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by Dr. Mark Sibley,
Florida Eye Center
Mowing the
lawn, adding chemicals to the pool, playing summer sports, or
jump-starting your car or lawn mower when it has a dead battery
and a a good old fashioned Fourth of July celebration: These are
just a few activities that can lead to an eye injury or even
blindness.
Eye injuries are extremely common. They happen everywhere: at
home, at work, at school, on the basketball court and on the
sports field. Nearly 1 million Americans have lost some of their
vision due to injuries. As an eye specialist, I find this very
frustrating, since most of these eye injuries could have been
prevented. Almost 90 percent of all eye damage can be prevented.
Many eye injuries due to sports are preventable.
Baseball, basketball and racquet sports are the largest causes of
eye injuries in sports activities. The real tragedy is that most
of these injuries are to children. The junior high school years
are the most dangerous, and boys are involved in almost 90 percent
of eye accidents.
The most blinding injuries come from projectile "toys" such as BB
guns, pellet guns, darts, slingshots and bows and arrows.
Take precautions! Observe the safety rules when you or your
children are at play. Children must be taught to play safely and
parents must be alert to hazardous playthings. Can eye injuries be
prevented? Yes, injuries can be prevented almost 100 percent of
the time with proper eye safety practices and appropriate eye
protection. Anyone who normally wears eyeglasses can have their
prescription made up in safety glasses with stronger lenses and
frames to protect their eyes while playing sports activities.
Clear eye-protectors are also available from sporting good stores,
sports facilities or from eye doctors or opticians. But remember
-- eye protectors offer absolutely NO protection if they remain in
your gym bag, locker or glove compartment!
Eye safety is no accident. It is no different from wearing your
seatbelt or knowing not to touch a red-hot stove.
Fireworks will injure Ten thousand Americans this year alone.
Some injuries will be to careless fireworks users, but 50 percent
will be to innocent bystanders. Most of these injuries are to
young children under 15 years of age
As past president of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, I am
reminded as July 4 approaches that more teenage boys will be
blinded by fireworks injuries this month than from any other
cause.
As a medical advisor for the Society to Prevent Blindness, I
would like to offer some recommendations to prevent blindness:
1. Always have a responsible adult present for proper supervision.
Adults should never allow children to ignite or handle the
fireworks.
2. Never experiment by taking apart fireworks or mixing more
fireworks together with other explosives. Never try to make
fireworks yourself.
3. Always light fireworks outdoors in a cleared area away from
houses, flammable materials and innocent bystanders.
4. Only light one firework at a time, and maintain a safe distance
while lighting each one.
5. Please keep a bucket of water nearby for any emergencies.
6. Dispose of all fireworks properly, and soak all malfunctioning
fireworks in water. Never try to re-ignite a bad fuse.
7. Always store your fireworks in a cool, dry place until time for
use, and avoid rough handling that may damage the fuse or handles.
8. Never ignite fireworks in a glass container, aluminum can, or
under clay pots. All of these can explode and send shrapnel that
can blind you before you can blink.
9. Always have sober, adult supervision and wear protective
eyewear.
10. Never throw sparklers into the air, wave them near a person's
eyes, or "sword fight" with them.
11. Re-read the instruction labels before igniting any product.
Almost all injuries are caused from misuse rather than product
defect.
12. In case of eye injury, do not press on the eye. Please go to
the nearest emergency room and seek immediate care or call a
medical doctor or ophthalmologist.
Fireworks can be dangerous to even the best-trained people using
the best equipment. Fireworks can be blinding or fatal is used by
people who are drunk, stupid, or inconsiderate. If you find
yourself exposed to this situation, you can ask them to stop, call
the police, or move away to a safer area. These people are
breaking the law and endangering you or your family, and you need
to protect yourself and your children.
The Fourth of July is America's birthday celebration, but let's
decide to celebrate the Fourth of July safely. Every community
puts on impressive fireworks shows, run by licensed professionals.
I recommend that everyone attend one of these city sponsored
firework displays.
Help us save sight this Fourth of July. Have a pleasant and safe
Fourth of July.
For more
information call Florida Eye Center at 727-895-2020 or visit
www.floridaeyecenters.com
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