Franklin July 2017

Page 16 Franklin Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com July 2017
Living Healthy
Preventing Eye Injuries at Home
By Roger M. Kaldawy, M.D.,
Milford Franklin Eye Center
Summer is here and everyone is
busy in and around the house. Protecting
your eyes from injury is one
of the most basic strategies to keep
your vision healthy throughout your
life. You may be somewhat aware
of the possible risks of eye injuries,
but are you taking the easiest step
of all to prevent 90% of those injuries:
wearing the proper protective
eyewear? If you are not taking this
step, you are not alone. According
to a national survey by the American
Academy of Ophthalmology,
only 35% of respondents said they
always wear protective eyewear
when performing home repairs
or maintenance; even fewer do so
while playing sports.
Eye Injury Facts and Myths
Men are more likely to sustain
an eye injury than women. Most
people believe that eye injuries are
most common on the job — especially
in the course of work at factories
and construction sites. But,
in fact, nearly half (44.7%) of all
eye injuries occurred in the home.
More than 40 % of eye injuries are
caused by projects and activities
such as home repairs, yard work,
cleaning and cooking. More than
a third (34.2%) of injuries in the
home occurred in living areas such
as the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom,
living or family room. More
than 40% of eye injuries every year
are related to sports or recreational
activities. Eyes can be damaged by
sun exposure, not just chemicals,
dust or objects.
Among all eye injuries, more
than 78% were in people not wearing
eyewear at the time of injury.
Of those reported to be wearing
eyewear of some sort at the time of
injury (including glasses or contact
lenses), only 5.3% were wearing
safety or sports glasses.
You might think that the family
home is a fairly unthreatening setting.
However, medical statistics tell
a different story: nearly half of all
eye injuries each year occur in and
around the home, and home-based
injuries are increasing each year.
This alarming trend is why the
American Academy of Ophthalmology
and the American Society
of Ocular Trauma now recommend
that every household have at
least one pair of ANSI-approved
protective eyewear for use during
projects and activities that may
present risk of injury.
Eye Injuries during Fourth of
July Celebrations:
Happy 4th of July to all! It will
be a great day to celebrate our
nation’s Independence. Unfortunately,
along with the 4th of July
celebrations come a lot of injuries
from personal fireworks. Eye injuries
from fireworks can be especially
debilitating. Public fireworks
displays are regarded as safe, and
have a lower incidence of personal
injuries. An estimated 10,500 injuries
occur from fireworks each year.
Children are frequent victims, as
35% of individuals injured by fireworks
were age 15 and under. Children
under 5 years old were most
commonly injured by sparklers.
Roughly 1 in 5 of those caused
trauma to the eye. The eye injuries
were most commonly caused by
firecrackers. Avoid firecrackers,
as they should only be handled by
professionals.
Common Eye Injury Risks in
the House:
1. Using hazardous products and
chemicals such as oven cleaner
and bleach for cleaning and
other chores (accidents involving
common household products
cause 125,000 eye injuries
each year).
2. Cooking foods can that can
splatter hot grease or oil.
3. Opening champagne bottles
during a celebration.
4. Drilling or hammering screws
or nails into walls or hard surfaces
like brick or cement; the
screws or nails can become
projectiles, or fragments can
come off the surface.
5. Using hot objects such as
curling irons around the face;
inadvertent contact with the
user’s eyes can cause serious
injury.
6. Loose rugs and railings or
other hazards that could cause
falls or slips.
Common Injury Risks in the
Yard:
1. Mowing the lawn.
2. Using a power trimmer or
edger.
3. Clipping hedges and bushes.
Common Eye Injury Risks in
the Garage or Workshop:
1. Using tools (power or hand).
2. Working with solvents or
other chemicals.
3. Any task that can produce
fragments, dust particles or
other eye irritants.
4. Securing equipment or loads
with bungee cords.
For all of these activities, it’s important
to remember that bystanders
also face significant risk and
should take precautions against
eye injuries too. This is particularly
important for children who watch
their parents perform routine
chores in and around the home.
Bystanders should wear eye protection
too or leave the area where the
chore is being done.
Preventing Eye Injuries at
Home
Wearing protective eyewear
will prevent 90% of eye injuries,
so make sure that your home has
at least one approved pair and
that you and your family members
wear the eyewear when risks come
into play.
There will still be occasions
when accidents and injuries happen.
Consider taking some of
these safety steps around the home
to diminish the risks even more:
1. Read the labels of chemicals
and cleaners carefully, and
don’t mix products.
2. Secure rugs and railings.
3. Cushion sharp corners and
edges of furnishings and
home fixtures if you have
children or the elderly in your
house.
4. Check the lawn or the outdoor
area where you will be
working for debris that can
become a projectile.
5. Keep your tools in good condition;
damaged tools should
be repaired or replaced.
6. Make sure that all spray nozzles
are directed away from
you.
7. Use grease shields on frying
pans to protect from splattering.
Our center and ophthalmologists
have state of the art equipment
to diagnose and treat many
eye problems, including eye injuries.
Learn how to recognize an eye
injury and get appropriate care if
you or a family member is injured
at home, even if you think the injury
is trivial. We are now able to
better understand and manage
these problems and continue our
mission to provide world class eye
care for the entire family.
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Summer Gym & Swim Program
Summer Classes Starting July 10 th – August 18 th
Gymastics & Swimming, Arts & Crafts,
Group Games & Fun! Ages 3-5 & 6-12
Your choice of days & weeks
from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. Monday - Friday
Extended day available until 3:30
Flipside Gymnastics
We are located at
2 Franklin St. Medway, MA
508-533-2353
www.flipside-gym.com
Fall Classes begin
August 28 th