Tips for Keeping your Eyes Safe While at Home

Posted // Friday, October 5, 2012

By: Dr. Dan Hennessey

The month of October is unique for many reasons: the leaves change colors, pumpkin decorations go up, and Halloween movie marathons premier every night. But did you know October is also known as Eye Injury Prevention Month?

I don’t have to tell you how important your eyes are, but so often we accidentally neglect to keep them safe from injurious situations, many of which can be found in the home. Many believe that eye injuries are most likely to happen at the work place, such as construction zones and factories.

While workplace eye protection is completely necessary, eye protection at home is just as important, because 44. 7 percent of eye injuries actually take place within the home.

Potential Situations for Eye Injury at Home

Here are a few things to pay attention on while going about your daily routine at home to keep your eyes happy and healthy:

Household Chemicals/Cleaners: Accidents involving common household products cause 125,000 eye injuries a year.
Cooking with Hot Grease or Oil: These items can splatter into the eyes; so avoid being too close to your cooking pans while they’re on the stove or in the oven.
Home Improvement Projects: More than a third of injuries in the home occurred in living areas such as the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living or family room.
Yard Work: This is a risk for both the person doing the work as well as bystanders who might get debris in their eyes. So be careful where you point the leaf blower. You should always wear protective eye wear while performing yard work.
Opening a Champaign Bottle: Place a cloth or towel over the cork after removing the wire. Keep the bottle at a 45-degree angle as you slowly and firmly twist the bottle while holding the cloth over the cork to break the seal.

Most Important Way to Prevent Eye Injury

Almost 90 percent of eye injuries could be avoided if people wore proper eye protection. Protective eyewear with “ANSI Z87.1” marked on the lens or frame is recommended for the best protection and can be easily purchased from most hardware stores.

If an eye injury does occur, it is important to follow these tips: