Prevention

The following tips may help prevent eye injuries.

• Wear safety glasses, goggles, or face shields when you work with power tools or chemicals or do any activity that might cause an object or substance to get into your eyes. Some professions, such as health care and construction, may require workers to use protective eyewear to reduce the risk of foreign objects or substances or body fluids getting in the eyes.
• If you are welding or are near someone else who is welding, wear a mask or goggles designed for welding.
• Wear protective eyewear during sports such as baseball, hockey, racquetball, or paintball that involve the risk of a blow to the eye. Fishhook injuries are another common cause of eye injuries. Protective eyewear can prevent sports-related eye injuries more than 90% of the time. An eye examination may help determine what type of protective eyewear is needed.

Eye injuries are common in children, and many can be prevented. Most eye injuries happen in older children. They occur more often in boys than in girls. Toys—from crayons to toy guns—are a major source of injury, so check all toys for sharp or pointed parts.

Teach children about eye safety:

• Be a good role model—always wear eye protection.
• Get protective eyewear for your children, and help them use it properly.
• Teach children that toys that fly should not be pointed at another person.
• Teach children how to properly carry sharp or pointed objects.
• Teach children that any kind of missile, projectile, or BB gun is not a toy.
• Use safety measures near fires and explosives, such as campfires and fireworks.

Preparing For Your Appointment

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.

If you have an object in the eye that affects your vision, have someone else drive you to your doctor. If you are wearing contact lenses, remove them, and take your glasses with you.

You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:

• Do you have an object in your eye? What is the object? When did it get into your eye? Did it fall into your eye, or did it fly into your eye at high speed?
• Do you wear glasses or contacts? Did you remove your contact lens? Has the injury affected your vision (as corrected with glasses or contacts)?
• What kind of vision changes are you having (not related to removing your eyeglasses or contact lenses)?
• What home treatment have you tried? Did it help?
• What prescription and nonprescription medicines have you used? Did they help?
• Do you have any health risks?