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Survey examines eye injuries that occur in and around the home

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SAN FRANCISCO — A clinical survey has found that nearly half of the 2.5 million eye injuries that Americans suffer each year occur in and around the home, according to a press release from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The study found that eye injuries most often occur in common places such as the yard, garden, kitchen or garage, the release said.

Conducted by the AAO, the American Society of Ocular Trauma and 12 subspecialty societies, the Eye Injury Snapshot study examined eye injuries treated in the United States by ophthalmologists, emergency room physicians and pediatricians during a 1-week period. This is the fifth year of the survey.

For the 2008 study period, the survey reported 775 cases of eye injuries. Around the home, 39.4% occurred in yards, 34% occurred in homes, 11.8% occurred in garages, and 8.1% occurred in workshops, according to the release.

More than 40% of these injuries occurred during everyday activities, and 78% were suffered by individuals who were not wearing protective eyewear.

A companion survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research — called the EyeSmart public opinion survey — found that fewer than one in five Americans believe that he or she is at even a moderate risk for eye injury in the home.

While two-thirds of respondents said they own protective eyewear, 30% of those said they do not consistently wear protective eyewear when performing home repairs or maintenance, the release said.

To safeguard against these eye injuries, the AAO and the ASOT recommend that every household in America have at least one pair of ANSI-approved protective eyewear.

"Preventing an eye injury is much easier than treating one," H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD, executive vice president of the AAO, said in the release. "Ninety percent of all eye injuries can be prevented by simply wearing protective eyewear."

Additional information regarding eye injury prevention and treatment, as well as summaries of both surveys, can be found at www.geteyesmart.org.