Archive for the ‘Eye Injuries’ Category
Make sure your family members know these 7 Critical Steps to Avoid Eye Injury from a Champagne Cork
12.05.2011New Year’s Eve is only a few weeks away. And with champagne corks soon to be flying around the room, it’s that time of year that I warn my readers about avoiding a potentially devastating eye injury.
Tamara Fountain, MD, from the American Academy of Ophthalmology informed me that a champagne cork can fly up to 50 miles per hour as it leaves the bottle!
And because people are unprepared to get hit, they usually get hit directly in the eye without being able to reflexively close their eyelids.
So please follow my advice about the proper technique in opening a champagne bottle:
- Make sure sparkling wine is chilled before you open it, since the cork of?a warm bottle is more likely to pop unexpectedly.
- Don’t emulate the athletes by shaking the bottle. Shaking dramatically increases your chances of eye injury by increasing the pressure inside the bottle.
- Hold down the cork with the palm of one hand while removing the wire hood with the other hand.
- Point the bottle away from yourself and from any bystanders or nearby walls until the cork is safely removed.
- Place a towel over the entire top of the bottle and grasp the cork.
- Keep the bottle at a 45-degree angle as you SLOWLY and firmly twist the bottle (not the cork!) while holding the?cork to break the seal. Counter the force of the cork using slight downward pressure just as the cork breaks free from the bottle.
- NEVER use a corkscrew to open a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine!*
Paul Krawitz, M.D., President and Founder
Vitamin Science, Inc.
News Warning – 5 million contact lenses recalled by FDA
12.02.2011
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued it’s highest recall notice, a Class 1, for CooperVision’s Avaira Toric and Avaira Sphere contact lenses. Forty reports of problems to the FDA have been made regarding the contacts. The problems have ranged from severe pain and hazy vision to torn corneas.
CooperVision reports that a silicone oil residue on the lenses is the culprit behind the problems that lens wearers are experiencing. Initially, the recall only involved the Avaira Toric lenses but the recall has now been expanded to include the Avaira Sphere since these lenses use silicone oil in the production process as well.
Costco, Wal-Mart and LensCrafters all sell the CooperVision Avaira Toric and Sphere contacts. You may find out if your contacts are a part of the recall by visiting the CooperVision website and entering the lot number that is on your contact lens package. You can also contact CooperVision by calling 1-855-526-6737.
Elise Ervin
Staff Writer
October is Eye Injury Prevention Month
10.07.2011With October being Eye Injury Prevention Month, eye care professionals like to remind people that eye safety in the home is extremely important and steps need to be taken to reduce the risk of eye injury. At particular risk are the elderly.
While family members tend to be fearful of elderly parents falling and breaking a bone, eye injuries can be equally devastating. Most eye injuries occur at home and can be associated with a fall. Every year, 2.5 million eye injuries are reported.
There are steps that can be taken to reduce the risks of eye injury:
1. Check to make sure that rugs and bath mats are slip-proof.
2. Make sure railings are secured.
3. If there are any sharp corners and edges to furniture or other fixtures, be sure to cushion them.
If an eye injury occurs, even if it appears minor, always seek the care of an ophthalmologist. Long-term eye health problems such as glaucoma and cataracts can develop as a result of an eye injury.
Elise Ervin
Staff Writer
Wear protective eyewear while playing sports to reduce eye injuries
09.23.2011Over 90 percent of sports related eye injuries could be avoided if athletes wore protective eyewear according to the National Eye Institute. The National Society to Prevent Blindness reports that more than 40 percent of reported eye injuries happen to children under the age of 14.
While participants of sports such as boxing, hockey and racquetball obviously have a higher risk of eye injury, children 14 and under who play baseball or softball are at an increased risk of eye injury as well. Basketball is the leading cause of eye injuries among children 15 and older.
Very few baseball and softball leagues have any regulations about the use of protective eyewear. Protective eyewear advocates acknowledge that requiring every Little League player to wear eye protection is extreme and not likely to happen because of the additional cost. Any protective eyewear that is ASTM rates is a suitable choice for athletes.
Elise Ervin
Staff Writer
September is Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month
09.08.2011September is Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month. Athletes are always careful to wear the proper equipment for their sport and wearing the proper eye protection is a vital piece of that equipment. More than 40,000 athletes suffer an eye injury every year and every 13 minutes an emergency room treats a sports-related eye injury.
Each sport has a specific American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) code for their recommended eyewear. The eyewear protectors must meet or exceed the ASTM requirements. The National Eye Institute says that polycarbonate eyewear is 10 times more impact resistant than other plastics and there is no evidence that wearing eye protection impedes athletic performance.
When purchasing protective eyewear, you should check the packaging to make sure the eyewear has been tested for sports use and that it is made of polycarbonate material. They should also be cushioned along the brow and bridge of the nose to prevent them from cutting into the skin. If you will be playing outdoor sports, you should purchase protection that blocks UV rays. Be sure try on the eyewear to ensure you have the right size. If you have prescription glasses, your eye doctor can fit you for prescription protective sports eyewear.*
Elise Ervin
Staff Writer
