Knowing Different Types of Eye Injuries

These are some of the common types of eye injuries:

Blunt Impact Injuries

An impact injury is when something hits your eye. These injuries can happen if you get into a car accident, if you’re clumsy and run into something, or when you’re playing sports. If the object isn't sharp but still hurts your eye, it's a blunt impact injury. If the impact is strong enough, these injuries can lead to breaks, black eyes, detached retinas, bruises, and even vision loss.

Chemical Burns

When handling chemicals at home or work, it can be hazardous to your eyes. You can suffer severe or minor eye injuries if one of those chemicals enters your eyes. The severity of the eye damage depends on the type of chemical and how strong it is. It also depends on how much of the chemicals get into your eyes. If this happens to you, rinse your eyes with water.

Foreign Objects

Sometimes, small things like dirt, dust, or even tiny rocks can end up in our eyes during everyday activities. This debris can cause severe discomfort and cause eye pain, redness, watery eyes, and scratches on your cornea, also known as corneal abrasions. These scratches can be painful and will require special care from an eye doctor.

Eye Penetration

They tell you not to run with scissors for a reason. If we're not careful, sharp items like scissors, knives, or forks can accidentally go into our eyes. It's essential to be very cautious when handling sharp objects. You’ll also want to be careful around others. A simple misstep can harm other people’s eyes as well. Getting your eyes punctured by an object is a serious injury requiring immediate attention. If not treated promptly, you risk blindness.

How to Stop Eye Injuries

These are some ways to keep your eyes safe:

Safe Tool Use

Manual and power tools can create debris that can quickly get into our eyes. Drills, saws, and hammers are the biggest culprits. Always wear safety glasses to prevent debris from getting into your eyes and protect them from the tools themselves. They should fully cover your eyes. Read all tool instructions carefully and ask someone for help if you need it. It’s good practice to use tools with somebody else in an emergency.

Be Careful When Playing Sports

If you play contact sports or sports with fast-moving pucks or balls, we recommend you wear special glasses or goggles. Getting hit in the eye with a ball is very common and can cause intense pain and possible vision loss. If you wear glasses or contacts, be extra careful so they don't break or fall out while playing sports. Glasses breaking on your face can lead to eye penetration injuries.

Being Careful with Chemicals

Whether cleaning or dealing with strong chemicals at work, you should always wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. You might accidentally touch your eyes after handling chemicals. Because most chemicals are different, you must read the usage instructions before using the chemicals. Some chemicals are more potent than others, and you want to stay safe.

See the Professionals

One of the first things people do when their eyes hurt is rub them. However, rubbing them will cause more irritation and pain. If you have a chemical in your eye, rubbing it can spread it around. Instead, you should wash your eyes gently with clean water and call an eye doctor as soon as possible. If it's a severe injury, you should seek help immediately.

Wear Eye Protection

If you’re ever in a situation where you might hurt your eyes or something can get into them, it’s essential to wear safety glasses. It's essential when using tools, playing sports, or handling chemicals. Glasses and goggles are the most common protective eyewear that we recommend. Safety glasses and goggles aren’t a fashion statement, but don’t let that deter you. Keeping your eyes safe is what’s most important.