How to Improve Eye Injury Prevention Efforts in Everyday Life
Injuries to the eye are typically due to two reasons. The first is that protective measures were not appropriately taken and unnecessary risk to the eye area resulted in an injury. The second is that an injury happened by pure accident, or perhaps even ignorance of how protective measures should have been put in place. Fortunately, a majority of common eye injuries are entirely preventable. This isn’t to say that accidents will never happen, but there are ways to improve eye injury prevention efforts in everyday life.
We want our patients and their families to take the care of their eyes seriously, as much as they would other areas of health like diet and exercise. Preventing injuries involves simple decisions in everyday life that we’re all entirely capable of implementing.
How to prevent eye injuries (as much as possible)
Review routine products in terms of their potential to cause accidental injury
This applies to items like cleaning products in particular, but patients should also consider other items as well, such as beauty, skincare, and household items. For example, consider the expiration date of products that would be applied on or around the eye area like powders and mascaras. These do not typically have a long shelf-life (around 3-6 months max, especially if liquid). Many people keep them for much longer and are applying expired products around the eye area. You can check the packaging on products to confirm how long they last, and if you cannot remember when the purchase was made, then it is probably best to purchase something new.
Cleaning products can be very harmful to the eye area, but this is rarely considered. Splash back from spray bottles is common, so please think about protective eyewear when cleaning or switching to products that are less harmful if exposure were to take place.
Talk to your doctor about whether your current medications could impact your eyes
Medications can have many different types of side effects. If you are on medicine now or will be starting something soon, please be sure to ask your doctor if the medicine poses any risk to the health of your eyes in the short and long term.
Take the proper precautions during at-home projects
We’re very comfortable when we’re at home, so we think that we’re safe from harm even if we’re doing something that could pose a risk. At-home projects that involve tools, chemicals, or equipment that potentially expose us to any type of injury need to include protective gear from start to finish. This means things like gloves, aprons, protective eye frames, masks, etc. If you’re ever unsure what is best to use, please consider consulting with an expert in the field in which your project takes place.
So many of us take our vision for granted, assuming that if any issues are to arise, it would be due to aging and not an injury. Eye injuries can range in severity, but a little extra time and effort toward protecting ourselves and our families can go a long way in preventing these injuries from ever taking place.