"You'll poke your eye out!" Remember that saying just when the fun was about to begin?
Well, it turns out that's pretty good advice. Preventable trauma is the leading cause of blindness in teenagers and older children. Dr. Richard Akers of Atlantic Ophthalmology in Beaufort offers some rules of the road:
Watch out for scissors sticks and swords:
Children love to run with sticks in their hands, sometimes knives, pencils, and scissors. They think that it is a game, but it can lead to blindness. Always stop a child from running with sharp objects in their hands even if it not your own child.
Hand propelled projectiles:
Pine cones, Magnolia seed pods, balls, nuts, and fruits can make wonderful hand grenades. I myself used to make war with my friends until a magnolia grenade caught me just below the left eye. Village parenting is again allowed here to avoid serious eye injuries.
Paint Ball, BB, and Pellet guns:
These can produce some of the worst injuries. I have seen children shooting at each other with BB guns for fun, oblivious to the consequences. BB and Pellet guns are for targets, birds and squirrels and should never be pointed at a person. Paint Ball guns produce the worst of these injuries when a paint ball makes a direct hit to the eye. I have personally seen six of these injuries, and all have resulted in blindness. In all cases the injured was not wearing eye protection. I have never seen paintball eye injury in one wearing eye protection. Take home message: Parents need to monitor their children’s use of non lethal guns as if they were lethal.
Bungee chords:
Just think about the potential for eye injury with a bungee chord. Everyone who picks up a bungee chord should consciously think about this and avert their eyes or wear safety glasses when using the chords. Children should probably not be allowed to even touch them.
Sports:
There is always potential risk in any sport for eye injuries. Balls, elbows, fingers, and toes can find their way into an eye. If one wants to eliminate that risk, don’t play sports. One could consider safety eye protection ( baseball ). Eye protection is mandatory in Hockey. Best bet is to follow the regulations of the particular sport, and accept the risk if you want to play.
Chemicals:
Chemicals commonly found in the kitchen cabinet can cause serious injury especially bleach. Keep these chemicals away from your curious toddlers. Super glue can sometimes be confused with eye drops. You can imagine what happens and I have seen it more than once. Fortunately this is not usually a serious injury.
Car seats, Seat belts, and Airbags:
Car seats and Seat belts prevent eye injuries as well as other injuries in the event of an automobile accident. Common sense. Keep little people out of the front passenger seat, as a deploying airbag can cause serious eye injury when it deploys directly to the face.
Power tools:
For any children prone to use power tools, please have them wear safety glasses and send them over to my house. I have several jobs for them to do.
Dr. Richard Akers is an ophthalmologist of Atlantic Ophthalmology, 1094 Ribaut in Beaufort. For more information, visit his Web site at www.akerseyemd.com or call 843-524-2888.
