Eye Safety

Most people know their eyesight is precious, but at this age they don’t think as much about protecting their eyes as they should. Eye safety means taking proactive measures to ensure the same quality of eyesight you currently enjoy.

If your eye is injured you should get immediate medical attention. Sports-related eye injuries in Australia most commonly occur within the age group 25–44 years old.

Sports safety

Goggles and shields do much more than protect your eyes from injury. Many goggles or safety glasses come with tints to reduce sun glare, light filtering capabilities that make it easier to see certain colours (like yellow tennis balls), and polycarbonate lenses that stand up to sudden, sharp impact.  Choose the right goggles or shield for your sport.

Work and Home Safety

Two of the most common places for eye injuries to occur are home and work. Often, people in industrial settings are susceptible to projectiles that can injure the eye. And at home, many household cleaners can cause injury to the eyes – in addition to various home improvement projects that have a potential for danger. The best advice we can give is to use your common sense – if you’re working on a project that can cause harm to your eyes, make sure you’re safe with the proper protective eyewear. Visit your local eyecare professional for further advice.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses not only look good, they’re good for you. Protect yourself from harmful UV rays today to help prevent damage tomorrow. Choose sunglasses with both UVA and UVB protection. A hat will help block indirect sun, which can come into the eyes around the edges of sunglasses.

At the Computer

Computer images are created from thousands of tiny dots – so there is no distinct image for your eye to actually focus on. You have to focus and refocus to keep the images sharp – and after two hours you end up with the same kind of repetitive stress in your eye muscles that the keyboard causes in your wrists. It won’t cause permanent damage, but here are some tips to minimize eye stress:

• Keep your computer screen within 50-60cm of your eyes
• Keep the top of your computer screen slightly below eye level
• Minimize the distance between your computer screen and any documents you need to reference while working
• Adjust lighting to minimize glare
• Use the 20-20-20 rule and take a break every 20 minutes to focus on an object over 20 feet away
• Blink frequently

First Aid

If your eye is injured, it’s tempting to think you can just flush it out with some cold water and it will be fine. However, it’s not easy to judge the extent or severity of any eye injury, so you should always get immediate, professional medical attention. Here are some steps you can take in the event of an eye injury:

• Trauma to the eye – if you are hit in the eye, rest a protective shield – such as a Styrofoam cup – on the bone around your eye. Make sure there is no pressure on the eye itself. Seek immediate, professional medical attention.
• Foreign body – if an object has entered your eye, do not try to remove it; you may tear delicate tissue or force the object in deeper. Rest a protective shield – again, like a Styrofoam cup – on the bone around your eye, making sure there is no pressure on the eye itself. Seek immediate professional medical attention.
• Black eye – if you are hit in the eye area, place an ice pack or cold cloth over your eye. Get immediate, professional medical attention.
• Chemical Burn – if your eye has sustained a chemical burn, rinse it with fresh water for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Hold your head under the tap or use a clean container to pour water into your eye. As you rinse, use your fingers to hold your eye open as wide as possible and roll your eye to ensure the greatest possible coverage. Get immediate, professional medical attention.

It’s not easy to judge the extent or severity of any eye injury, so you should always get immediate, professional medical attention.The following symptoms may signal serious eye injury:

• Obvious eye pain or vision problem
• Cut or torn eyelid
• One eye that does not move as completely as the other
• One eye that protrudes more than the other
• Abnormal pupil size or shape
• Blood in the white of the eye
• Something embedded in the eye
• Something under the eyelid that cannot be easily removed

 

Always consult your eye practitioner for further advice.