Summer fun can be hard on the eyes

By JENNIFER KNOPP

The Capital-Journal

Summer recreation can be good for the body and soul, but dangerous to the eyes if they aren't protected properly.

Optometrist Tammy Odle Goering, of McPherson, said most eye injuries she sees occur during the summer, when people are in situations where their eyes are vulnerable to fireworks or flying objects in sporting events.

Fireworks alone were responsible for 169 injuries during the last week of June and first week of July last year, according to the Kansas Fire Marshal. Sixty of those injuries involved children younger than 10.

Nationally, approximately 1,300 people have fireworks-related eye injuries each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Eye Care Council reported 77,000 children suffer eye injuries each year. Most of them occur during baseball or soccer games or while helping parents in the yard --- another activity in which injuries are common this time of year.

Todd Fleischer, public relations officer at the Eye Care Council, said flying debris from lawn mowers or other lawn equipment can get lodged in the eye.

Fleischer said the best way to prevent injury is to wear protective glasses with shatterproof lenses when working in the yard.

He said the best lenses are made of polycarbonate or other shatterproof materials.

Goering said even people who work indoors during the summer can suffer eye injuries. Some work environments have fans instead of air conditioning, and fans can blow debris into the eye. Protective eyewear should be worn, especially in shops where debris may become airborne, she said.

With the Fourth of July approaching, Goering said children are even more vulnerable when they use hand-held fireworks such as "sparklers."

She said sparklers seem harmless, but sparks are released when children wave them around. The sparks can burn a child's eye.

Goering said parents should read directions on fireworks packaging carefully and make sure their children hold all fireworks at a safe distance.

If any eye injury occurs because of fireworks, Goering recommends flushing the affected area with a saline solution or water for 15-20 minutes.

For any eye injury, Goering advises the injured person to contact an eye-care professional or go to a emergency room.

Yard work, sports and fireworks can damage eyes.

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