The pandemic has made a lot of us into do-it-yourself (DIY) divas. Carpentry, welding, plumbing, assembling furniture, you name it. Some say this is safer than having actual handymen come to our homes and possibly putting us at risk for COVID-19. All the while thinking this is fine. The worst that could happen is I might get a small cut. That’s where we’re wrong. We think eye injuries happen at work, but actually over 40% of these happen at home. Why? Because we don’t wear any eye protection.

Surface transmission of the virus may be low but it doesn’t mean we don’t have to take precautions. Many of the eye injuries that happen at home are caused by exposure to disinfectant chemicals. Especially now that we’re frantically scrubbing our online orders and store-bought grocery items with sanitizers, we should be mindful not to touch our face and eyes until we’ve washed our hands with soap and water. Our eyes can get irritated and red and sometimes with tearing and blurring of vision. Worse cases may occur when the chemicals are too strong and cause burns on the cornea, or even create ulcers that are harder to treat.

It is important to wear goggles when handling tools because sometimes these handheld instruments can slip and go straight toward our eyes. When welding, iron particles can fly into the eyes and cause abrasions on the cornea. Sometimes the foreign body is retained in the eye causing further problems if not treated or removed right away. Same goes for doing carpentry: nails and screws can act like projectiles and impale the eye if unprotected! Best case scenario is an abrasion; worst is you can go blind if it enters the eye.

Climbing ladders or getting objects from an overhead compartment can be very dangerous too. If you fall and hit your head while on the ladder, or if the object you’re trying to take falls on your face, these can fracture the bones around your eyes. At best, you can get a bruise or hematoma. The fractured bones may cause doubling of vision if eye muscles become trapped, and may warrant surgery. Worst case scenario is your eye can be severely injured leading to vision loss.

Always be cautious. Have a buddy or companion present to assist you if possible. Make sure you wear all protective personal equipment such as goggles, work gloves, even a hard hat, depending on the work you will undertake. Regret comes after the fact. Protect your eyes at all cost!