Potential eye injuries

As the leader in safety eyewear, our mission at Securo Vision is to protect your eyes. Safety eyewear is now common in the workplace but must also be applied to all aspects of our lives such as at home while performing numerous household tasks, enjoying certain hobbies and/or playing sports.

Securo Vision promotes vision-protection and wishes to educate people on the many possible eye injuries. The following is a brief overview of various potential eye injuries.

The most common eye injuries are in the form of foreign bodies penetrating the eye. The three main categories of projectiles that could get into the eye are solids, liquids and gases. For example, solid projectiles can get into the eye while sandblasting or welding at work or at home in the garage. The first step to treating foreign objects in the eyes, regardless of their form, is to rinse the eyes thoroughly, ideally with a sterile saline solution specially designed for this purpose. Saline solution has a shelf life of three years and can easily be stored with your first-aid kit.

The damage caused to the eyes by foreign objects are numerous, the cornea is certainly the most vulnerable. The consequences vary from a simple foreign object without any major side effects, to major irreversible injuries such as a corneal ulcer or opacification.

Liquids such as an acid or a base can also cause irreversible damage and literally burn the eyelids. We mistakenly think that these injuries only happen to workers in extreme risk situations yet, they could just as easily occur at home while spring cleaning or performing maintenance on the pool.

Radiation causes the second most common type of eye injuries. Be it ultraviolet (UV), infrared or laser (welder’s flash), radiation can cause damage to either the cornea or the lens. These injuries can occur over time from not wearing a UV filter to protect your eyes in the sun or instantaneously such as in a welding environment.

Did you know that most of the clinics in our network have on-site eye care professionals trained in eye emergency medicine ? Regardless of the type of eye injury, you can always consult your optometrist. If your injury is too severe, they will refer you to an ophthalmologist immediately. Without a doubt, the best way to prevent injuries is to protect your eyes. Wear safety goggles specific to your needs, with or without a prescription, in any situation that may pose a risk… at work and at home!