Linda Davis Kyle
Of the thousands of eye injuries that occur daily in the United States, 90% are preventable. Attention to seemingly insignificant details can bring big bonuses that save sight for youngsters and adults. Eye safety protection cannot be overemphasized. Proper eye safety protection ‚ worn in homes, workshops, yards, and gardens, and for sports ‚ saves the sight of thousands of people each year. Onlookers also must be considered not only outdoors but also in workshop and home situations. Observers' eyes definitely need protection, too.
Being in a Safe Place
The simple solution of having youngsters play indoors while their lawn is being mowed or trimmed can keep them out of the path of flying debris and dust thrown by the mower or trimmer. Such action not only shows love and careful attention, but also it heightens children's awareness regarding common sense eye safety and helps to instill an attitude of caution without creating fear. When boosting a car battery, always keep children out of danger, and wear protective eyewear yourself. When youngsters or adults must be in areas where dangers to the eyes may lurk, eye protection is a must.
Purchasing Protective Eyewear
First, make sure that the frames and lenses of safety eyeglasses or safety goggles that you buy for yourself and your family have been certified and meet the standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) for sports and recreational eye protectors. Second, always remember that eyewear protection is necessary for many activities, not just for sports.
Recognizing and Controlling Four
Potential Enemies of Sight
Caustic Chemicals ‚ Hurried or improper use of caustic household products, garden and lawn care products, craft supplies, and personal grooming products cause 32,000 eye injuries annually. Reading and following instructions carefully and using products only for their intended purposes help to prevent injuries.
When using any spray-type cosmetics such as hair spray, deodorant, or cologne, make certain where the nozzle will direct its ingredients, then protect your eyes by closing them or turning your head as necessary. Before spraying the products make sure that youngsters are not in the room to prevent them from being in the direct line or fallout from the spray.
Remind high schoolers and college-bound teens how crucial it is that they wear their safety goggles in chemistry laboratories, follow the important rules of safety, and know where the nearest safety shower is located in reference to their lab. The finest professors will not allow students to enter or remain in a chemistry laboratory without wearing proper eye protection.
Workshop Tools ‚ While hammering, using a turning lathe, sawing, or using any other power tools, hobbyists and professionals, alike, and also their companions, assistants, or students must wear proper protective eyewear. Also, wear a safe hairstyle that cannot be caught by equipment and pull you into danger. And avoid wearing jewelry, belts, or sleeves that could be grabbed by machinery and throw you into jeopardy. Teach these safety measures to children. Attention to workshop safety saves sight daily.
Sharp Objects ‚ Sharp items must be kept away from very young children. With youngsters old enough to use sharp items, careful instruction and supervision must be given. By modeling good safety practices and teaching eye safety in a caring, nurturing way, teen-agers and adults can help to save the sight of youngsters.
Other Items ‚ BB, pellet, and paintball guns, bows and arrows, darts, and firecrackers can be extremely hazardous and should be kept away from youngsters. Even more purposeful items such as fish hooks, knives, letter openers, and laser pointers should be kept away from youngsters. Youngsters must be taught not to play with laser pointers and to guard themselves when in the presence of anyone else suspected of possibly using it inappropriately. When age appropriate, youngsters can be taught how to use scissors with care and to hand scissors properly and safely to others and how to store scissors safely. Even sharp pencils can become the vicious enemies of sight, so they must be used with care. Care must be encouraged when any potentially dangerous items are involved. Even in friendly celebrations involving champagne corks, bystanders must be cognizant of potential danger and guard their eyes for safety.
Sports ‚ Youngsters are involved in as many as 170,000 sport-related injuries yearly. Coaches, parents, ophthalmologists, optometrists, and others interested in saving sight work together to improve conditions and to prevent sport-related eye injuries. Eye protection is a must for numerous sports and games.
Falls-in-the-Making ‚ Attention to furniture placement, floor coverings, and the traffic pattern in your home can help to prevent falls that, in turn, could result in eye injuries. Keeping toys put away when not in use can help keep traffic patterns safe. Careful attention to toy choice can prevent untold suffering. Also, after removing items from cabinets, always close doors promptly to prevent someone from turning quickly into the corner of a door and being injured.
Automotive Adventures ‚ Regarding automobiles that feature air bags, children should sit in the back seat safely and securely buckled and harnessed into their carefully installed safety seat, or if of appropriate size and age they should wear the safety belt and shoulder harness provided in the car. Such careful attention can protect their vision and their lives.
Protection from the Sun ‚ Protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation with fashion or prescription sunglasses made to block 99 percent of the ultraviolet light. Read their labels to make certain of the quality and ability to block harmful rays, because you cannot rely on the darkness of the lens as an indicator of its UV ray-blocking capacity.
Choosing a Safer Future
Attention to these seemingly insignificant details truly can save sight. A common sense approach teamed with simple preventive actions transform, almost magically, into sparkling extraordinary measures that save sight when in force at just the right time and in the right place.
Linda Davis Kyle, an internationally published health and fitness writer, served on the board of directors of Prevent Blindness Texas for nine years and has worked more than 500 hours for Texas Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
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