Eye Safety for the Holidays-Choosing Toys and Tech with Vision in Mind

Dec 05, 2023

Selecting Eye-Safe Toys: A Guide for Holiday Shopping

In our quest to gift the perfect toys during the holiday season, we often overlook the safety aspects associated with them.

In the US alone, approximately 217,000 children are treated in emergency rooms annually for toy-related injuries. Nearly half of those injuries are to the face and head.

When selecting toys, especially those that shoot, safety must be a consideration. Even when children seem old enough or responsible enough to handle toys that shoot, accidents still happen. Toys like BB guns, airsoft guns, and Nerf guns may seem like harmless fun, but one misaimed shot can lead straight to an emergency visit to the optometrist. Equipping children with safety goggles and supervising them at play can dramatically reduce the risk of injuries. This decreases the chance of having to make a frantic dash to an eye clinic during the winter festivities.

a young boy and girl playing with toy guns

Many shooting toys now come with laser pointers to guide aim. Lasers can be harmful to the eyes, so it is extremely important to avoid shining a laser in your eye, or someone else’s eye. Even a brief exposure can cause damage. Be sure to check the laser's power output, measured in milliwatts. While a power of less than 5 milliwatts might just cause temporary discomfort, higher outputs can cause severe, sometimes irreversible, damage to the retina.

In our digital age, devices like tablets and smartphones are popular gift choices. However, too much exposure to screens can lead to eye fatigue, strain, difficulty in focusing, and even dry eye syndrome. Always encourage regular screen breaks, abiding by the 20-20-20 rule: after every 20 minutes on a screen, gaze at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This simple practice can mitigate many screen-induced eye issues. And if you're gifting a digital device, consider adding a pair of dê4blue light filtering glasses. They help reduce the exposure to blue light, offering an added layer of protection for the eyes.

In the end, the most important part of the holiday season is cherishing moments with family and friends. Enjoy the festivities, but always keep safety in mind. We hope these guidelines assist you in ensuring a safe, joyful holiday for everyone.

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