Types of Eye Injuries

Here are some of the most common types of eye injuries:

Foreign Object Injuries

Being careless while working or outside can lead to dirt, dust, wood shavings, or bits of metal quickly entering your eyes. When these foreign particles enter, they can cause significant discomfort. Your eyes might turn red, become watery, or even sustain scratches on the cornea. Scratches on the cornea can cause severe pain and typically require the expertise of an eye doctor.

Chemical Burns

Exposing your eyes to chemicals at home or in the workplace can result in severe eye burns. Chemicals can enter your eyes from spray bottles, accidental contact with chemicals followed by eye touching, or chemical splashes. The chemical type and potency of the chemical affect the degree of eye injury and the intensity of pain. If your eyes come into contact with chemicals, rinse them immediately with water.

Eye Penetration Injuries

Sharp objects like scissors, knives, screwdrivers, or other tools can easily o into your eyes and cause severe damage. You must be being careful while handling sharp objects. Additionally, it's essential to ensure that people around you use sharp objects safely. Even non-sharp objects can cause harm to your eyes because they’re so delicate. Eye penetration injuries always require urgent medical attention to prevent permanent damage.

Blunt Trauma

Blunt trauma occurs when an object impacts the eye. This might mean being struck by a ball during sports, hitting your eye on the corner of a piece of furniture, or accidentally running into something. In essence, if a non-sharp object hits your eye and results in injury or discomfort, it qualifies as blunt trauma. Blunt object impact can lead to fractures in the bones surrounding the eye, retina detachment, black eye development, and potentially even vision loss. Being struck in the eye by an object, particularly one moving at high speed, is a cause for concern.

How to Prevent Eye Injuries

These are some ways that you can protect your eyes.

Be Careful with Chemicals

We recommend using safety goggles if you’re using cleaning supplies at home, weed killer, or other gardening sprays or even need to handle strong chemicals for work. Safety goggles help keep your eyes safe from chemicals. It’s also vital that you use these chemicals in a well-ventilated area. Read all instructions very carefully before handling harmful chemicals. Take the time to thoroughly read and understand all instructions before using harmful chemicals.

Play Sports Safely

If you're involved in sports, we strongly recommend using protective glasses or goggles to shield your eyes. Activities like racquetball, basketball, and hockey involve fast-moving balls and pucks, and they often entail physical contact. Wearing appropriate eye protection while playing these sports is essential for eye safety. For individuals who wear glasses or contacts, prioritizing eye care during sports is even more critical. You don’t want your glasses to break or contacts to fall out while playing.

See an Eye Doctor

Rubbing your eyes after they’ve been injured is one of the worst things you can do. You’ll only irritate your eyes and make the pain worse. The best solution is to gently rinse your eyes with clean water and see an eye doctor for professional treatment. 

Don’t Use Tools if You Don’t Know How to Use Them

Drills, saws, hammers, and sanders can all cause severe eye injuries because they produce debris. You also run the risk of the tools themselves damaging your eyes. Ensure you wear approved safety glasses that fully cover your eyes and that your tools work correctly. Read instructions carefully and always have someone nearby to help if needed.

Wear Protective Eyewear

We want to reiterate the importance of protective eyewear to keep your eyes safe and healthy. Whenever there's a potential risk to your eyes, using protective eyewear becomes mandatory. Safety goggles, face shields, and even full-face respirators considerably shield you from debris, chemicals, and various hazards. Wear them when using power tools, playing sports, or working with chemicals. It’s better to be safe than sorry.