Preventing Eye Injuries During DIY Home Renovations
Posted on: 19 March 2018
DIY home renovation can save you money, but it can also endanger your eyesight. Therefore, before dabbling in a bit of home improvement, you should educate yourself on how to protect your eyes during the process. Here are some of the protective measures you should execute:
Protect Your Eyes from Dust
A typical renovation project kicks up considerable dirt and dust. Some of the dust will be visible and smelly while others can be odorless, but they can all damage your eyes. Some of the dust particles can cause physical damage to your eyes while others contain chemicals or compounds that may harm your eyes. For example, cutting fiberglass may produce dust that may irritate and inflame your eyes. Therefore, you need to protect your eyes from dust-related damage.
Protect Your Eyes from Corrosive Liquids
The liquids used in construction may also harm your eyes so you need to take care of them too. Things like paint, sealing compounds, acids, and liquid nitrogen, among others, can even be more dangerous than construction dust. This is because a typical liquid spill may get more liquid into your eyes than a typical dust blow-up.
UV Rays
If you will be using a welding machine or anything that produces flames or UV rays in your renovation project, you also need to keep them away from your eyes. UV rays can cause immediate injuries, for example, by actually burning your eyes. They can also cause long-term injuries, for example, by increasing your risk of cancer. Don't forget that unlike liquid spills or dust, the flames don't actually have to actually touch you for you to experience the associated damage; merely looking at the UV generators is enough to cause damage.
Flying Debris
A DIY renovation project also increases your risk of being hit by flying objects in the eye. Flying nails, falling hammers, broken lumber and such like things can hit you in the eye and cause severe injury. It's even worse if you are hit in the eyes with a sharp object; you can even lose your eyesight in such a case.
Here are some of the specific measures you can take to protect your eyes:
· Wear goggles at all times
· Follow all safety instructions with dangerous chemicals
· Only use power tools you are familiar with
· Wear a flame-proof shield when welding
· Keep your work areas clean at all times
Hopefully, the measures above will help you avoid eye injuries throughout the renovation project. Consult a doctor of optometry immediately if something does injure your eyes; do this even if you aren't certain of the extent of the injury.
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