October is Eye Injury Prevention Month and a great time to be reminded that nearly half of all eye injuries happen at home resulting in some level of discomfort or vision loss. To help prevent eye injuries from happening in your own home, Illinois Eye Center offers the following tips:
- Wear protective eyewear. Keep a pair of safety glasses in your home to wear when doing household projects and repairs or when you’re outside using lawn and garden equipment. Protective eyewear can be purchased from your local home improvement store.
- Use caution with chemicals and cleaners. Carefully read the labels of household cleaning supplies and chemicals, and remember to never mix products. Getting unexpectedly splashed in the eye with chemicals and cleaners can cause anything from minor irritation to a more serious chemical burn. If this does happen, immediately flush out the eye and contact your eye doctor or an urgent care facility to determine if additional steps need to be taken.
- Supervise your child’s use of tools. Pencils, scissors and eating utensils can all cause serious eye injuries. Make sure you are monitoring your child’s use of these items and make them aware of the potential risks when using sharp or pointed objects. Teach them that these types of objects should never be pointed in another person’s face.
- Be careful when cooking or using hot tools. Use grease shields to prevent the splattering of hot grease or oil. If some does find its way into your eye, irrigate the eye with room temperature water and call your eye doctor or an urgent care facility. Avoid using hot tools, like a curling iron or hair straightener near your eyes.
- Eliminate hazards that may cause falls. Safely secure rugs, railings and shelving. Cover sharp edges of furniture with a cushioning material, especially if children or elderly adults live in your home.
- Wear sunglasses. When you’re outdoors, wear sunglasses that provide UV protection and protect your eyes from the sun’s glare. Even in colder weather, we are still subject to damaging UV rays.
- Leave the fireworks to the professionals. If you must handle fireworks, use caution and make sure to wear your safety glasses. Always have a bucket of water nearby and never let your children use fireworks without supervision.
If an eye injury occurs, see an ophthalmologist or go to the nearest emergency room, even if the eye injury appears minor. One of our experienced doctors is always on call, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Just give us a call at (309) 243-2400 and we’ll gladly assess your situation.