Children's Eye Safety

December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month!

When shopping for toys this holiday season, keep eye safety in mind.

Prevent Blindness America has some great gift-giving tips on which toys to avoid and how to prevent eye injury. Visit www.preventblindness.org and check out their Children's Eye Safety information.

Here are some tips from their site. Remember, prevention is the best cure for any accident or injury. Choose safe toys to protect your children's eyes.

Toy selection guidelines:

Read all warnings and instructions.
Consider a child's ability rather than age when purchasing toys; age warnings on toys are not guarantees of safety.
Avoid toys with sharp or rigid points, spikes, rods and dangerous edges.
Inspect toys for safe, sturdy construction.
Repair or replace damaged or defective toys.
Store toys properly after play to avoid trips and falls.
Supervise children's craft projects; scissors and glue are among the products most dangerous to a youngster's eyesight.

Check the lenses and frames of children's sunglasses before buying them; many (particularly the inexpensive, novelty type) can break and cause injuries.
Stay away from flying toys and projectile-firing toys.
BB guns are not toys and should not be given to children too young to handle them safely.
Keep older children's toys away from younger children.
Children should wear appropriate eye protection for sports (face shields, helmets).

Most Dangerous Toys to Children's Eyes

211 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1700 Chicago, Illinois 60606 1-800-331-2020 www.preventblindness.org
In 2003, thousands of children age 14 and younger suffered serious eye injuries, even blindness, from toys. Many of these injuries were caused by guns—both toy and recreational, and playground equipment. This is what Prevent Blindness America recommends: Protect your children’s eyes by not buying them guns or toys not meant for their age. You can also keep your children safe by showing them how to use toys, and if necessary, by watching them when they play. Below are toys linked with the most eye injuries in children age 14 and younger.
TOY WEAPONS	NUMBER OF EYE INJURIES
Guns: Air, BB & Spring Toy Weapons (combined types) Slingshots and Sling-propelled toys Total	1,293 325 110 1,728
OTHER TOY PRODUCTS
Toys (other and unclassified) Fireworks (classified as toys) Playground Equipment Bicycles Art Supplies and Crayons/Chalk Trampolines Scooters, Skateboards, Powered Riding Toys Go-Carts Toy Sports Equipment All other categories combined	4,371 802 733 558 386 240 171 170 155 736
Total	10,050
Table source: Prevent Blindness America. Based on statistics provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology; National Injury Information Clearinghouse; National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Product Summary Report—Eye Injuries Only—Calendar Year 2003. NEISS data and estimates are based on injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms that patients say are related to products. Therefore, it is incorrect when using NEISS data to say the injuries were caused by the product.
And check out the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's website to see a list of Toy Hazard Recalls!