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Did you know it is home eye safety month?

Accidents involving common household products cause 125,000 eye injuries each year. 90% of home eye injures can be prevented by following safety procedures and wearing proper eye protection.

You can reduce the risks of eye injuries in the home by:

• Having good lighting to highlight trip or falling hazards
• Well attached handrails for stairs
• If you are working from home make sure you adhere to the 20, 20, 20 rule and take regular breaks

In the garden:

• Inspect and remove debris from lawns before mowing.
• Keep paints, pesticides etc stored in a secure area.
• Keep your tools in good condition. Repair or replace damaged tools
• Wear safety glasses or dust goggles to protect against flying particles
• Wear chemical safety goggles to guard against exposure to fertilizers and pesticides.
• Always read carefully and follow all manufacturer instructions and warning labels.
• Do not mix cleaning agents.

Kids Eye Safety

Each year, thousands of children aged 5 and under have eye accidents at home, at play, or in the car. These eye injuries can damage a child’s sight and even cause blindness. The most common causes of eye injuries to children are:

• Misuse of toys
• Falling from beds, stairs, against furniture
• Misuse of objects such as forks, pens and pencils
• Contact with harmful household products

Some ways to prevented these accidents:

• Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs,
• Place protectors at sharp corners and edges of furniture
• Install cabinet and drawer locks in kitchens and bathrooms
• If your child wears spectacles and falls frequently, it would worth checking with us that the spectacles are fitting correctly

Eye Safety Glasses

Please be aware that regular eyeglasses don’t always provide enough protection. Safety eyewear, is the most effective and our helpful team, can provide advice on the best eye protection for you.

Check out Alan’s video for some hints and tips on eye safety:

Persol Eyewear

Persol eyewear has just arrived in our Banchory and Inverurie practices….

“Icons. Framed since 1917.”A Persol movie.

The most important thing you can do to look after your eyes is to have a regular eye examination, even if you’re not worried about your eye s. It’s easy to neglect your eyes because a lot of the time, your eyes do not hurt.

A FREE NHS eye examination is available to all UK residents, refugees, asylum seekers and some eligible overseas visitors. An eye examination will check your vision and you may need glasses or contact lenses to see better, prevent eye strain or to reach the legal requirements for driving.

Another important reason to have an eye examination is that it helps detect eye problems and signs of other significant health conditions (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and, in rare cases, brain tumours)before they become more serious.

Book your next eye examination today and look after your eyes!

Choosing the right sunglasses, will do wonders for your eye health!

Looking good does come into the decision, but there are so many other benefits to choosing the right sunglasses to protect your eyes. The right sunglasses will protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, as well help reduce the wrinkles you get at the side of your eyes from too much squinting in the sun. Follow the checklist below when choosing a pair that make you look and feel good (and protects your eyes!):

• UV Protection – choose a pair that blocks 100% UVA & UVB rays. The sun gives off a lot to UV radiation, that in small doses can be good for you, but just like your skin, you need to protect your eyes against too much sun and sunglasses are the answer.
• Prescription – having your prescription in your sunglasses is a game changer. Seeing clearly in the sun, without changing glasses is so convenient.  You can have prescription lenses in most sunglasses, just speak to your optician, who will help.
• How they fit – if they don’t fit well, they can let UV rays leak into your skin and eyes.  You don’t want a pair falling down your nose or squashed up against your brow.  Wraparound sunglasses can provide full coverage and help block out allergens.
• Polarized lenses – help reduce glare and work along with the UV protection. They are great for glare at the beach, on the water or snow, but can cause issues when looking at smartphones, tablets, etc
• Lens colour – there are many colours used in lenses these days, black doesn’t mean the best protection, you still need to see the UV protection label. Colour can be down to preference and different colour lenses can help with different sports.
• Sunglasses for all the family – You put sunscreen on your kids, so you should have sunglasses for them too. Kids can be out on the sun for long periods of time, so protecting their skin as well as their eyes are a priority!

So, if you are heading to the park, beach or anywhere outside, grab those sunnies and protect those eyes.