DIY Tips On Eye Safety

DIY causes more than 20,000 eye accidents every year - one every 25 minutes.Many of these lead to the loss of an eye or permanent blindness. So it's crucial to know how to stop accidents and what to do when one happens.

• Check that you know how to tackle the job before you start - If in doubt, call out an expert.
• Eye protection is essential for many DIY jobs. Always wear safety goggles / spectacles that reflect what you want to do - consult your optometrist if necessary. If the job requires a dust mask - wear it.
• When you buy eye protection, check it conforms to European Standard BSEN 166 it is essential when welding to wear a proper mask which covers the whole face as well as goggles with British Standard number BS1542.
• Many accidents occur when goggles are lifted to get a closer look. Make sure that goggles stay on throughout the job. Take a break if you have to alter them.
• Wearing normal spectacles or contact lenses on their own does not offer sufficient protection. Prescription goggles are available for people who need vision correction - ask your optometrist for advice on what's best for you. He or She will stock a wide range of safety spectacles. You can wear goggles over spectacles and contact lenses. Goggles with polycarbonate lenses or side shields are best, because they are more durable.
• The most common eye injuries among adults are caused by flying chips of wood or metal. It is therefore essential that appropriate eye protection is worn. Be careful when chiselling or hammering and when drilling into masonry, sanding wood, removing plaster, splitting tiles or concrete slabs, stripping paint, sawing, welding, laying insulation and painting ceilings. Take special care when grinding, hammering and polishing. These generate small, high velocity particles which can penetrate an unprotected eye.
• Different accidents need to be tackled in different ways. For instance, what you do if a foreign body enters the eye depends on its size. Any foreign body needs medical assistance. However, a small splinter or liquid, such as a chemical, can usually be removed by flooding it with water. Larger objects, like pieces of wood require urgent medical attention. Tackling an injury by rubbing the eye often makes it worse.
• Most eye problems are not- a hindrance for DIY, provided spectacles or contact lenses and eye protection is worn. However, people with colour vision deficiency should ask a person with normal colour vision for assistance if necessary.

Looking After Your Eyes
It's surprising what little people do to protect their eyes. Unlike teeth or feet, eyes rarely let you know if anything is wrong. Change happens so slowly that you are often unaware of it. Even the smallest change to your eyesight affects how you handle the sharp and potentially dangerous tools used in DIY. Therefore it's vital to have regular eye examinations, One exam every two years is a sensible precaution. Some people need more frequent checks. People over 60 should have their eyes checked annually be because of the increased incidence of eye disease. Many DlYers are around the age of 45, the time when 'presbyopia' begins to take hold. This condition makes it increasingly difficult to read instructions or focus on close-up work unless the required glasses are worn - potentially dangerous when using cutting or drilling equipment. DIY causes more than 20,000 eye accidents every year - one every 25 minutes. Many of these lead to the loss of an eve or permanent blindness. So it's crucial to know how to stop accidents and what to do when one happens.

Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) and DIY
Colour is relevant to many aspects of everyday life, including DIY. You must know if you have any problems before starting any job. This usually means having an eye examination which includes a colour vision test. CVD results from a faulty mechanism in the retina. You cannot restore the lost sensation or appreciation of Colour. Some people find limited help identifying certain colours they would otherwise misname through a small red or red-mauve filter of transparent plastics or glass held in front of their eye. A red tinted contact lens can be worry in one eye to aid colour recognition, but the results cannot be guaranteed. The best advice is to cheek whether a job involves any colours that are a problem to you. If it does get someone to do the job or ask for assistance.

Prevention is Better Than Blindness
DIY is one of this countries fastest growing lETure activities. Millions of people choose to paint, decorate or fix the car rather than pay for expert assistance. However, with DIY responsible for one injury every 25 minutes people should make sure they are protected before starting anything. Often DIYers use either inadequate eye protection or worse still, none at all. Others suffer permanent blindness or the loss of an eye through needlessly removing their eye protection. You, must know what precautions to take before starting any DIY.

Know Your Limitations
Many injuries come from people thinking they can do something they cannot. Ask yourself whether you can do the job before you start. Anyone can fix a plug or bang a nail into a wall; plumbing and electric's require expert advice. If in doubt, call in a professional. It you can do the job, assess what risks and hazards exist before starting. This is crucial in deciding what eye protection to wear.

One Size Does Not Fit All
The temptation in DIY is to assume that one set of eye protection covers every job. The truth is that, although this approach may cost you less, it will do more harm than good. Regardless of what you do, protective eyewear must be worn, This does not mean normal prescription spectacles or contact lenses. Safety spectacles must be worn over your normal vision correction. Make sure your protection conforms to European Standard BSEN 166. The CE Mark indicates that the product can be sold within the European Union. However, BSEN 166 indicates that it meets tough, Europe-wide standards. If you are welding, you need a special mask and spectacles that meet British Standard BSI 542. Any job, such as masonry which generates dust requires a dust mask for the whole face. It you are tackling-a job involving chemical hazards, box type chemical 'goggles' or hoods are essential. If it is tricky, you may need a full face-piece respirator. Many injuries come, from mechanical jobs, such as grinding, which generate small, high velocity particles like dust or splinters. These can get through poor eye protection. Wearing safety spectacles with side shields or 'goggles' with box and cup or face shields reduces the likelihood of this happening. Going into a DIY shop or your optometrist will help you decide what to wear. If in doubt, ask for advice. prescription safety spectacles are also available for people who find wearing additional eyewear a problem.

Protect and Survive
Any damage to your eye protection increases the chance of an eye injury, so it must be able to withstand being hit by an object. Spectacles with polycarbonate lenses or side shields are considerably tougher than normal vision correction. Many eye injuries stem from people lifting their eye protection during a job. So keep it on at all times. If you must lift it, stop what you are doing. Children can be a big hazard. Its crucial to keep them at a safe distance. If they want to know more, stop the job while you tell them about it. Only let them help you if you know they will not hinder you and are fully protected.

Protecting Your Protection
Check your protection before and after every job. Clean lenses and frames and replace scratched or cracked ones immediately. You should store all eye protection in a protective container when not in use. Make sure your protection fits. Eye protection should fit firmly but not tightly, sitting close to your eyes without the eyelashes touching the lens. Never use friends' equipment - it fits them not you.

What To Do If Something Goes Wrong

1. Before you start, make sure you have first aid equipment and eyewash, you know where it is stored and it is easily to hand in case of an accident.
2. Do not rub the eye. This will make matters worse, increasing the chance of blindness or the loss of an eye. Get medical attention as quickly as possible. Getting to a hospital may save your sight. Call an ambulance or get someone to drive you there.
3. Never wash a cut or punctured eye. Cuts should be bandaged lightly if possible. Abrasions will need hospital treatment with drops, ointments and a sterile pad over the eye for at least 24 hours. Lacerations are far more painful and may require drug therapy and eye ointment and stitching of any torn tissue.