As we explained last week, October is Eye Injury Prevention Month. The goal of this month is to spread awareness of the very real threat of eye injuries and the proper methods to prevent those injuries. In fact, of the 1 million people who suffer an eye injury every year in the United States, most could have been avoided with the use of Protective Eyewear.
The Importance of Protective Eyewear
Eye injuries can happen anytime and anywhere. And you may be surprised to learn that nearly half (44.7 percent) of all eye injuries occur in the home. So it’s important to invest in and regularly use protective eyewear.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Society of Ocular Trauma (ASOT) recommend having AT LEAST one pair of protective eyewear in the home and to use the eyewear often.
According to The Vision Council, a remarkable 90% of Eye Injuries could be prevented with protective eyewear that meets the Z87.1 standard set by the American National Standards Institute.
- The lenses should be made from polycarbonate
- The lenses should be scratch resistant as to not block vision
- Lenses should also provide 100 percent ultraviolet (UV) protection
- Protective eyewear should be equipped with padded or rubber bridges to ensure comfort
- Finally, protective eyewear should be face-formed to provide a wider field of view.
- Protective eyewear should have deep-grooved eyewires to keep the lenses from falling out if the frame is impacted.
- Protective eyewear should have headband attachments to keep the frames from slipping.
“Slipping on a pair of safety glasses is quick and easy,” said ASOT President Ferenc Kuhn, MD, PhD. “Unfortunately, compared to other commonsense safety steps such as wearing seatbelts, using protective eyewear does not happen frequently enough.”
Be safe. Be prepared. Wear protective eyewear.
If you have any questions about Eye Injury Prevention and Protective Eyewear, or if you wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrists Dr. Nathan Frank and Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!
For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.
Sources:
Eye Protection The Vision Council