SAFTY : Protect Child’s Eyes by Averting Accidents

Ordinary household items, from knives and forks to clothes hangers, can pose serious risks to children’s eyes. While supervision is the best precaution, there are ways to decrease the risk of accidents in the home.

Prevent Blindness America, a volunteer eye health and safety organization, has the following home safety tips:

*

Bathroom and Kitchen

* Teach children not to run around with forks or knives.

* Place detergents and other cleaning supplies behind locked doors or away from children’s reach.

* Set a good example by wearing eye protection when cleaning the oven or using cleaning solutions that have an ammonia base.

* Encourage children not to run around with their toothbrushes.

Bedroom

* Make sure clothes hangers stay in the closet.

* Don’t allow children to play with small or pointy toys in bed.

* Young children should not be allowed to play with hair spray, hairbrushes or combs without adult supervision.

Play Area

* Teach children to put away toys.

* Keep toys intended for older children away from younger ones.

* Remind children not to throw toys or other objects at each other.

* Repair or throw away toys with broken parts.

Yard and Garden

* Keep children away from the area when using lawn equipment, such as lawn mowers or weed and hedge trimmers.

* Inspect the lawn for rocks, sticks or other debris before mowing.

* Always wear safety eye protection when using lawn equipment, fertilizers and pesticides.

Workshop

* Place nails, glue, screwdrivers or other tools away from a child’s reach.

* Keep young children away from the area where power tools are being used.

* Set a good example by always wearing eye protection when working around equipment.

* Encourage others who enter the workshop to wear eye protection.

Back-Yard Games

* Encourage youngsters to wear appropriate eye protection when playing baseball, basketball or other types of contact sports.

* Make sure children who wear glasses do not play sports without proper eye protection.

* Work together to develop a list of eye safety rules that they can follow when playing.