Children encounter potential eye hazards at home, at school, during sports, and while playing. A few simple habits can help them understand when to protect their eyes, when to speak up about a vision problem, and what not to do after an injury.
School vision screenings are useful, but they are not the same as a comprehensive eye exam. Regular pediatric eye exams give our eye doctors a fuller look at vision and eye health, including concerns a basic screening may miss.
Why Children’s Eye Safety Is Important
Eye injuries can happen during sports, play, school activities, and everyday routines at home. The AOA identifies sports and recreation, household chemicals, toys, desk supplies, BB and pellet guns, and fireworks among common causes of pediatric eye injuries.
Age-appropriate supervision, safety habits, and proper protective eyewear can reduce many of these risks. Teaching children what can hurt their eyes, when they need protection, and when to tell an adult helps make eye safety part of their everyday routine.
10 Eye Safety Tips to Teach Your Kids
Eye safety starts with simple habits children can understand and practice every day. These tips can help families reduce common risks at home, during sports, at school, and while playing.
1. Use Proper Eye Protection for Sports
Children who play sports should wear protective eyewear made for the activity. Polycarbonate sports goggles can provide added protection against balls, equipment, and accidental contact during play.
Regular glasses are not a substitute for sport-specific protection. See our sports vision guidance and information on polycarbonate lenses to learn more about choosing protective eyewear.
2. Keep Projectile Toys Away From the Face
Never aim foam-dart toys, BB and airsoft guns, or other projectile toys at someone’s face or eyes. Set clear rules before play starts, and supervise younger children when they use these toys.
Bungee cords and other objects that can snap back quickly also deserve caution. Teach children to keep their faces away from anything under tension.
3. Treat Laser Pointers as Tools, Not Toys
Children should never point a laser toward another person’s eyes or face. Direct viewing of some laser pointers can harm the eyes, especially if the device is more powerful than expected.
Keep laser pointers out of reach of younger children, and teach older children never to use them for games involving people or animals.
4. Keep Chemicals Out of Reach
Store household cleaners, sprays, and laundry detergent pods out of reach of young children. Detergent pod exposure has been linked with eye injuries in young children, which makes safe storage especially important.
When children are old enough to help with household chores, teach them to keep cleaners away from their face and to tell an adult immediately if something splashes into their eyes.
5. Leave Fireworks to the Professionals
Fireworks can cause serious eye injuries to both users and bystanders. Children should not handle consumer fireworks, and families can reduce risk by watching professional displays from a safe distance.
The same caution applies to sparklers and other handheld fireworks. Being nearby doesn't eliminate the risk of sparks or debris reaching the eyes.
6. Pay Attention to Signs of Eye Strain
Children may not always explain when their vision feels off. Excessive blinking, eye rubbing, headaches, or complaints of blurry vision may signal it's time to review their visual habits or schedule an eye exam.
For screen use, you could use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something about 20 feet away.
7. Know What to Do After an Eye Injury
Children should know that eye injuries need an adult’s attention right away. They should not rub an injured eye or try to remove something that is stuck in it.
If an eye injury happens: For a chemical splash, flush the eye with clean water right away and keep flushing, then get care. If something is stuck in the eye, don't rub, rinse, or remove it. Cover the eye loosely and get emergency eye care.
8. Build Healthy Everyday Eye Habits
Healthy routines support overall eye health. Encourage children to wear sunglasses, stay active, eat a varied diet, get enough sleep, and tell an adult when they notice changes in how they see.
9. Teach Eye Safety Differently by Age
Preschoolers do best with simple rules like “do not point toys at faces” and “tell an adult if something gets in your eye.” Repeating the same safety habits during play and chores can make them easier to remember.
School-age children can start learning why protective eyewear matters, while teens can take more responsibility for sports protection, contact lens hygiene, cosmetics, and safe screen habits.
10. Keep Eye Exams Part of the Routine
School screenings can identify some vision concerns, but they don’t replace a comprehensive children’s eye exam. An exam gives our eye doctors a broader look at vision and eye health.
The AOA recommends a comprehensive eye exam between 6 and 12 months of age, at least once between ages 3 and 5, before first grade, and annually thereafter unless a different schedule is recommended based on the child’s needs.
How to Teach Eye Safety at Every Age
Children understand safety differently as they grow. Keeping the message simple and age-appropriate can make eye safety easier to remember and apply in everyday situations.
- Preschoolers: Focus on short, repeatable rules. Teach young children not to point toys at faces, not to touch household cleaners, and to tell an adult right away if their eye hurts or something gets into it.
- School-age children: Explain when protective eyewear is needed for sports, why laser pointers should never be aimed at people, and why unfamiliar chemicals or sharp objects should be left to an adult.
- Teens: Reinforce sports protection, safe contact lens habits if they wear lenses, careful use of cosmetics around the eyes, and regular breaks during long periods of screen use.
Make Eye Safety Part of the Routine for Your Child in Lantana, FL
Eye safety does not need to feel complicated. Clear household rules, protective eyewear when it is needed, and age-appropriate conversations can help children build habits they carry into school, sports, and everyday life.
If your child has had an eye injury, is having trouble seeing, or is due for a comprehensive eye exam, contact Eyecare Professionals to schedule a visit.
Children’s Eye Safety FAQs
What eye care services do you offer in Lantana?
- We provide routine eye exams, pediatric and geriatric eye care, emergency and medical eye care, contact lens services, eye disease management, low vision care, diagnostic testing, and optical services.
Do you treat eye emergencies?
- Yes. Our team provides emergency eye care for urgent eye concerns. Sudden vision loss, new flashes or floaters, a chemical splash, or an eye injury require immediate attention. Call (561) 582-3383 right away or go to the nearest ER.
Is a medical eye visit billed differently from a routine eye exam?
- Generally, routine eye exams are billed through vision plans, while visits for an eye disease, injury, or other medical concern are billed through medical insurance. Coverage varies, so review our Insurance page for more information.
When should my child have an eye exam?
- The AOA recommends a comprehensive eye exam between 6 and 12 months of age, at least once between ages 3 and 5, before first grade, and annually thereafter. Children with specific risks or symptoms may need a different schedule.
Do you perform LASIK or cataract surgery?
- No. Eyecare Professionals works with area ophthalmologists to co-manage LASIK and cataract surgery, including care before or after surgery when appropriate.
Which insurance plans do you accept?
- Coverage and plan participation can change. Please review our Insurance page for current information.
Do you have information in Spanish?
- Yes. Visit our Spanish eye care information page for information about eye exams and vision care.