Eye Injuries
What to know: When children participate in sports, recreation, and craft and work activities, it’s important to know eye safety practices and use protective glasses when appropriate. More than 90 percent of all eye injuries can be prevented through use of appropriate protective eyewear. Sports deserve particular attention, because eye injuries occur fairly often in children and young adults who play sports: between the ages of five and 14, most sports-related injuries in the U.S. occur while playing baseball; in the 15 to 24 age group, injuries are most likely to occur while playing basketball (usually caused by players’ fingers and elbows). Learn more about eye injuries and prevention.

What to do  -  Injury Prevention:

• Children should wear sports eye protectors made with polycarbonate lenses for: baseball, basketball, football, racquet sports, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, paintball.
• All chemicals and sprays must be kept out of reach of small children.
• Parents and others who provide care and supervision for children need to practice safe use of common items that can cause serious eye injury: paper clips, pencils, scissors, bungee cords, wire coat hangers, rubber bands.
• Parents and others who provide care and supervision for children need to demonstrate good eye safety habits by always wearing protective eyewear while using power tools, hammering, and during other home, school, sports, and work activities as appropriate.

What to do - First Aid:

An Eye M.D. (ophthalmologist), primary care doctor, school nurse, or children’s health service should examine the eye as soon as possible, even if the injury seems minor at first, as a serious injury is not always immediately obvious. Delaying medical attention can cause the damaged areas to worsen and could result in permanent vision loss or blindness.

While seeking medical help, care for the child as follows:

• DO NOT touch, rub or apply pressure to the eye.
• DO NOT try to remove any object stuck in the eye. For small debris, lift eye lid and ask child to blink rapidly to see if tears will flush out the particle. If not, close the eye and seek treatment.
• Do not apply ointment or medication to the eye.
• A cut or puncture wound should be gently covered.
• Only in the event of chemical exposure, flush with plenty of water.