Why you need protective eyewear at home

Nearly half of all eye injuries happen in and around the home, and the number of injuries continues to rise every year. But did you know an estimated 90 percent of eye injuries are preventable with the use of proper safety eyewear?

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Ocular Trauma are urging every household to have at least one pair of protective eyewear for use during projects and activities that may present risk of injury.

They recommend we use protective eyewear approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which can be purchased from most hardware stores.

Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields and eye guards. The choice of eyewear depends upon the activity in which you’re engaged. Most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is 10 times stronger than other plastics.

Using eye protection inside and outside your home helps to:

• Avoid injury when handling chemicals and other substances: Household cleaning chemicals like ammonia, oven cleaners and bleach cause 125,000 eye injuries yearly. They should be handled with care. Read instructions and warnings and use these substances in well ventilated areas. Never mix cleaning or household chemicals.

• Guard against flying debris: Remove debris like branches, twigs and thorns from lawns before mowing, using trimmers or shovels.

• Protect you from unexpected flying objects: Screws, nails and hand tools can become projectiles. Power tools can propel wood chips or other substances into the air.

In all such activities, bystanders should also wear protective eyewear.