Holiday or any day, protect your eyes

Concern about eye injuries may surface with Fourth of July fireworks, but it's more likely for such injuries to occur at home in the kitchen, garden or garage, an eye doctors' association reports today.

"People think they're most at risk in the workplace or playing sports," says Andrew Iwach, spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. But home is the top spot for such injuries. "And it's not because of exotic behavior. It's very routine things that can be extraordinarily caustic."

The academy now recommends that every household own at least one pair of protective eyewear approved by the American National Standards Institute. That's based on results of two surveys, both released today.

The Eye Injury Snapshot, conducted by the academy and the American Society of Ocular Trauma, examined 765 eye injuries reported by 775 doctors during two weeks in the spring. Among its findings: ...