CHICAGO—Drawing upon their recent report, along with statistics from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Prevent Blindness America (PBA) is alerting the public that October is Home Eye Safety Month. The organization is raising awareness by providing free information on a dedicated webpage on the PBA website. 

According to PBA’s 2013 Cost of Vision report, more than $1 billion is spent annually in the U.S. eye injury related costs, most of which injuries are preventable by wearing proper eye protection in and around the home.

The group also referred to Eye Health Statistics at a Glance, a 2011 report from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which states that more than 2.5 million eye injuries occur in the U.S. each year with 50,000 of those leading to permanent or partial vision loss.

To prevent such injuries, PBA is urging the public to wear protective eyewear approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which can be identified with a “Z-87” logo stamp, during household activities such as lawn mowing, cleaning with chemicals or painting. Prescription glasses-wearers should wear safety glasses or goggles that fit over regular glasses, as regular eyeglasses do not always provide enough protection and may even cause further injury upon impact, the organization said.

PBA is also offering a free “First Aid for Eye Emergencies” sticker in both English and Spanish that can be placed on the inside of medicine cabinets, listing basic eye injury first aid instructions. Subjects include chemical burns to the eye, specks in the eye, blows to the eye, and cuts and punctures to the eye or eyelid.

For the full list of eye emergency instructions, call PBA at (800) 331-2020. More information is also available on the PBA fact sheet, “ Eye Safety Tips for Your Home.”