No parent wants to see their child get hurt, but the sad reality is that tens of thousands of kids sustain eye injuries every year. Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children, but most are easily preventable. This August, observe Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month by putting the proper safeguards in place to protect your child’s eye health.
Causes of Eye Injuries in Children
There are many situations that can leave a child in pain with an eye injury. The following are common causes for eye injury and should not be taken lightly. Seek treatment immediately, if you feel that your injured child would benefit from medical attention.
Sports
According to eye health and safety organization Prevent Blindness, sports accidents cause over 25,000 people to seek medical attention for eye injuries every year. Most of these injuries could have been prevented by wearing the appropriate safety gear! To prevent sports injuries, make sure your child has the appropriate safety gear and that the safety gear fits like a glove.
Chemicals
Accidents involving everyday household products cause over 125,000 eye injuries each year. Common household chemicals like detergents, solvents, cleaning products, and paint can seriously injure a child’s eyes.
To avoid chemical injuries in your child’s eyes, make sure to label the chemicals so that it is clear that it is a dangerous item and keep them in a secure location, like an upper cabinet or a cabinet with a child lock. Another option is to find brands that have non-toxic chemical substitute for everyday cleaning supplies.
Household Objects
Tools, knives, forks, pens, and pencils all have the potential to cause a serious eye injury. Make sure to keep tools in a secure location, like a locked tool box, cutlery in an out-of-reach location, and office supplies in a lockable desk drawer or in an unreachable location.
Fireworks
It’s no secret that using fireworks is dangerous, but did you know that eye injuries comprise 14% of all firework-related injuries? To avoid firework injuries, make sure that fireworks are stored in a location that children cannot reach or get to, and, when using fireworks, make sure a responsible adult is present at all times.
Car Accidents
In a car crash, loose items in the car could go flying, causing eye injury. Many steps can be taken to ensure the safety of your passengers, but as a general suggestion, make sure to keep dangerous toys put away and try to keep your vehicle(s) as clutter free as possible.
How to Prevent Eye Injuries in Children
Preventing most eye injuries is as simple as observing these common-sense safety guidelines:
Make sure your child wears appropriate eye protection. Your child’s regular glasses will not protect her from injury; she must wear sports safety glasses. As many as 90% of sports-related eye injuries in children can be avoided by wearing proper protective eyewear.- In the car, always use the appropriate seatbelt, car seat, or booster seat for your child’s age and weight. Never allow young children to sit in the front seat, and secure loose items in the trunk, where they can’t become projectiles in the event of a crash.
- Do not use fireworks, and do not allow your children near fireworks.
- Keep household chemicals out of reach of children.
How to Treat Eye Injuries
In the event of an accident causing eye injury, knowing how to properly administer first aid to eye injuries could help save a child’s vision. Always consult with an eye doctor for any kind of eye injury. Do not assume any eye injury is harmless!
Chemical Eye Injuries: Flush the eye with water for at least 15 minutes. Do not bandage the eye and seek emergency treatment.
Debris in the Eye: Try to flush the debris out with water. Do not attempt to use tweezers to remove it. If it doesn’t wash out, see a doctor immediately.
Blunt Force to the Eye: Apply ice or a cold compress to the area.
Cuts to the Eye: Do not try to wash the eye or remove any objects. Seek treatment immediately.
Consult A Personal Injury Attorney If Your Child’s Eye Has Been Injured
If your child’s eyes have been wrongfully injured as a result of a car accident, sports accident, a defective product, or negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Worcester personal injury attorney Peter Ventura has helped injury victims seek justice for over 25 years. Call us today for a free and confidential consultation.
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