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eye exam

Eye injuries are a serious cause of visual loss in children. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, trauma, or injury, occurs more frequently in boys than girls by a ratio of almost 4 to 1.

Allan M. Eisenbaum, M.D., associate professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, says eye trauma in young children and adolescents can be avoided by taking the necessary precautions in various situations:

Make sure your children wear protective eyewear for sports and visors on helmets. Sports injuries occur in activities such as martial arts, sports that use balls, pucks, sticks and games such as paintball.

Avoid allowing your children to play with B-B guns, fireworks and explosives. These items are often result in devastating visual loss. Even when the eye is not penetrated, the concussive force of an explosive or projectile can wreak havoc on the eye and result in eyelid and facial burns.

Have your children wear proper eye protection when helping in the garage or in the yard. Projectile injury can occur from machinery such as power tools and lawn equipment.

Keep household products out of the reach of children. Caustic and corrosive chemicals can be spilled and splashed into the eye.

Be cautious when allowing your children to play around animals. A dog bite can cause injury to a child’s eyelid.