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JULY 2003

Protect your Eyes During Long, Summer Days

There’s so much to see and do in the summer. At the same time, there are many things about summer that could get in the way of seeing anything all year around.

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) warns parents about the following summertime activities that can harm a child’s sight:

Ultraviolet light: Children who spend a lot of time outside, risk the damaging effects of the sun. UV radiation in sunlight, including both UVA and UVB, has been shown to be harmful to the eye. Constant exposure to bright sunlight can damage the cornea (the clear outer part of the eye), the lens (the part of the eye responsible for focusing), and the retina (the innermost layer of the eye that sends an image to the brain).

?t is very important to protect children’s sight from the damaging effects of the sun—choosing well-fitted, unbreakable sunglasses with 99®¢100% UVA protection and a hat that shades the face are the best defense. Do not buy any sunglasses if they don’t have a label stating this degree of protection.

Summertime sports: Children are engaged in more sports activities than ever before. Unfortunately, there are close to 40,000 eye injuries every year from participation in sports, with basketball, water/pool activities, and baseball/softball the three leading causes. Fitting your children with protective eye gear can help prevent blinding eye injuries.

Fireworks: Backyard fireworks are illegal in eight states for a simple reason—they’re dangerous for anyone but professionals. Every year, there are close to 10,000 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms and half are to children under age 15. In 2001, four people were killed because of fireworks. Fireworks and celebrations go together, especially during the Fourth of July, but there are precautions parents can take to help prevent these injuries. Official public displays are much safer, and, generally more spectacular, although be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous.

The best defense against kids suffering severe eye injuries and burns is to not let children play with any fireworks. Protect yourself, your family and your friends by avoiding fireworks.#

For more information on summer eye safety, contact PBA at 1-800-331-2020, or PBA’s New York Division at 1-212-463-3682. You can also visit www.preventblindness.org.

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