10 Tips for Preventing Eye Injuries

Eye injuries are more common than most people think, but the majority of people aren’t aware of the risks or the precautions they need to take to protect their eyes.

At Precision Eye Institute, ophthalmologist Dr. Orest Krajnyk and optometrist Dr. Sean McLoughlin and their staff are passionate about educating their patients on all things vision-related. If you live in Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach and Margaritaville, or Daytona Beach, Florida, and you’ve suffered an eye injury, we can help.

In the meantime, with Eye Injury Prevention Month just concluded, it’s a good time for you to bone up on the facts about preventing injuries in the first place.

Where and how do eye injuries occur?

The fifth annual Eye Injury Snapshot was a study jointly conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ocular Trauma. They found that:

• While people generally believe eye injuries are most common at work — especially in factories and on construction sites — almost half actually occur in the home.
• 40% of home eye injuries were caused by repairs, yard work, cleaning, and cooking.
• Over 40% of eye injuries each year come from sports or recreational activities.
• Over 78% of people weren’t wearing eyewear at the time of their injury.
• Only 5% of those wearing glasses or contact lenses were also wearing safety goggles or sports glasses.

This snapshot sends out a clear message that everyone needs to proactively prevent eye injuries, no matter where they are.

10 tips for preventing eye injuries

Here are 10 of the best things you can do to protect your eyes from injury.

1. Install lights and handrails on stairs to prevent falls and facial trauma.
2. Open bottles of wine or carbonated drinks away from your face
3. Wear chemical safety goggles when using dangerous solvents and detergents, as they can splash.
4. Wash your hands after using chemicals to prevent touching your eyes and getting chemicals in them.
5. Use guards on all power equipment to prevent dust and chips from hitting your face.
6. Wear protective eyewear while using a lawn mower or weed trimmer, because debris can fly toward you.
7. Wear safety goggles or glasses when playing sports.
8. Wear a helmet with a polycarbonate face mask or wire shield for high-impact sports.
9. Never look directly at the sun, even during an eclipse.
10. Wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection when outside, even on cloudy days.

The specific type of eye protection you need depends on what you’re doing; regular eyeglasses don’t protect your eyes from impact, damage, or debris. In fact, some types of glasses can shatter if damaged, leading to even more eye injury. Polycarbonate is a good choice of material, as it resists shattering while also providing UV protection.

For most home-based repair activities, it's enough to wear safety glasses that meet the criteria of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). For on-the-job protection, what you need depends on what, specifically, you’re doing. Your manager should have the specifications that OSHA sets for workplace protection.

Sports eye protection also depends on the sport you’re playing, and the sport's governing body usually sets and certifies these requirements. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may also be involved.

Want more tips on how to ensure eye safety? Need an appointment for an eye exam? Contact Precision Eye Institute by calling any of our locations, or book online with us today.