December, 2019 | Eye Care & Vision Associates

Eye injuries can happen anywhere. Along with workplace risks, certain home-based activities can damage the eye, as well. Luckily, the majority of eye injuries are completely preventable, as long as you take steps to protect your vision. Here’s a look at five ways you can protect your vision by preventing eye injuries.

1. Wear Safety Glasses When Engaged in Risky Activities

Whether you are doing home repairs, working in an industrial role, or handling yard work, safety glasses are a must if you want to prevent eye injuries. If an activity can cause debris, dust, or objectives to fly around, safety glasses allow you to shield your eyes.

Ideally, you want to choose safety glasses that either wrap around your head or have side shields. Otherwise, a projectile might come in behind the lenses since there is nothing to block its path.

2. If You’re Near Chemicals, Put on Googles

Chemicals – including many household cleaners – can damage the eye if contact is made. Plus, even the fumes from certain substances can harm the eye, meaning direct contact through a splash, dust particles in the air, or accidentally touching the chemical and then your eye, isn’t necessary to hurt your eyes.

By wearing goggles that fully seal, you can ensure that chemicals don’t get into your eye. Essentially, you are putting a physical barrier between your eyes on the substance, reducing the chance that contact with the chemical or fumes will occur.

3. Put on a Face Shield When Cooking

Grease or oil in a hot pan can splatter, and small droplets can fly up into the air. If you are cooking and the oil or grease begins to pop out of the pan, protecting yourself with a face shield or goggles can make sure it doesn’t harm your eyes.

4. Use Protective Eyewear When Playing Sports

Nearly any sport could be a potential eye injury risk. Balls, pucks, rackets, bats, frisbees, and anything else that is swung, thrown, kicked, or otherwise sent hurling through the air is a possible threat. By wearing eyewear that is tested for sports use, you can make sure that you have the proper amount of protection.

5. Don’t Rely on Sunglasses to Save You from Eye Injuries

Many sunglasses aren’t designed to withstand strong impacts. As a result, wearing them can actually be dangerous during certain activities. For example, if you’re playing baseball and the lenses break when struck by a ball, the pieces of broken plastic might travel toward your eye. This could lead to a serious injury, causing more harm than if no glasses were worn at all.

Ultimately, the five tips above can help you protect your eyes and reduce your chances of injury. If your eye becomes injured or you simply haven’t had your vision checked recently, schedule an appointment at your nearest ECVA clinic. Our skilled team works diligently to manage your eye health, correct your vision, or treat eye injuries if they occur, ensuring your vision can be preserved or improved whenever possible.

If you’re new to contact lenses, you might have questions about correctly cleaning them. Since proper hygiene is critical for infection prevention and other issues that can arise from a subpar cleaning, knowing the right technique is important. If you want to make sure you are handling your contact lens cleaning the best way possible, here’s what you need to do.

Wash Your Hands

Before you hand your contact lenses, you need to wash your hands. Use an antibacterial soap and make sure to rinse thoroughly. Also, dry your hands with a lint-free towel to make sure you don’t get any fabric particles on your lenses or in your eyes.

Use the Rub and Rinse Method

Even if your solution says that it’s “no rub,” the rub and rinse cleaning approach is still a better option. It ensures that debris that may be stuck to each lens is removed, providing a superior clean.

Begin by taking one lens and placing it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. You want to edge of the lens to be up, like an upright cup.

Place a few drops of fresh cleaning solution (not just saline) on your palm next to the lens as well as directly on the lens. Next, use the fingers of your dominant hand to gently rub the contact. Make sure you don’t use your fingernails when you rub as that can damage the lens.

Then, rinse the lens with fresh, sterile solution. Finally, put the lens in the case to soak and repeat the process with your other lens.

Long-Term Contact Lens Storage

If you are going to keep your lenses in a case for an extended period, then you may need to re-disinfect them before you wear them. Review the instructions that came with your contacts and your solution to see if they have a timeline for re-disinfection.

No matter what, if your lenses have been stored for 30 days or more, go through a re-disinfection process. Or, if you are using disposable lenses that are designed to last a month or less, switch to a new pair and throw the old ones out.

Replace Your Lenses According to the Instructions

Even if you are exceptionally good at cleaning your lenses, you still need to throw them away and open a new pair according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The material is only designed to handle so much wear and tear, so waiting could mean putting a damaged lens in your eye. Plus, soft contact lenses can end up with deposit build ups or other forms of contamination, increasing your risk of infection if you exceed the recommended amount of time.

Keep Your Case Clean Too

Proper contact lens care also includes cleaning your case. Otherwise, the case can become a source of contamination, potentially leading to an infection. You can use sterile solution to clean your case every time you remove your lenses. Then, leave it open so that it can dry during the day.

Additionally, replace your case every three months. If it becomes cracked or damaged, start using a new case right away.

If you are interested in getting contact lenses or your prescription may be out of date, schedule an appointment at your nearest ECVA clinic today. Our skilled team works diligently to ensure your eye health by performing thorough exams, correcting vision issues, and providing customized treatment options designed to meet the needs of our patients.