Eye Safety Tips
Wear appropriate eye protection (and encourage your children to do so) when participating in sports and recreational activities. Also use eye proctection when doing carpentry (hammering nails, sawing wood) or when working near machinery, lawn mowers, weeding power equipment, car batteries, chemicals or anything that may cause flying particles.
DO wear sunglasses, plain or with prescription lenses, to protect the eyes against sunlight and on cloudy days to protect against ultraviolet radiation. Make certain the sunglasses specify 99 percent ultraviolet blocking capability because darkness of lenses does not mean the same thing and darker lenses are not always better.
DO turn your face away or close your eyes when spraying perfume, hair spray or deodorant. Use care when applying lotions, creams or oils on the eyelids or around the eyes. If you are exposed to these or other chemicals, severe irritation may result.
DO NOT substitute ordinary streetwear glasses or contact lenses for appropriate eye protection. Ordinary glasses may break on impact, often leading to severe eye injury, and contact lenses provide no protection whatsoever against eye injury. Polycarbonate lenses are the most impact resistant material.
DO NOT allow children to play with hazardous 'toys' such as BB, pellet or paintball guns, bows and arrows, darts or firecrackers. Injuries sustained by both children and adults when using these items have often resulted in permanent damage or loss of an eye.
DO NOT use an eyecup since it may harbor harmful bacteria. Prolonged use of a decongestant that 'gets the red out,' may mask the symptoms and postpone treatment of a potentially serious eye condition.
DO NOT wear dark or heavily tinted glasses at night.
Remove your contact lenses before entering a pool or hot tub. Chlorination may not kill harmful bacteria or parasites in the water. If you wear contact lenses and they are exposed to bacteria, serious eye infection and corneal disease may result. Use only commercially prepared solutions for contact lens care. Avoid homemade saline solutions of salt tablets and distilled or tap water.
DO NOT ever use tap or distilled water, or saliva to rinse contact lenses. After lenses have been removed, always disinfect and rinse them before reinserting. Failure to adhere to a strict cleansing routine can result in severe infection, corneal disease, and even loss of an eye.
DO NOT substitute ordinary streetwear glasses or contact lenses for safety eyewear. Ordinary glasses may break on impact, often leading to severe eye injury, and contact lenses provide no protection whatsoever against eye injury.
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