What can you do to prevent an eye injury?

Follow these safety tips to prevent eye injuries around the home.

During DIY

• Wear protective eyewear during risky activities. Wear safety glasses with side shields anytime you might be exposed to flying particles, objects or dust.
• Wear goggles when exposed to chemicals. Take precautions even if you're just a bystander.
• Supervise your child's use of tools. Pencils, scissors, forks and knives can all cause serious eye injury. Keep in mind that common household items — such as paper clips, bungee cords, wire coat hangers, rubber bands and fishhooks — also can be dangerous.

In the yard

• Protect your eyes while doing yardwork. Use protective eyewear every time you operate lawnmowers, lawn trimmers and leaf blowers.
• Keep children away from flying debris. Make sure young children stay out of the yard while a lawnmower is being operated.
• Store hazardous substances out of reach. Keep fertilizers, pesticides and pool chemicals away from children at all times.

Cooking and cleaning

• Use caution with chemicals and cleaners. Carefully read the labels of chemicals and household cleaning supplies, such as bleach, before using them. Don't mix products. Keep all chemicals and sprays out of a child's reach.
• Be careful when cooking or using hot objects. Use grease shields to prevent the splattering of hot grease or oil. Avoid using a curling iron near your eyes.
• Keep sharp kitchen tools and utensils away from small children. Store them in child-proof locations, and avoid setting them down within reach of young children.

On the move

• Eliminate hazards that may cause falls. Secure rugs and railings. If a child or elderly adult lives in your home, use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, and consider covering sharp furniture edges and corners with a cushioning material.
• Use car seats. Make sure your child is properly secured in a car seat and that the seat belt or shoulder belt fits tightly. Don't allow a child age 12 or younger to ride in the front seat. Store loose items in your trunk or secure them to the floor of your vehicle.

At play

• Avoid certain children's toys. Don't allow your child to play with non-powder rifles, such as pellet guns or BB guns. Avoid projectile toys, such as darts, bows and arrows, and missile-firing toys.

• Don't allow your children to use laser pointers. Laser pointers, especially those with short wave lengths such as green laser pointers, can permanently damage the retina and cause visual loss in as short as a few seconds — even before your child has a chance to blink. But lasers of other colors are dangerous, as well, and can cause eye injury.

  As an adult, be cautious when using laser pointers. Avoid directing the beam toward anyone's eyes.

• Wear protective eyewear during sports. Any sport featuring a ball, puck, stick, bat, racket or flying object, is a potential risk of eye injury.

  Choose sports protective eyewear labeled as ASTM F803-approved. The eyewear meets consumer product standards set by ASTM International. Eyewear that hasn't been tested for sports use, such as sunglasses, can cause more harm than no eyewear at all.

• Keep small children safe around dogs. When young children are bitten by dogs, eye injuries frequently occur.

Celebrating

• Forgo backyard fireworks. Leave fireworks to trained professionals.

• Use caution when opening a Champagne bottle. Don't shake the bottle. Point the bottle at a 45-degree angle away from yourself and any bystanders.

  To open the bottle safely, firmly place your palm over the cork while removing the wire hood. Place a towel over the entire top of the bottle, grasp the cork, and slowly twist the bottle until the cork is almost out of the neck. To prevent the cork from being discharged like a missile, maintain slight downward pressure on the cork just as it comes out of the bottle.