Eye safety can be easily overlooked in our daily lives. In most cases, simple precautions can help you prevent eye injuries at work, home and play. Avoid distractions when doing anything that could potentially harm your eyes. Resist the temptation to “multi-task” when working with tools or other objects near your eyes. And always wear safety glasses whenever needed. If you suffer any eye injury, contact your ophthalmologist immediately for advice. Most eye surgery hospitals in India have emergency contact numbers for injuries that occur after normal business hours. When in doubt, treat all eye injuries as potential emergencies, and contact or visit an eye doctor immediately if you have urgent eye safety concerns. Some common eye injuries, such as deep puncture wounds from accidents, could require immediate treatment or surgery to prevent permanent eye damage resulting in vision loss. While on the other hand, minor surface scratches, may need only simple monitoring after an initial visit to the eye doctor to make sure complications don’t occur. Common causes of abrasions to the eye’s surface are getting poked in the eye or rubbing the eye when a foreign body is present. These abrasions are very uncomfortable and cause redness and severe sensitivity to light. Scratches also can make your eye susceptible to infection by bacteria or a fungus. Certain types of bacteria and fungi can enter the eye through a scratch and cause serious harm in as little as 24 hours and can even result in blindness. If you have a scratched eye, don’t rub it. And don’t patch your eye, either. Simply keep the eye closed or loosely tape a paper cup or eye shield over it. See your doctor as soon as possible to check out this type of eye injury. Remember, you have only one pair of eyes. Take good care of them.
