Preventing Eye Injuries at Home and Work
An eye injury can change your life in an instant and could even cause permanent vision loss. Fortunately, it's easy to prevent eye injuries by taking a few simple steps.
How to Reduce Your Risk for Eye Injuries at Home
Following these tips will help you protect yourself from common household eye injuries:
- Wear Protective Eyewear. Whether you're sanding the finish off an old table, mowing the lawn, or trimming a tree, protective eyewear is a must. It only takes a second for a tree branch or airborne piece of debris to damage your eyes. Using protective eyewear may reduce the risk of eye injuries by 90%, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Put on a pair of safety glasses or goggles for any activity that involves flying debris, dust, or chemicals, like household cleaners.
- Make Your Kitchen a Safe Space. Eye injuries can also happen when you're cooking. Using splatter guards around stovetop burners and put knives and other sharp objects away promptly after you use them. Want to check if the spaghetti is done? Leaning over the steaming pot could result in a painfully burned eye. Take the lid off and wait for the steam to clear before testing the pasta.
- Prioritize Eye Safety in the Home. Eye injuries can happen in unexpected ways. For example, you could plunge headlong into the sharp corner of a table if you trip over a loose throw rug. According to an analysis published in eClinical Medicine in 2019, falls were one of the main causes of eye injury, in addition to foreign bodies and mechanical forces. Reduce the risk for eye injuries by correcting safety issues in your home, such as dim lighting, clutter, loose flooring, and unsecured rugs.
How to Stay Safe at Work
Avoiding workplace eye injuries can be as simple as:
- Choosing the Ideal Protective Eyewear. Select protective eyewear eyewear based on the potential hazards at your job. If flying sawdust or biological fluids are hazards, goggles that wrap around your face, completely covering your eyes on all sides, are ideal. Standard goggles aren't the best choice if you're welding I-beams or working around flames. Heat-resistant safety goggles and welding glasses and helmets that protect your eyes from sparks, flames, radiation and molten metal are a much safer choice. If your employer doesn't provide protective eyewear, buy your own.
- Being Consistent. It can be tempting to forget about wearing safety glasses if you know a job will only take a minute or two. Unfortunately, eye injuries can happen whether you're working for 30 seconds or two hours. Use protective eyewear every time you encounter a potential eye hazard.
- Avoiding Eye Rubbing. It's only natural to want to rub if there's something in your eye. Rubbing your eyes can press debris against your eyes, causing painful corneal abrasions or cuts that could threaten your vision. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that rubbing the eyes was responsible for 59% of eye injuries at work. If blinking a few times doesn't get rid of dust or debris, try flushing your eye with eyewash, saline solution or running water. If flushing your eye doesn't help, it's time to call the optometrist or visit the emergency room. Never try to remove pieces of metal or glass at home.
Protecting Your Eyes Wherever You Go
Whether you're at home or work, wearing sunglasses can improve eye comfort and may decrease your risk for eye diseases, like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Check the tag when shopping for sunglasses. The ideal pair of sunglasses completely blocks both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
Do you use a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone at home or work. Spending even a few hours using digital devices can increase your risk of eyestrain. Eyestrain causes eye pain, red eyes, blurry vision, light sensitivity, and burning, itchy eyes. Reduce eyestrain by taking frequent breaks and staring at something 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Don't let an eye injury ruin your vision. We offer treatments for eye injuries and can help you protect your vision with prescription and non-prescription protective eyewear. Contact our office to make an appointment with the optometrist.
Sources:
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Eye Safety at Home: Preventing Eye Injuries, 4/10/2023
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/injuries-in-home
PMC: eClinical Medicine: The Global Incidence and Disability of Eye Injury: An Analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10432781/
Occupational Safety and Health Administration: OSHA Fact Sheet: Eye Protection Against Radiant Energy During Welding and Cutting in Shipyard Employment
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHAFACTSHEET-EYEPROTECTION-DURING-WELDING.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Eye Safety for Workers, 2/4/2025