Norfolk & Wrentham July 2017

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Page 16 Norfolk & Wrentham 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. For more details, see our ad on the front page. Our Ad & Editorial Deadline is the 15th of the month, for the following month’s issue Visit our website www.localtownpages.com
July 2017 Norfolk & Wrentham Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 17 Garden Club Receives Awards Last month the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts recently celebrated its 90th anniversary and three awards were presented to the Garden Club of Norfolk. Accepting the awards was Emily Nicodemus, the club’s Award Chair. The three awards were the Garden Therapy Award for the club’s activities with the Maples Rehabilitation center; the Margaret K. Bell Newsletter Award for the club’s newsletter; and a monetary award for the heirloom plants the club planted at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. Liz Davey, the club’s president, announced these achievements at the group’s recent meeting at Stony Brook. Residents interested in learning about gardening, or have plants to donate to the club’s fund raising plant sale, should visit the club’s website for further information: www.gardenclubofnorfolkma. org. Club meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Norfolk Public Library from September to June. All are welcome. Emily Nicodemus with silver tray awarded to Garden Club of Norfolk for its outstanding newsletter. Stop Making These 8 Common Grilling Mistakes Cooking food over an open fire imparts all sorts of flavor. Grilling tends to be quicker, less messy and more convenient than cooking in the kitchen — particularly during the dog days of summer. Outdoor grills are everywhere, including nearly every backyard across the country. The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association says $1.47 billion in grill sales were made in 2016. That grills are so commonplace doesn’t mean that everyone grilling is employing the right techniques. Becoming the ultimate grillmaster involves understanding the subtleties of grilling and avoiding common mistakes so food can look and taste that much better. 1. Not prepping the food: The French culinary term for preparing to cook is “mise en place.” This is especially important when grilling, as cooks must deal with faster cooking times than they would otherwise encounter when cooking meals in the stove. 2. Dirty grill: Make sure the grill is cleaned before and after each use. Grease can quickly build up on a grill, leading to flare-ups that can cause foods to char. Frequent cleaning also helps grillmasters avoid a tiresome cleaning process at the start of the season. 3. Forgetting to preheat: Preheating the grill ensures that foods will cook quickly and as evenly as possible. Otherwise, meats can lose moisture and even stick to cooler grates. Reader’s Digest suggests preheating to between 350 F and 450 F depending on the food. 4. Overreliance on lighter fluid: The chemical taste of lighter fluid can transfer to foods even when the fluid is used sparingly. Consider using a chimney starter when grilling with charcoal. And avoid repeated pyrotechnics with fluid, or worse, gasoline. 5. Too much direct heat: Food should not char on the outside before the inside has a chance to cook. A twozone fire, according to food experts at Serious Eats, enables grillmasters to cook over high heat to sear and then move the food to a lower temperature to continue to cook evenly. 6. Playing with food: Grilling does not require much intervention. Repeatedly flipping and squeezing meat and poultry can cause flavorful juices to leak out. Then you’re left with driedout food. Resist any urges to prod and poke food. And minimize how many times you lift the grill cover to take a peek, as that can cause temperatures to fluctuate. Use a thermometer to determine when food is done. And don’t forget that meat will still cook a bit after it’s taken off the grill. 7. Improper seasoning: Basting food with sugar-laden sauces and marinades too early can cause flare-ups and burning. Quick rubs can help lock in flavor, and then reserve the sauce for the last few minutes of grilling, says cookbook author Dave Martin. 8. Digging in too soon: Give meats a chance to rest for between five and 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute through the food. This improves flavor and tenderness.
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