According to statistics collected by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, thousands of children sustain an eye injury each year, and around 90 percent of these incidents happen as a direct result of failure to wear appropriate eye protection. In an effort to raise awareness about the need for parents to take precautions to help their children avoid eye injuries, Prevent Blindness America has designated August as National Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month.
To help promote the importance of eye injury prevention, our Bucks County child injury attorney is here to offer a few tips to follow – this month and always – to reduce your kids’ chances of sustaining an eye injury at home or at play:
- Invest in high-quality protective eyewear made with polycarbonate lenses for all of your children, and make sure they wear them whenever they participate in sports – even ones that don’t involve flying objects. Keep in mind that sports eyewear needs to be fitted to the individual wearer in order to be fully effective.
- In addition to requiring your children to wear safety eyewear, our Bucks County child injury lawyer recommends setting a good example by wearing protective eyewear of your own when playing sports or completing potentially dangerous projects in your house or yard.
- Remember that even the most seemingly innocent household objects, such as pencils, scissors and rubber bands, can pose an eye injury risk if used irresponsibly. To avoid accidents around the house, never leave young children without the supervision of a trustworthy adult.
- Only choose toys that are approved for your child’s age group, and skip out on toys that shoot objects out of them, such as foam dart guns.
- When traveling by car, store all loose objects in the trunk or secure them on the floor to prevent them from turning into dangerous projectiles in the event of an accident. You should do so not only to protect your children from potential injuries but also yourself.
By adhering to these simple practices, you will greatly lower the risk of someone in your family experiencing an eye injury.
When Child Injuries Occur, Let Us Help You
While following the aforementioned guidelines will go a long way in helping to prevent an eye injury from affecting a child you love, there is unfortunately no surefire way to completely guard kids against these incidents. Even if your child wears protective eyewear when necessary and follows all the other safety rules we’ve laid out, there’s always a chance that something could happen when least expected. For instance, another person’s negligent behavior may cause your child to experience trauma to the eye or some other type of injury.
In the unfortunate event that something like this occurs, you’ll likely be left wondering how to go about filing a personal injury claim. Since this process can be both overwhelming and confusing, having a child injury attorney Bucks County trusts on your side will be of great service to you. This is where Gary Heslin of the Heslin Law Firm comes in.
For more than three decades, Mr. Heslin has been devoting his time and energy to fighting for the rights of accident victims and their families. Should your family ever need a skilled Bucks County child injury attorney to help you seek the compensation you deserve, he will be ready and willing to offer his expert assistance.
To learn more about Mr. Heslin or to set up a free consultation with him, call the Heslin Law Firm at (215) 332-0300. And for more tips that will help your family stay safe this summer, be sure to read our advice on avoiding distraction-related car accidents. In case you ever require professional legal representation, you can depend on Mr. Heslin to serve as your child injury attorney in Bucks County.