One of the most important things you can do is protect your eyes from injury. Doing so will keep your vision and eyes healthy throughout your life. Eye injuries can damage your vision or even lead to blindness. Fortunately, most eye injuries are preventable.

According to studies, millions of people suffer eye injuries every year. Eye doctors treat tens of thousands of sports-related eye injuries every year. You may be aware of the possible risks for eye injuries. However, are you taking the necessary steps to prevent them? If not, you are not alone.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that about two-thirds of people do not wear protective eyewear when performing maintenance and repairs at home. Even fewer people do so when playing sports.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Eyes From Injury

Many eye injuries tend to happen on the job. However, they can also happen around the home. It can take something as simple as a shooting rubber band or flying object to cause a serious eye injury. Thus, it is important to learn how to protect your eyes from injury and know when to see a doctor. Some of the ways to protect your eyes from possible injuries include:

Use Protective Eyewear While Performing Dangerous Activities

Whenever you are performing risky activities that involve flying objects, particles, or dust, you should wear safety glasses or goggles with side shields. This will prevent foreign objects from getting into your eyes.

Supervise Your Little One’s Use of Tools

Tools such as knives, forks, scissors, and pencils can cause serious injury to the eye. Common household items like fishhooks, rubber bands, wire coat hangers, and paper clips can be dangerous as well. Hence, it is important to be careful when handling such items. It is especially important to supervise your child’s use of such items.

Wear Safety Goggles When Exposed to Chemicals

Even if you are just a bystander, it is important to take precautions whenever you are near any type of chemical. You should also store hazardous chemicals and substances such as pesticides, fertilizers, and pool cleaning chemicals safely and away from kids at all times.

Use Protective Eyewear While Doing Yardwork

Every time you operate your leaf blower, lawn trimmer, or lawnmower, you need to protect your eyes appropriately.

Protect Your Eyes When Cooking or Handling Hot Objects

To prevent hot oil or grease from getting into your eyes while cooking, you should use a grease shield. You should also avoid using tools such as a curling iron near your eyes.

Eliminate Hazards That May Lead to Falls

To avoid falls that may cause an eye injury, secure railings, rugs, and other potential hazards. This is especially important if an elderly adult or child lives in your home. You might also want to cover corners and sharp furniture edges with cushioning material.

Other ways to protect your eyes from injury include:

• Wear safety glasses when using hazardous detergents and solvents.
• Be careful when opening carbonated drinks or wine bottles.
• Use guards on power equipment.
• Before spraying, turn nozzles away from your eyes.
• Avoid looking directly at the sun.
• Protect your eyes from UV radiation when outside.
• Read and follow instructions when using various equipment.

To learn more about protecting eyes from injury, visit Insight Eyecare at our office in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can call (702) 718-7163 today to schedule an appointment.