Whether you are at work or at home, it’s necessary to protect your eyes from injuries. Eye emergencies such as chemical burns and penetrating globe injuries can cause serious harm to your vision, even leading to permanent blindness.
While wearing protective eyeglasses is the best way to prevent injuries from happening, there are other methods of protecting your eyes and ensuring the long-term health of your vision.
How To Prevent Eye Emergencies At Home
We feel safest in our home so it’s understandable that most people forget that even the most common activities can injure us. Cooking, cleaning, yard work and even opening a bottle of champagne are all high risk factors for eye emergencies.
Eye doctors recommend always wearing protective eyeglasses as this is the most effective method of keeping your vision safe from injuries.
However, there are other ways to protect your eyes while at home:
- When using cleaning products
Before using any cleaning product, make sure you read the label as some products may contain chemicals that cause eye irritation. It is important to keep these products a good distance from your eyes when using them.
- When cooking
Wearing safety eyeglasses when cooking can keep food irritants such as hot peppers and oil out of your eye. In addition, use grease shields on frying pans and keep a safe distance from the stove to avoid splattering.
- When performing yard work
Outdoor work is the biggest culprit of eye emergencies in the home. It is especially important to wear protective eye glasses when performing yard work.
Make sure to check the area for any loose equipment or debris that can fly up and hit your eyes. Wearing sunglasses can also help you avoid any UV ray injuries.
- When children are playing
To avoid any potentially serious eye emergencies, it’s important to supervise children when they are playing or using objects such as pencils, scissors, eating utensils and other sharp household items.
Importance of Emergency Eye Care
When an eye injury does occur, it’s important to contact a qualified eye doctor as soon as possible. Delaying medical attention can cause the injury to worse and could potentially lead to vision loss.
Some of the conditions that may require emergency eye care include:
- Sudden vision loss
- Pain in one or both eyes
- Redness and/or discharge
- Foreign body sensation
- Double vision
- Acute onset of a headache
At Market Mall Optometry Clinic, our Calgary eye doctors are specially trained to deal with a wide variety of eye emergencies and can provide proactive diagnosis and treatment which will:
- Prevent vision loss
- Reduce any pain or discomfort
- Promote healing
- Stop the spread of contagious eye infections such as pink eye
Remember: Most eye emergencies can be effectively treated when addressed early. If you or a family member are experiencing an eye injury, contact our Calgary eye clinic today.
Learn More About Our Calgary Eye Emergency Services
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For more tips on how to prevent eye injuries at home or to learn more about our eye emergency services, contact our eye clinic at 430-286-4884.
