The Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology’s (RANZCO’s) Australian and New Zealand Eye Foundation (ANZEF) has launched JulEYE, a campaign to encourage people to wear eye protection to prevent avoidable eye injuries.
Australasians suffer a large amount of preventable eye injuries every year, with some injuries causing permanent damage. Approximately 30% of preventable eye injuries happen at home while doing DIY projects, car repairs or gardening and are caused by chemical burns, penetrating eye injuries and small particles, said ANZEF.
“It is vital for all Australians and New Zealanders to ensure they are wearing eye protection, such as safety glasses, goggles or face shields, to prevent common eye injuries,” said RANZCO president Associate Professor Heather Mack.
“Ophthalmologists commonly treat chemical burns and foreign body injuries that could have been prevented. Unfortunately, some of these injuries do result in a patient having permanent eye damage and vision loss, so we urge everyone to take eye safety seriously and wear eye protection when completing any jobs around the home.”
The ANZEF recommends wearing eye protection where the frame and lenses meet minimum lens dimension requirements of AS/NZS 1337.1.
