|
Abstract
|
It's been said that "safety never takes a holiday." With the season of ongoing winter holidays--Thanksgiving, Chanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Christmas and New Year's--upon us, every physician dreads the idea of being called to the office for an emergency. More importantly, none of us want to find ourselves or our family members falling victim to an injury during this happy, normally carefree time.
So, as we get ready to celebrate the holidays, our gift to you is a few friendly words of advice and warning about the potential dangers that lurk in the guise of celebration, and how best to avoid or manage these untimely problems.
'Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!'
As beautiful as it may be to have a lighted and decorated evergreen in the house while the trees outside are bare and snow-covered, Christmas trees can pose many potential ocular threats. Between the pine/fir/spruce needles, the electric light bulbs and the glass ornaments, there are multiple hazards awaiting the holiday reveler... particularly if he or she has been indulging in a few glasses of "Christmas cheer!" The needles of some conifer trees can be up to 1.5in long, providing a unique and dangerous source of ocular trauma--especially corneal abrasions and possibly even perforation.
Several studies have reviewed the incidence of eye injuries related to Christmas trees, and researchers have noted that just as many (or even more) instances of trauma occur during the harvesting, transporting and disposal of the trees as do during initial setup and decoration. (1,2)
Children may be especially vulnerable to such injuries, either from low-hanging branches impeding their path to gifts, or from sharp, irregularly shaped ornaments hanging at eye level. (3) Ideally, we can prevent these situations by counseling patients (and their family members) to take proper precautions when carrying or decorating Christmas trees, including using safety eyewear to prohibit abrasions and foreign bodies. Likewise, to avoid unwanted trauma, make sure that presents placed beneath the tree are easily accessible.
… As you can imagine, ocular contusion injuries due to airborne corks pose a small but real …
fireworks and even celebratory gunfire. The potential for ocular injuries due to recreational …
Copyright: 2014 Jobson Medical Information LLC
Language: en |