Eye safety

As well as being incredibly painful, any injury or damage to the eye may affect your sight. Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser to the College of Optometrists, warns: Eye in uries can really hurt, and the eye is vulnera!le !ecause the cornea is only "#$mm thick%& Of course, accidents will happen, !ut the eye is very good at healing itself% 'y first !it of advice,& says Dr Blakeney, is to think a!out what you(re a!out to do% )sk yourself, *what are the risks+,.ere are ways that accidents can happen, with tips from Dr Blakeney on guarding against in ury%

Safety at home In the garden

/n uring yourself in the garden is 0uite common,& says Dr Blakeney% / recently saw a lady with a severe corneal lesion, which happened when she was poked in the eye with a garden cane%- Other threats include:

branches: !eware of twigs and !ranches at eye level soil: keep loose particles away from the face pond water: water 1and soil2 can contain a nasty !ug called acanthamoe!a, which causes corneal ulcers

)ny kind of glasses, including sunglasses, are a good and easy way of protecting your eyes in the garden% Dr Blakeney says that even in the winter 1when we may not !e wearing sunglasses2 it,s important to protect our eyes%

In the sun
-3ooking at the sun, which is tempting during a solar eclipse, can cause solar retinopathy 1damage2,- says Dr Blakeney% -4ery strong radiation can cause permanent damage to the !ack of the eye, like a scar or a !urn%- )lways avoid looking directly at the sun% On a sunny day, it,s vital to protect your eyes against the sun% 5he College of Optometrists recommends !uying good 0uality, dark sunglasses 1these needn(t !e e6pensive2% 3ook for glasses carrying the ,CE, mark, and the British Standard BS E7 "89::";;<, which ensures that the sunglasses offer a safe level of ultraviolet protection%

Using chemicals
Chemical !urns are another cause of eye pro!lems% Chemicals used at home include weedkiller, plant sprays, caustic soda, !leach or any other household su!stance% .owever, Dr Blakeney says that alkaline su!stances cause more damage than acids !ecause they penetrate the eye faster% /n the event of a chemical splash, Dr Blakeney says you must wash the chemical out of your eye as 0uickly and thoroughly as possi!le, using lots of fluid% She recommends using:

eye wash: this is ideal to have in your first aid kit contact lens rinsing solution: !orrow some from a friend if you don(t use contact lenses water from the cold mains ( itchen! tap: let the tap run for a few seconds so that the water is fresh

"ractising #I$

'any eye in uries are caused !y D/= accidents% )ngle grinding is a real risk since it causes tiny, hot metal filings to shoot out,& says Dr Blakeney% /t,s particularly important to avoid getting iron particles in your eyes, as there,s a risk of a condition called siderosis !ul!i, which can affect vision%& Dr Blakeney(s advice is to wear proper safety glasses, which must:

%eisure

!e impact>resistant adhere to relevant British standards fit properly fit over your glasses 1if worn2

Being struck !y a moving o! ect is another cause of eye accidents% 5here,s a high risk of this while playing sport, and Dr Blakeney says s0uash !alls are particularly dangerous% 5hey,re a similar si?e to your eye!all and could dislodge the eye from its socket% 5here,s also a risk of !eing caught in the eye !y your opponent(s rac0uet,& she says% /t,s recommended that you wear sports safety glasses while playing% @hen swimming, Dr Blakeney stresses that you must -never wear your contact lenses-% @ear goggles to protect your eyes if they,re sensitive% Arescription goggles are availa!le if you wear glasses and swim regularly% @earing protective glasses for cycling is also recommended in order to avoid in ury from road chippings or prevent flies and dust from getting in your eyes, which could cause an accident%

Safety at wor
Employers are re0uired !y law to protect their employees from risk of in ury% =ou can visit the .ealth and Safety E6ecutivewe!site for more information%

Using computers
Dr Blakeney says that computers are a common cause of pro!lems in her patients% @hile they won(t cause lasting damage to the eyes, working for long periods of time on the computer can strain them or make the symptoms of e6isting eye conditions worse% Symptoms include eye discomfort, headaches, itchy eyes and difficulty in focusing% Best the eyes while working on the computer% 3ook regularly at more distant o! ects% Cor e6ample, stare out of the window during your thinking time% 5ake fre0uent !reaks from computer work% 4isit the optometrist regularly for eye check>ups, and make sure they know you use computers often%

Ade&uate lighting
Ensure that you,re working in well>lit conditions !ut without light reflecting off the computer screen as this can cause eye strain or headaches%

'utdoor and manual jobs

)sk your employer which activities re0uire protective goggles% 5his will make them aware of the risks you face% )gain, !eware when using machinery, such as angle grinders and drills 1see *Aractising D/=( a!ove2, and chemicals, which can cause nasty !urns 1see *Dsing chemicals( a!ove2%

(hen dri)ing
5he advice for driving is simple: make sure you can see the num!er plates of the cars around you 1D43) guidelines state that you must !e a!le to read them from $E metres away2, and make sure that you have regular eye e6aminations% Dr Blakeney says: /f you wear glasses and drive at night, ask your optometrist for glasses with an anti> reflection coating% 5his reduces the reflections from the front and !ack of the spectacle lenses% 5hey look nicer and reduce glare, which helps you to stay safe%&