Carelessness can cause eye injuries
Most work, home accidents are avoidable
By John Wood, OD Special to the Acorn

More than 2,000 injuries occur each day in the workplace, according to Prevent Blindness America. These injuries occur in spite of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Agency) guidelines for employers to provide and require all at-risk employees to use eye protection in hazardous environments. Fortunately most of these injuries are of short duration, but 10 to 20 percent result in temporary and/or permanent loss.

Eye injuries in the home may be equally common, especially when performing yardwork. No one should ever do any kind of lawn mowing, tree trimming or plant maintenance without wearing eye protection. Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, manual and power saws and especially "weed whips" can create projectiles which can cause serious damage to the eye on impact.

Foreign bodies or foreign material that come into the eye can become embedded or penetrate the eye itself. This scenario can have potentially damaging consequences, especially when treatment is delayed.

Chemical splashes making contact with the eye can also be devastating. Lye and household solvents, such a products used for clogged drains, are more dangerous than acids. The eyes need to be flushed with water or saline for at least 15 minutes before any other action is taken. The eyelids must be held open under running water for that 15-minute period, and then the injured party should be taken for professional evaluation.

The typical scenario that I see in my office results in foreign bodies remaining embedded in the eye for two to seven days while the patient waits for it to "get better." Metallic foreign bodies embedded in the cornea (the transparent window in the front of the eye) need to be removed as soon as possible, otherwise oxidation occurs, resulting in a "rust ring" which may require more invasive treatment. Damage may result, and the eye becomes inflamed, which can lead to serious complications, including permanent scarring.

Encourage loved ones to wear eye protection when doing any kind of hazardous work, including grinding, working on automobiles, using chemicals and using any implements which can cause projectiles. Polycarbonate goggles cost only a few dollars and can be purchased at hardware stores.

Prevention is so much easier than treatment. In my experience, more than 95 percent of all eye injuries do not have to occur.

John Wood, OD, practices at Moorpark Optometric EyeCare Inc., 525-F Los Angeles Ave., Moorpark.