Salam and Hi again,

Apply to both kids and adults.

Eyes - protecting your eyes

Contents

Eyes are very important to us, so we have to be careful to look after them. They show us our world and they show others how we are feeling. When we talk to other people, we notice what their eyes are saying as well as what they are saying with their mouths.

Can you think of times when you can tell by someone's eyes whether they are happy or sad or angry ?

Some people look away when they are bored.

Some people do not look at the other person's eyes when they talk, because in some cultures it is thought to be rude.

What do you do with your eyes? The main job that eyes do for us is to see. Here are a couple of words you might want to know to understand about eyes.
	'Sight' means being able to see (I can see something out there).
	'Vision' means being able to understand what you are seeing (I know what it is - it is a tree).

Some ways to look after your eyes

Because eyes are so precious, we need to really take care of them.

	Take care to protect your eyes when you are playing, especially in sports, eg. wear goggles for snow skiing, helmets and guards for cricket and baseball.
	Turn on lights when it's getting dark (especially if you're reading).
	Wear sunglasses and hats on bright days.
	Tell your parent if your eyes are sore.
	Tell your teacher if you can't see the blackboard/whiteboard or your book clearly.
	Tell your teacher if the text is not clear.
	Keep sunscreen away from your eyes - it really stings if it runs into your eyes.
	Wear glasses if you need them.
	Don't wear other people's glasses.
	Your eyes get sore if you watch a computer or TV screen for too long, so do lots of different things in your spare time (you need exercise, and so do your eyes).
	Looking directly at the sun (or any really bright light, including lightning) can damage your eyes.
	Rubbing your eye if you get something in it can hurt your eye, so ask an adult to help you.
	Use the correct drops/medication for your eyes if you need them, and do not use ones that someone else has used.

Sunglasses and hats

	All children (and adults) should wear sunglasses if they are going to be in bright sun light (babies usually don't wear sunglasses - they might poke the sunglasses in their eyes!)
	Babies should be sheltered from the sun by a hat, shade umbrella or the shade of a tree or roof.
	It is important that everyone's eyes are protected from sun damage. Sunglasses should be up to Australian standards to protect eyes from the sun. There will be a sticker telling you this on the glasses. Wearing non-approved glasses could cause problems with your eyes.
	Hats that shade the eyes are important.

Safety for other people

Here are some ways to help make sure you don't hurt anyone else's eyes.

Never
	throw sand, dirt or small things at others
	run with pointy things like pencils or scissors in your hands
	fire anything at others, eg. Spud gun, peashooter, paper planes, etc.
	spray insects or use any other kind of spray without warning others.

Can you think of other things that might hurt someone's eyes?

Injuries can easily happen, so you have to really think about what you are doing. Wouldn't it be awful if someone's eyes were hurt and it was your fault?

Could you have a problem?

What if your eyes don't work properly or don't see as well as they should?

Lots of people have problems with their eyes. Sometimes you don't even know you have a problem at first because you don't know that everyone else can see things differently.

Some people who have problems with their eyes say "I can see what they are doing, but I can't see who is doing it". You can miss a lot of things if you can't see well.

Here are some things that might tell you that you are not seeing as well as you could:
	You can't see the board.
	Writing looks blurry.
	Your eyes hurt or feel tired.
	Your eyes feel hot, or they sting or twitch.
	You get headaches when you've been reading or writing for a while.
	It's hard to copy from the board.
	You can't tell the difference between some colours.
	You keep losing your place when reading or copying.
	You need your book close up to your eyes to be able to read it.
	When you look up from your work everything looks blurred or misty.

What to do

If you are worried or not sure if you have a problem with your eyes, tell your mum or your dad or a teacher.

What happens next?

Your parents will probably arrange for you to have your eyes tested. This does not hurt, and it helps to find out if there is anything wrong. You may need to see a special eye doctor or an optician for this.

Here are some of the things that an eye doctor or optician may suggest if your eyes need help:
	doing special eye exercises.
	wearing glasses for a short time.
	wearing glasses for a long time.
	wearing contact lenses. These can be great and you can get them in different colours, but they take getting used to and you would have to keep getting new ones as you grow. It's better to wait until you're older, then they'll last for a longer time (they're pretty expensive too and they don't give your eyes as much protection from injury as glasses.)

Dr Kate says:

Dr Kate "Your body does its best to protect your eyes from damage. Now you know what you can do to protect your eyes and keep them working well for you."