It’s easy to take your eyes for granted. But can you imagine suddenly losing your sight?

During Eye Injury Prevention Month, we urge you to see the dangers that exist. At work, eye protection is sometimes required. At home, you should be just as prepared!

Here’s a few tips to help you protect your eyes:

Outside:

• Wear sunglasses. This is an easy way to protect your eyes from UV damage from the sun.
• Wear eye protection during yard maintenance and sports. Did you know that proper eye protection could prevent more than 90% of eye injuries?
• Check the lawn or outdoor work area for debris. Anything can become a projectile. If you hit something with a lawn mower or edger, it could hit your eyes before you have time to react.

Inside:

• Throw away eye makeup after three months. Bacteria grows easily in creamy or liquid eye makeup. If you get an eye infection, toss all your eye makeup.
• Be careful in the kitchen. Splattered grease or hot oil can easily harm your eyes. Even opening a bottle of champagne is known to cause eye injuries!
• Aim all spray nozzles away from your face. When cleaning the house, be careful with chemicals. Read all labels and don’t mix products. Consider wearing eye protection.

Seeing the eye doctor (ophthalmologist):

• At age 40, get a baseline eye exam. An eye exam can catch problems early – before you even notice any changes or problems. Your age, race and chronic health issues can increase your risk of problems.
• Get regular eye exams. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, you may need exams more often than other people.
• If you notice changes in your vision, see an eye doctor. The earlier a problem is found, the more likely your sight can be saved.

Source: American Academy of Opthalmology