Prevent Children's Eye Injuries

by Daniel Sean Kaye

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 2.4 million eye injuries occur in the United States each year, with nearly 35 percent of the injuries among people 17 years of age or younger. Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization, says that items as seemingly benign as toys, sporting equipment and art supplies can be harmful to kids if they are not used properly. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says nearly 8,000 children were treated in the emergency room for toy-related injuries to the eyes in 2005, the most recent data available. These injuries consisted of lacerations, abrasions and foreign bodies.

Authors of the study, “Pediatric Eye Injury-Related Hospitalizations in the United States”, say that educating parents and children about the potential for eye injuries could substantially reduce the number of injuries.

Prevent Blindness America suggests the following tips when searching for safe toys:

  • Inspect all toys before buying and make sure all received are appropriate for your child’s age and development level (including ones bought by family members and friends).
  • If a toy is labeled “supervision required,” always have an adult present.
  • Check toy directions for safety information.
  • Avoid toys that shoot or include parts that fly off. Do not consider BB guns and air guns to be toys.
  • Inspect toys for sturdiness. Make sure they are durable, have no sharp edges or points, and can withstand impact without pieces flying off.
  • Make sure the product meets the national safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
  • Repair or throw away damaged toys.
  • Keep toys meant for older children away from younger ones.

According to Prevent Blindness America, more than half of the eye injuries resulting in emergency room visits occur in the home. These can include chemicals such as household cleaners, bleach, and paint; lawn clippings, rocks, and debris; and car maintenance products such as battery acid, gasoline. and other liquids. Everyday household items such as hangers, glue, or pencils can cause accidental injuries such as burns, contusions, abrasions or punctures.

Prevent Blindness America suggests the following tips for protecting children from injuries in the home:

  • Teach children not to run around with forks, knives, pencils, combs, or toothbrushes.
  • Keep detergents, cleaning supplies, nail polish remover, mouthwash, and cosmetics in locked cabinets or out of reach.
  • Keep clothes hangers in the closet.
  • Place nails, glue, screwdrivers, and other tools out of reach of children.
  • Keep younger children away from work areas where power tools are used or kept.

Sports-related eye injuries are also a major concern. Most, according to Prevent Blindness America, can be prevented by wearing the proper eye protection (lenses should be made of polycarbonate and have an ASTM label, indicating they meet the standards of the ASTM for the specific sport.) There is no evidence that wearing eye protection hampers athletic performance.

A recent study by the United States Eye Injury Registry says that fishing has surpassed basketball in injuries. In fact, eye injuries from fishing make up approximately 9 percent of all sports eye injuries, with 38 percent of fishing injuries involved hooks to the eye.

According to The Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries, approximately one in 50 Little League baseball players will sustain an eye injury that requires attention. Further, the coalition states, more than 55 percent of all eye injuries from soccer occur in 6-14 year olds.

The majority of sports-related eye injuries are due to blunt trauma, with the severity and type of injury depending on the size, speed and hardness of the object hitting the eye, says ophthalmologist Kellogg Eye Center says if an injury occurs, have an ophthalmologist (eye physician and surgeon), examine the eye as soon as possible, because the seriousness of the injury may not be immediately obvious. The center also says that adults can set a good example by always wearing protective eyewear while using power tools, rotary mowers, line lawn trimmers, or hammering on metal.

Here are tips from the Kellogg Eye Center for eye safety during sports:

  • Parents and coaches need to provide eyewear and enforce its use.
  • Protective devices should be combined with appropriate rules, coaching, conditioning, and officiating to prevent injury.
  • Children requiring corrective lenses should wear polycarbonate lenses with frames designed for greater impact resistance (contact lenses are not a form of protective eyewear and contact lens wearers require additional protection when participating in sports).
  • Parents of a child with permanently reduced vision in one eye should carefully consider the risks of contact sports and injury to the good eye before allowing the child to participate (participation in boxing should not be allowed because there is no means of providing adequate protection for the good eye).

Here are tips for specific sports:


  • Baseball - A helmet with polycarbonate face shield should be used while batting.
  • Basketball, Racketball, Tennis, and Soccer - Use sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses and side-shields that pass the ASTM racket-sport standard.
  • Hockey - Always use a helmet with polycarbonate facemask or wire shield certified by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC).
  • Skiing - Protective glasses or goggles that filter UV and excessive sunlight exposure can help shield the eyes from sunburn.

The treatment and visual outcome of the injury depends on which parts of the eye are injured. “Sometimes we are lucky,” says Dr. Wu. “A child may get an injury that we can treat with medication or repair surgically and their vision will not be damaged. But in other cases, the injury may be more severe, and neither medicine nor surgery can fully repair the damage. These children can be left with permanent visual loss, and in some cases, blindness.”

Many people believe that regular eyeglasses or even contact lenses worn during sports will protect their eyes, says Dr. Wu, but instead of protecting the eyes the lenses of regular eyeglasses can break upon impact, causing a penetrating injury, and contact lenses do nothing to protect the eyes.

It can be difficult to convince athletes, especially teenagers, to wear the recommended protective eyewear, says Dr. Wu. Pediatricians, school officials, coaches and parents must convey the importance of protective eyewear.

“Unfortunately, we often see children after they’ve had an eye injury,” says Dr. Wu. “Once someone has had an injury, they’re usually much more willing to wear eye protection. Now they know the potential damage firsthand,” she says. “But ideally, everyone should wear protective eyewear before there is an injury to the eye.”