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Accidents resulting in eye injuries can happen to anyone.
But the fact is, over half the victims are under the
age of 25.
Many of these injuries, over 100,000 annually, occur
during sports or recreational activities. Perhaps the
most startling statistic of all is that 90% of all
eye injuries could have been prevented.
Parents are advised to acquaint themselves with potentially
dangerous situations at home and in school and to insist
that their children use protective eyewear when participating
in sports or other hazardous activities.
Children and sports
Increasing numbers of children are participating in
sports at an early age. Some sports in which children
should use protective eyewear are:
Contact lenses offer NO PROTECTION and contact lens
wearers require additional protection when participating
in sports.
In baseball, ice hockey, and boys' lacrosse, a helmet
with a polycarbonate face mask or wire shield should
be worn at all times. It is important that hockey face
masks be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification
Council (HECC) or the Canadian Standards Association
(CSA).
Sports eye protectors with polycarbonate lenses should
be worn for sports such as basketball, racquet sports,
soccer, baseball fielders, girls' lacrosse, and field
hockey. Choose eye protectors that have been tested
to meet the American Society of Testing and Materials
(ASTM) standards or that pass the CSA racquet-sport
standard.
While skiing (snow or water), protective glasses or
goggles that filter out UV and excessive sunlight can
be useful in shielding the eyes from sunburn.
Boxing and full contact martial arts pose an extremely
high risk of serious and even blinding eye injury. No
adequate protection is available, although thumbless
gloves may reduce the number of boxing eye injuries.
Parents of a child with permanently reduced vision
in one eye (functionally one-eyed) should consider the
risks of injury to the good eye before allowing their
child to participate. Appropriate eye protectors may
allow for participation. Check with your ophthalmologist.
Eye safety at home and in the yard
To provide the safest environment for your children,
select games and toys that are appropriate for their
age and responsibility level.
Provide adequate supervision and instruction when your
children are handling potentially dangerous items such
as pencils, scissors, forks, and pen knives. Be aware
that even common household items such as paper clips,
bungee cords, wire coat hangers, rubber bands, and fishhooks
can cause serious eye injury.
Avoid projectile toys such as darts, bows and arrows,
and missile-firing toys. Do not allow your children
to play with non-powder rifles, pellet guns, or BB guns.
They are extremely dangerous and have been reclassified
as firearms and removed from toy departments.
Keep all chemicals and sprays, such as sink cleaners
or oven cleaners, out of reach of small children.
Do not allow children to ignite fireworks or stand
near others who are doing so. All fireworks are potentially
dangerous for children of all ages.
Do not allow children in the yard while a lawnmower
is being operated. Stones and debris thrown from moving
blades can cause serious eye injuries.
Demonstrate the use of appropriate protective eyewear
to children by always wearing protective eyewear yourself
while using power tools, rotary mowers, line lawn trimmers,
or hammering on metal.
Eye safety in school
When participating in shop or some chemistry science
labs, students should wear protective goggles and/or
shields that meet the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) Z87.1 safety standard.
General eye safety for children
It is strongly recommended that children with good vision
in only one eye wear protective glasses to protect the
good eye even if they do not need glasses otherwise.
The lenses should be made of polycarbonate and have
a center thickness of 2mm for daily wear and 3mm for
sports.
Choosing a sturdy frame will reduce the risk of injury
from the frames themselves. Frames that meet the ANSI
industrial standards offer the best available protection
for general spectacle wear.
Prescription lenses can be fitted into some types of
sports eye protectors, but at present "empty"
(lensless) frames do not provide adequate protection.
When an injury does occur
When an eye injury does occur, it is always best to
have an ophthalmologist or other medical doctor examine
the eye as soon as possible. The seriousness of an eye
injury may not be immediately obvious.
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