It’s December and the holiday season has arrived. When year-end merry-making leads adults and youth to engage in careless behavior, the risk of eye injury increases considerably. In a month loaded with gift-giving and celebratory occasions, individuals are at risk of ocular trauma in the path of high-speed, shooting projectiles, from newly opened toys to holiday party champagne corks released from highly pressurized bottles.
Fittingly, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has designated December as Safe Toys and Celebrations Month. During December, the AAO highlights several common sense, preventive practices to help individuals keep risk of eye injury at bay in settings or situations where eye injuries commonly occur over the holidays.
AAO Eye Health Holiday Guide to Children’s Gift-Giving
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- Avoid purchasing toys with sharp, protruding, or projectile parts that can cause eye injuries, such as BB guns, hard and foam pellets shooters, wall dart sets, slingshots and bow/arrows and other projectile-launching toys. Blunt force ocular trauma due to shooting toys commonly causes corneal abrasions and ocular hyphema (intraocular bleeding). Used recklessly, shooting toys can cause retinal detachment and ruptured eyeballs. If you are supervising children who are ready to use their new toy shooters, review safety precautions that will prevent eye injuries with them first. Reference the AAO’s Ophthalmologist-Approved Gift Guide for ideas of gifts for children with low to no risk of eye injury.
- Toy laser products – In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration issued a new rule — 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1040.10 and 1040.11) — to define and require children’s toy “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation” (LASER) products to be within International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Class 1 emission limits. Given no federal regulations developed for what constitutes children’s toy laser products, this 2013 FDA rule equips parents with a decision-making safety guide in choosing minimal-risk toy laser products. If purchasing laser toys for your child(ren), just remember to choose those where levels of radiation and light do not exceed the limits for Class 1 emission, the IEC’s lowest level in regulated products. (FDA Reference: Laser Toys: How to Keep Kids Safe)
- Recommended, protective eyewear should be purchased as part of the gift. Safety goggles, polycarbonate lenses and impact-resistant shooting glasses have preserved the eyesight of countless children and adults who play sports that carry higher risk for eye injuries.
- Outdoor-focused gifts are best. Snow gear, roller skates/blades, a safety-netted trampoline, binoculars, or the classic bicycle all encourage healthy outdoor play and pose significantly lower risk for eye-related injuries. Parents are encouraged to reference AAO’s list of common toys that can pose higher risk of causing traumatic eye injuries.
- Screen-free gifts reduce risk of prolonged eye strain in children. Learn more from the AAO’s Computers, Digital Devices and Eye Strain page on “digital eye strain” caused by excessive screen time. Also known as computer vision syndrome, symptoms of this condition include blurry vision, headaches, nausea, sore eyes and other pronounced effects of excessive screen time.
AAO Eye Health Holiday Guide to Safe Celebrations
Pressure within a champagne bottle ranges from 70–90 pounds per square inch (psi). A cork can fly up to 50 mph as it leaves the bottle, fast enough to shatter glass. If the cork hits an eye, it can cause bleeding, abrasions and even glaucoma. Reference the AAO’s “How To Pop a Champagne Cork Without Harming Your Eye” page for preventive tips in protecting the eyesight of all present at holiday celebratory gatherings.
For a more detailed read on celebrating safely and minimizing risk for blunt force ocular trauma over the holidays and year-round, learn more at the AAO’s here.
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