Eye trauma is damage caused by a direct blow to the eye.

Symptoms may include bruising, cuts to the eyelid, redness, swelling, bleeding between the cornea and iris, pooling of blood inside the eye, retinal detachment, blurred or cloudy vision and double vision. If you experience eye trauma, seek medical attention immediately.

The Workplace

Eye injuries in the workplace are common. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports about 2,000 U.S. workers need medical treatment for an eye injury each day. Wearing protective eyewear could have avoided about 90 percent of these injuries, experts say. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires workers to use eye and face protection whenever there is a reasonable probability of injury. This includes goggles, face shields, safety glasses or full face respirators. What you wear depends upon the type of hazard, the circumstances of exposure, other protective equipment used and individual vision needs.

Fireworks

About 9 percent of all injuries around fireworks involve the eyes. You can take steps to avoid these injuries.

  • Discuss firework safety with children and teens before the Fourth of July holiday.
  • Do not allow kids to handle fireworks and never leave them unsupervised near fireworks.
  • Wear protective eyewear when lighting and handling fireworks of any kind.
  • Store fireworks, matches and lighters in a secure place where children won't find them.
  • Refrain from purchasing sparklers. Heating up to 2,000 degrees or hotter, sparklers are the number one cause of firework injuries requiring trips to the emergency room.
  • Be aware of your surroundings and only light fireworks when family, friends and children are at a safe distance.