Top Home Eye Injuries | Home Eye Safety Month

October is Home Eye Safety Month. It highlights the number of eye injuries that occur in the home each year. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, about 50 percent of eye injuries occur at home. This statistic is especially true for women. According to research in the journal Medicine, about 88 percent of female eye injuries occur at home.

The article below looks at the most common at-home eye injuries, why they occur, and how to reduce your risk. 
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​Top eye injuries at home

Eye injuries at home most often involve the cornea. Injuries to the orbital bone, eyelid, and lens of the eye can also occur. Any activity at home that can lead to a flying projectile, chemical splash, or blunt trauma to the eye has the potential to injure the eye.

Possible activities include the following:

Home improvement: Using various tools to do improvement projects can lead to flying debris. For instance, a saw can cause sawdust to fly up into the eyes.

Yard work: Everyday yard work, such as cutting the grass, can lead to flying twigs, rocks, and dirt towards your eyes. 

Cleaning: Cleaning can lead to chemical splashes in the eye from products, such as bleach.

Cooking: Cooking causes eye injuries less than other types of home projects, but splashing oil from cooking can get into the eyes, causing a burn. 
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Why eye injuries occur at home

Eye injuries may occur at home for a few reasons. For instance, in your own home, you do not have rules or guidelines like you may at work. You do not have a boss looking over your shoulder to make sure you are using the required safety equipment for the job.

People also may rush through a task when they are doing a project at home. For example, if you are quickly cleaning a floor or bathroom sink, you might move fast and not be as cautious as you should be. This may lead to spilling or splashing chemicals. 
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Preventing eye injuries at home

Eye injuries at home are largely preventable. The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that you can decrease your risk of an eye injury at home by about 90 percent by wearing protective eyewear. Consider the following suggestions for preventing eye injuries at home:

• Wear protective eyewear when using any type of power tool.
• Read instructions on all chemical or cleaning products you use.
• Wash your hands right after touching chemicals.
• Do not rub your eye when handling chemicals.
• Remove all sticks, rocks, and pine cones before cutting the grass.
• Do not mix chemicals together for cleaning.
• Do not leave power tools near young children. 

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What to do if you get an eye injury at home

Some eye injuries are minor, such as getting a little dirt in your eye. Rinsing your eye with clean water may be enough to remove the debris, but in other cases, you should not attempt to treat an eye injury yourself. You can cause more damage to the eye.

If you or someone else have any of the following signs, seek immediate medical help: 

• Continued eye pain
• Problems seeing
• Torn eyelid
• An inability to move the eye normally
• Blood coming from the eye
• A change in pupil size

Keep in mind, if you sustain an eye injury at home, it is best to see an eye doctor. In some cases, getting immediate help can save your vision. Don’t hesitate to seek help.

If you would like to ask whether an appointment with one of our eye doctors would be appropriate at this time, call our office at 508-746-8600.