With the holiday season comes delicious food, quality time with family, and…eye injuries! Did you know that some of the prettiest decorations and most iconic holiday celebrations can cause eye injuries to you or your family? Just like any time of the year, it is important to stay conscious of your surroundings and be aware of potential hazards. During the holiday season, it is important to pay attention to the following risky situations:

• Toys with sharp edges - In the excitement of holiday celebrations, it can be easy to forget to check new toys and games for sharp edges of plastic or pointy toy parts. But this is important to remember because eye injuries often occur in children when they are excited and playing with new toys, when they are most likely to not pay enough attention to their surroundings.
• Mistletoe - Sure, it’s sweet to meet your special someone under the mistletoe, but if you’re tall and the mistletoe is hung low, you might collide with the decoration before you notice it. Whether it’s plastic or real greenery, it can cause an injury should you or your significant other run into it, so if keep an eye out for unexpected hanging mistletoe, especially if you’re tall.
• Christmas lights - We all love the shiny twinkle of lights, but if we don’t replace them after a few years, they can be a safety hazard. The thin glass that makes up the lights can break and if they are old, they could even explode. The small shards of thin glass are a safety risk, and the bulbs could also break while you are untangling them or hanging them up on your tree or house. Make sure to take caution while decorating.
• Christmas tree - If you have a living Christmas tree in your home, you could potential injure your eye while doing something as simple as watering the tree. Since tree branches can come dangerously close to your eye while putting water in the tree or adjusting an ornament. As you decorate and tend for your tree, pay attention to the branches and make sure they avoid contact with your eyes to avoid injuries.
• Champagne corks - Celebrating New Year’s or any other holiday parties are often synonymous with champagne. And often champagne bottle corks go hand in hand with eye injuries. When uncorking your champagne this year, put a hand towel over the cork to make sure it doesn’t fly across the room and make sure that your guests are aware that you are opening the bottle. While it might seem fun and festive to pop the cork and let it fly across the room, having to call an ambulance for a friend or family member is not a fun holiday memory.

Make sure to celebrate the holidays this year safely by being conscious of the decorations and celebrations around you! Should you have an eye injury during the holiday season, give our staff at Allied Eye a call (423) 855-8522.