Being careful around new toys can help parents prevent the most common eye injuries, said Dr. David Wheeler, an ophthalmologist in Oregon. Injuries can range from a bump on the eyelids to possible blindness. He said the most common harm from toys comes from a blunt injury where an object hits the lids and causes a bump on the eye. In some cases, the object hits when the eye is open, causing bleeding inside the eye. A cornea abrasion also is a common injury, which is a bruise on the cornea. More serious injuries include laceration to the eye or a cut in the wall of the eye. These could threaten vision, Wheeler said.
“Often, children don’t want to tell their parents that their eye hurts. They don’t want to be caught doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing, but the earlier we treat the injury, the better it is for the child,” Wheeler said.
Some Toys Are Known for Causing Injuries
Wheeler suggested parents be careful when children are playing with the following toys known for common injuries.
- B.B. guns
- Toys that fire projectiles
- Toys that require hand to hand combat
- Toys that require direct interaction with two or more kids
- Anything that is thrown
Most common injuries occur to children ages 6 to 14, Wheeler said. Boys are more likely to have an eye injury. But damage could be more serious for the children younger than seven, he added. A child younger than seven still is developing his vision and eye muscles. Because the younger children are still developing, any injury to the eye can disrupt their vision. Older children see the same as adults and wouldn’t have their vision disrupted as much.
Thousands Suffer from Permanent Damage
In the United States, 2.5 million people suffer from eye injuries each year. About 50,000 of those suffer some type of permanent damage, Wheeler said. He added that half of accidents to the eyes occur in the home, and some injure the entire face. Parents should be alert to possible injuries to eyes and ensure their children use their toys properly. He also noted that the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that all people, including children, use safety glasses when working with tools or doing projects at home.
These precautions will reduce the number of emergencies, he said. Emergency room doctors usually can handle the superficial injuries, but they refer more serious problems to ophthalmologists. However, Wheeler noted, the danger occurs in areas that do not have ophthalmologists available to treat patients. He said parents should try to avoid the injuries in the first place.
Louise Harris - Louise Harris has worked in the journalism field since she graduated in 1989 from the University of Maryland College of Journalism. She is ...
