Your home is your sanctuary, your place to relax. You come
home from work, throw on some sweats, grab some leftovers and make your way to
the couch to catch this week’s results of “Dancing with the Stars.” What many
people don’t know is that around your house there are dangers lurking… everywhere!
According to the American
Academy of Ophthalmology, almost 50% of all eye injuries occur when you are
at home. That is more eye injuries than happen while at work or school
combined! These potential risks to your eyes are everywhere; you just don’t see
them (pardon the irony). Simple daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, small
home repairs and yard work all pose a significant threat to the safety of your eyes. You may be thinking that the
majority of these at home eye-related injuries
happen while performing outside chores, but more
than two-thirds of these injuries take place in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living
or family room. (These probably account for the
majority of rooms in your house.)
Most necessary household activities do pose a potential risk
for eye injury. Here are a few tips on how to avoid these injuries:
Chemicals and
Cleaners
Make sure to read labels carefully! Annually, 125,000 eye
injuries are caused by products such as oven cleaner, bleach and insect
repellent. Also make sure to never mix household cleaners and chemicals. The
fumes can be harmful to your eyes (as well as
your body) and can result in permanent loss of
vision or even death. No one wants that. When using household cleaners, make sure the nozzle is facing in the direction you
want to spray, and that no one is near where you are
spraying these cleaners.
In the Kitchen
Grease and hot oil cause numerous injuries each and every
year. Make sure you shield your pots and pans with a splatter lid or shield
when cooking. Also, make sure to never use knives or other sharp utensils other
than as directed. In a split second, a slip with
one of these tools can have a lifelong damaging effect
on your vision.
Working in the Yard
or Garage
Make sure when using a lawn mower or any other power tools
to clear the area of screws, nails and debris. Power tools will instantly turn
these into projectiles that can potentially do lots of harm, not only to your eyes,
but to anything or anyone else they may hit. Always wear safety goggles when
performing these types of tasks in the yard. If others are working close by, make sure they are wearing a pair of safety goggles as well.
If You Have
Children…
Keeping a vigilant eye on children can help
avoid any potential eye injuries. Many children suffer eye injuries from
playing with tools and objects that are intended
for grown-ups or adult-supervised
use. Make sure these items are in a place that children cannot easily access. Also
watch out for small toys
No comments:
Post a Comment