Posted by: Eye Health Northwest in General Eye Health on December 13, 2019
Are you trying to figure out what to get your child as a holiday gift? Is opening bottles of champagne your job during a New Year’s Eve celebration?
One of the most important things to know this holiday season is that December is safe toys and celebrations month. We’re encouraging our patients to pay extra attention to the toys they gift and how to practice eye safety during this festive time.
Thousands of eye injuries occur because of toys. The age group that is most affected by this is children ages 14 and under.
Parents need to pay attention to the types of gifts they gift their children and monitor their use. About 1 in 10 children’s eye injuries that end up in the ER are due to toys.
Keep reading to learn how to have a safe toys and celebrations month!
What tips should parents follow when buying gifts?
There are many tips that we recommend following when buying gifts for children. Our top three tips are:
1. When buying gifts, make sure they are age-appropriate for the recipient.
Once you have gifted the gift, show the recipient how to use the gift safely. This way they can see how it should be used correctly.
2. Watch the child use the gift.
This tip is especially important for younger children. If it seems like it’s not safe for the child to use, you may need to take it away and find something more suitable for them.
3. Skip buying toys with projectiles.
This eliminates toys like BB Guns and crossbows. Projectiles can easily hit children in the eye and cause injuries.
Some other toy-related tips you should follow are repairing or getting rid of broken toys, and cleaning up all toys after playing is over. This avoids the possibility of anybody, adult or child, tripping or falling on them.
You should also never give children any toys with sharp edges. Also, check all the toys your child receives to make sure they are built well.
What are the most common injuries children receive from toys?
There are many different eye injuries that you can get from toys. The most common eye injuries are corneal abrasions, traumatic cataracts, ocular hyphema, and increased intraocular pressure.
Why is New Year’s included in this educational month?
New Year’s may seem safe since there are no gifts exchanged but there are other dangerous activities. One of the best things about New Year’s is opening up a festive bottle of champagne.
When opening any bottles of champagne, open them away from people. Always open bottles outside or point them towards a wall, rather than at a crowd to reduce injuries. The last thing you want happening at your party is someone’s eye getting injured from a cork flying into it.
Are you ready to schedule your annual eye exam? Regular eye exams are the best way to make sure that your eyes stay healthy.
There’s no better time to schedule yours than before the start of a new year! Contact the experts at EyeHealth Northwest to schedule an appointment in Hillsboro, OR!
