching July 4 weekend, to use extreme caution when lighting fireworks, as more than 3,000 eye injuries last year from fireworks were reported last year. Experts suggest that if an eye injury does occur, do not rub the eye because it may increase bleeding, and do not attempt to rinse the eye for the same reason.

Also, do not take over the counter pain medications, and do not apply ointment, which may not be sterile, and will make the area slippery and more difficult for a doctor to examine.

Vision screenings are also of extreme importance in the maintenance of a person’s eyesight. Dr. Wise recommends that children receive a thorough eye exam once a year. For adults up to the age of 40, an eye exam should be scheduled once every two years, and for those over 40, an annual exam becomes necessary again.

Comprehensively, if proper safety precautions are exercised more often, the amount of preventable eye injuries will surely decrease.