Family Eye Care and Children's Eye Center of New Mexico

Eye injuries are a common cause of vision loss in the United States. More than a million people have eye injuries each year. If people wear protective eyewear when needed, they could prevent about 90% of eye injuries. Shatter-resistant eyewear and dark glasses are easy to find and do not have to cost a lot of money.

Eye trauma in children is especially sad because children’s brains are still learning how to see. Eye injuries in children may stop the brain from learning to see. This causes a secondary vision loss called amblyopia.

Preventing eye injuries is always much better than treating them. Adults should not let children handle chemicals (for example, cleaning products). These are often found in homes or schools and many of them can cause permanent eye damage. The sun is very strong at high altitude; so all children in New Mexico should wear dark glasses outside. Even having fun sledding or throwing snowballs can cause permanent vision loss if children do not wear eye protection. Children playing organized sports such as baseball, hockey, and even tennis can have very bad eye injuries if they don’t wear protective eyewear. Children should never operate power tools without direct adult supervision. No one should use power tools without using proper eye protection.

If your child does get an eye injury, do not touch or rub the eye. Do not put any pressure on the eye or take out anything that is sticking out of the eye. If your child gets any kind of chemical in her eye, begin rinsing the eye with clean water immediately and continue for 20 minutes. With all eye injuries, go to an emergency room or your ophthalmologist right away. Getting help early can make a big difference in vision.

Click on the link below for more information on eye injuries:
http://development.aao.org/eyecare/treatment/eyeinjury.cfm