Summer Eye Safety for Kids
UV Rays
According to the 2010 American Eye-Q® survey commissioned by the American Optemetric Association (AOA), 66 percent of parents purchase sunglasses for their kids but 26 percent don’t check the UV protection. The AOA recommends the following five tips to help prevent future eye and vision damage from overexposure to UV radiation:
- Wear protective eyewear any time the eyes are exposed to UV rays, even on cloudy days and during the winter.
- Look for quality sunglasses or contact lenses that offer good protection. Sunglasses or protective contact lenses should block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B radiation and screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light.
- Check to make sure sunglass lenses are perfectly matched in color and free of distortions or imperfections.
- Purchase gray-colored lenses because they reduce light intensity without altering the color of objects to provide the most natural color vision. Brown or amber-colored lenses may be better for those who are visually impaired because they increase contrast as well as reducing light intensity.
- Always protect children as they typically spend more time in the sun than adults and are at a greater risk for damage.
Fourth of July Eye Safety
According to a study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks were the culprit for a projected 8,800 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during 2009. Of these, 54 percent were children and teens under the age of 20 years. The most common cause of damage to the eyes includes lacerations, contusions, and the existence of foreign materials. The AOA recommends that families protect and preserve eyesight during the Fourth of July with the following tips.
- Discuss firework safety with your child prior to the Fourth of July.
- Avoid private firework displays and instead enjoy professional ones.
- Do not allow kids to handle fireworks and never leave them unsupervised near fireworks.
- Adults should wear protective eyewear when lighting and handling fireworks of any kind.
- Store fireworks, matches, and lighters in a secure place.
- Refrain from purchasing sparklers. Heating up to 1,800 degrees, sparklers are the number one cause of fireworks injuries requiring trips to the emergency room.
- Be aware of your surroundings and only light fireworks when children are at a safe distance.
- Always follow up with a full optometric eye exam should your child seek emergency room medical care for a firework-related eye injury.
Do you worry about your kids' eye safety? Do you always make them wear sunglasses?
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