Sources of Eye injury and prevention

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm Post in Eye Diseases

A majority of eye injuries can be avoided by precautions and protective eyewear. According to particular requirements, there are various types of safety glasses. For instance, people with eye problems such as myopia or hyperopia may need prescription goggles and a lawn mower operator need protective wear with snug, wrap-style frame to prevent small, airborne particles from adhering to the lenses.

Workplace eye injuries account for a significant portion of the total, so that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have set up some guidelines for protective eyewear. Workplaces that involve any kind of airborne particles or noxious chemicals must follow these guidelines in providing proper eye protection. Prescription safety lenses and safety shields are some of the possible solutions that your employer should offer.

Air bags have saved thousands of lives since their wide spread in 1989. However, there are also plenty of complains of them. One of the dissatisfaction towards air bags is the potential eye injury by the deployment of them. In addition, air bags of new generations of vehicles will deploy with less force, which increase the risk of subtle eye injuries such as corneal abrasion. But these air bags are indeed indispensable in preventing more serious injuries. There are some tips on how to avoid eye injuries from air bag employment. You should make sure all people on the car are wearing seatbelt properly. Proper supportive headrest is also helpful. Never smoke while driving.

You should keep your eyes away from some dangerous sources such as laser pointers, champagne corks and fireworks. Direct laser pointer exposure may lead to temporary vision loss and even permanent retinal damage. The FDA has mandated that laser pointers should be manufactured with warning labels.

A flying cork from a champagne bottle during cerebrations is extreme dangerous. Potential results include eyeball rupture and retina detachment. You should point the cork away from yourself and others while opening the bottle.

Fireworks are also dangerous factors of eye injuries, such as contusions, lacerations, and foreign bodies. Sparklers are particularly harmful to children under 5. It is necessary to follow some rules about fireworks, in order to prevent eye injuries. Never allow children to play with fireworks. Only trained professionals can light fireworks. Never touch any unexploded firework remains.

Paintball guns can propel paint pellets at a speed of 180 mph. Paintball injuries include traumatic cataracts, retina detachment, hyphema, glaucoma, eyeball rupture and so on. These paintball-related eye injuries can lead to even blindness and most of them require surgical treatments. When you are playing paintball, wear your head shield all the time to protect your eyes and ears. Shield removal in the playing area is quite dangerous.