Every year over 2.5 million eye injuries are documented with 50,000 of them causing permanent vision loss of some level. Over 90% of these yearly eye injuries can be prevented using effective and accessible eye protection. Proper eye protection starts with safety glasses/goggles, always make sure to utilize these when doing anything that could involve floating particles that can get into your eyes.
Men are considered to be more likely than women to be afflicted by an eye injury. According to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), approximately 35% of people use proper eye protection when doing something that could be potentially hazardous to their eyes—an even smaller percentage of people protect their eyes while playing sports.
It is a common belief that eye injuries are more common when working—especially in the case of construction and factory workers—but, according to a survey conducted by the AAO, 44.7% of all eye injuries occur outside of the workplace at home. In fact, 34.2 % of the eye injuries recorded occurred in common loving areas such as: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. While cleaning in the house make sure to be cautious when using household chemicals like bleach, drain cleaner, chlorine, etc… as these can cause severe damages if splashed into your eyes.
If you are outside doing yard work make sure you are taking the proper precautions to protect your eyes, as lawn mowers, weed whackers, and leaf blowers can create a lot of dust and debris that can be hazardous to your eye. Outdoor sports and recreational activities make up over 40% of the recurring yearly eye injuries. Eyes can be damaged by over exposure to the sun as well, so it is important to purchase sun glasses that offer 100% UV protection.
A vast majority of people are not taking the necessary precautions to protect their eyes. It is reported that over 78% of people who suffer eye injuries are not wearing protective eyewear at the time of injury. Only a very small percentage of those who claim to be wearing protective eyewear at the time of injury were actually wearing safety or sports glasses.
If you feel you may have sustained an eye injury, it is important to have your eye doctor evaluate your eye before damages become irreparable.
