Three Common Household Chores that Endanger Your Eyes

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You might think your eyes are safe from injury when you are at home, but household chores can be dangerous if you don’t take proper precautions.

Eye injuries are most likely to occur during:

1. Cleaning – Chemicals in many household cleaning products are responsible for 125,000 eye injuries each year, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. We don’t want to tell you not to clean your house, so just make sure your eyes stay safe while cleaning with the following precautions:

  • Try to avoid harsh chemicals when you are able to. By limiting your exposure, you reduce your risk of eye injury.

  • Clean in well-ventilated areas.

  • Don’t mix chemicals.

  • Wash your hands thoroughly after you are finished cleaning.

  • Wear eye protection if necessary to avoid getting chemicals into your eyes.

2. Home improvement – Home improvement projects can be a danger to you, and your eyes. Wearing protective eyewear is the best defense against home improvement related injuries like paint splatter, dust and nails.

3. Yard work – Flying debris while mowing the lawn, low hanging branches and weed killing chemicals are all dangers to your eyes. Before getting started on yard work, make sure sticks are picked up in the lawn and low hanging branches are trimmed. Wearing eye protection will also help prevent common yard related eye injuries.

If you are cleaning, working on your house or out in your yard, eye protection is your best defense against eye injuries. According to the American academy of ophthalmology, wearing protective eyewear can reduce the risk of eye injuries by 90%. Even small injuries can impact your eye health and vision. If an eye injury occurs, go to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Dr. Ralph Chu LASIK surgeon Minneapolis Ophthalmologists

Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Ralph Chu is a fellowship-trained corneal specialist and a nationally recognized leader in refractive and cataract procedures. His specialty areas include cataract, LASIK, cornea, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries for patients in the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Twin Cities areas.

Posted on October 12, 2022

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