Now that the holiday season has arrived, parents, grandparents, and friends are shopping for children’s toys. While gift-giving is a fun and heart-warming part of the holidays, new toys can cause injury, particularly to children’s eyes. Because of this, Prevent Blindness America has deemed December Safe Toys and Gifts Month. If you’re reviewing wish lists, here’s what you should know about toy safety and how to avoid an emergency call to your eye doctor. 

Understanding How to Protect Your Child’s Eyes 

What Toys Should Parents Avoid Giving Children for Safety Reasons?

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in the year 2010, over 250,000 hospital room visits occurred due to toy-related injuries. The best way to prevent these unnecessary visits is by exercising caution when it comes to purchasing gifts for children. Eye doctors recommend staying away from any toys that have a projectile function or a sharp end. This includes toy guns, dart guns, archery sets, pretend fishing poles, water balloon launchers, wands, and swords. Additionally, laser pointers or bright flashlights can cause eye damage when misused, so only gift these presents to responsible adolescents who have been educated by an optometrist on the hazards these lights can pose to their vision. 

What Should You Do If Your Child Sustains an Eye Injury?

If your child pokes their eye with a toy this holiday season, do your best to remain calm and put your child at ease. Next, evaluate the injury carefully and clean the area around the eye with a soft cloth and water. If it appears that an irritant or chemical has gotten into their eye, rinse the eye thoroughly with water. Call your eye doctor right away to discuss the trauma. From there, they will guide you on the next steps, whether it is monitoring the eye overnight, visiting the emergency room, or scheduling an eye exam the following day.

Eye Care Locale, conveniently located in downtown Dayton, OH, is a sister company of Wing Eyecare that was founded in 2016. Led by Dr. Barry Gridley, an eye doctor who has been practicing since 1974, you can rest easy knowing you’re in caring and experienced hands. To schedule an eye exam or a fitting for new glasses and contact lenses, call (937) 222-2452. For more information on their services and their commitment to helping patients of all ages maintain healthy vision, visit their website.