THERE are numerous ways everyday life can present hazards to people’s eyes and vision.
The most obvious is through specific tasks in the workplace such as grinding, welding, cutting fibrous materials, and concreting.
However daily household tasks like cleaning, gardening, chopping wood and cooking, also present high risk situations for eyes. At Swan Hill and Kerang Optical, it is part of their service to remove foreign bodies such as metal and wood, manage eye injuries, and treat chemical burns or exposure to irritating debris.
“With the weather improving through spring and now into summer, people have been catching up on all those jobs around the home, and unfortunately haven’t been using the correct eye protection,” practice manager Kristy Burney said.
“We have therefore seen a spike in foreign body removal and other eye injuries over the past few weeks.
“We only have one set of eyes – we must protect them!”
Ms Burney said that patients sometimes didn’t wear protective eyewear when using welders, power tools or whipper snippers as they were just “doing it quickly”.
“The other reason people aren’t wearing protective eyewear is because they need to be wearing their prescription spectacles to see when using the tools,” Ms Burney said.
“However prescription glasses are not suitable when using tools such as grinders.
“Debris flying off the grinder can still easily go in the eye, and also damage the lenses.
“Patients may not be aware that we can provide prescription safety eyewear so that they can see clearly and safely perform hazardous tasks.”
Safety eyewear must conform to a higher standard of impact resistance than regular glasses, and this applies to both the lenses and frames.
They also come with padding around the edges, which can prevent debris from going up under the frames and entering the eyes.
“We work closely with a safety eyewear company to provide certified prescription products that have passed performance and quality assurance tests stipulated by the Australian Standards,” Ms Burney said.
“Many local businesses within our region are proactive at providing their staff with prescription safety glasses, allowing the completion of work in a safe and clearly viewed environment.
“It’s an added bonus that it’s a tax deduction.
“However prescription safety eyewear is also readily available for the general public, and should be considered.”
All eye injuries should be treated as potential emergencies, and Swan Hill and Kerang Optical recommend contacting or visiting an optometrist, or the hospital emergency department if out of business hours.
For more information about protecting your eyes and prescription safety eyewear, call in and speak to the experienced team at Swan Hill and Kerang Optical.
