Eye care
It is not necessary to routinely wash the eyes, since nature has pro- vided for cleaning through the tear glands. 50 don't use eye drops or wash your eyes daily with any solution. Incidentally, boric acid does not deserve its reputation as an antiseptic for the eyes. All you need do to keep your eyes clean is to wash the skin around them, using a clean personal washcloth.
Avoid rubbing your eyes with your fingers. Eye Injury You can't be
too careful in guarding your eyes against accidents at home, work, and play.
Impress the need on children. And always see a physician immediately if an eye
has been hurt, since delay can mean blindness. One serious injury is that
resulting from sun eclipses. There are still too many adults as well as
children who are unaware of the danger, and many eyes continue to be damaged
because of failure to view an eclipse properly.
For proper viewing, let the sun shine through an opening in
one piece of cardboard onto another piece, where it will produce an image you
can observe in safety.
Keep the sun at your back. Commonly, of course, dirt,
cinders, and other bits of foreign material get into the eyes. Remember that in
children, especially in the excitement of play, a foreign body in the eye is
often quickly forgotten, but some hours later there may be sensitivity to
light, beginning redness, and a tendency to keep the lids closed. It's
important to suspect a foreign body even though a child may not remember it.
Blindly trying to wash out a foreign body may do little good.
The object may be trapped in small folds which the washingfluid does not reach. Pull the lower lid down and have the child look upward.
This tends to open folds in the lower part of the eye and may reveal the
object. To find an object under the upper lid can be more difficult. Have the
child look downward while you hold the lashes of the upper lid and turn it
inside out over an index finger. When objects lodge on the cornea, they may be
more difficult to locate. If there is obvious irritation and yet no object can
be found, it is advisable to have the child seen at once by your physician.
