Holiday toys can bring laughter and cheer, but unsafe toys can cause vision loss, retinal damage or even blindness in children.
December Is Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness Month
This is the most wonderful time of the year for so many reasons. Holiday family gatherings often include festive meals and gift exchanges. Have you begun to peruse the Amazon catalogs or online sales for the hottest seasonal items?
During the season of joy and giving, toy safety is the top priority. December is Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness Month. It is an initiative to encourage people to assess whether a toy or gift is age-appropriate for the child receiving the present.
Every holiday, thousands of children require emergency treatment because they sustained an eye injury from an unsafe toy.
Follow These Safety Tips When Purchasing Gifts
Before buying holiday gifts for children, consider whether the kids have any allergies or sensory issues that might rule out certain toys. If you are purchasing outdoor equipment, make sure children have the space to enjoy it (NPHIC).
Keep these tips in mind when you are shopping for eye-safe toys:
- Avoid buying toys for young children that are sharp or that shoot.
- Purchase toys that suit your child’s ability and skills.
- Seek out a tag indicating that the toy has undergone a safety evaluation and received approval from the American Society for Testing and Materials.
- Purchase protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses to accompany any sporting equipment.
- Don’t buy laser pointers for kids. High-powered laser pointers between 1,500 and 6,000 milliwatts can cause severe retinal damage.
- Avoid toys that include heating elements, cords or ropes.
- Ensure all paints, crayons, markers and art materials are marked as “non-toxic.”
Consider Purchasing Screen-Free Gifts
Too much screen time can cause eye strain for everyone, especially children. If you are buying electronics as a gift, talk to your children about taking frequent breaks and using the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something at least 20 feet away.
Non-screen activities like books, easels, art supplies and sewing kits can inspire creativity and learning. Board games can teach skills like telling time, counting and memory recall. You can even buy games in other languages to help older kids learn to speak another language.
Studies show that playing outside can help prevent nearsightedness in children. Outdoor gifts like a bicycle, skateboard, camping equipment or a hammock will take outdoor fun to a new level (AAO).
Take Action If an Eye Injury Occurs
Even when using proper caution, accidents can happen. If your child sustains an injury from a toy, contact an eye specialist immediately. Instruct your child to avoid rubbing or putting pressure on the eye. If there is a foreign object in the eye, do not try to remove it, as you may make the situation worse.
Eye Exams Keep Vision Clear and Healthy
Is your child receiving regular vision screenings at school or at your local pediatrician’s office? Children’s eyes can change dramatically as they grow, and ophthalmologists can diagnose conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (misaligned eyes) and myopia (nearsightedness) when your child is young. Early treatment will protect your child’s vision for years to come.
If your child fails a vision screening, he or she may need a comprehensive eye exam. A visual acuity test will detect refractive errors, and dilation of the pupil can allow an ophthalmologist to detect abnormalities in the back of the eye.
A family background of medical issues or specific health conditions may raise the likelihood of developing eye disorders such as retinoblastoma, congenital cataracts or glaucoma. Consult your eye specialist regarding the frequency of preventative vision check-ups.
Although age is the greatest risk factor for cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration, anyone can develop chronic eye problems. People with diabetes are more susceptible to eye diseases, including cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, it is imperative to manage diabetes with the help of your general practitioner. Detecting eye disease in the initial stages can protect you from long-term eye damage.
You should never wait for eye pain before calling an eye care professional. Eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration can develop without warning signs while permanently reducing the field of vision.
Commit to Eye Health by Finding an Ophthalmologist
Are you seeking an eye doctor in your area? Our board-certified ophthalmologists are dedicated to protecting and restoring vision. Call today to make eye appointments for your whole family.
Clear vision is a precious gift, so care for your eyes this season. Your days will be merry and bright!