How Your Eyes Are Protected
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Your eyes lie in bony sockets that protect them from getting hit. |
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Eyebrows help keep light from getting in your eyes. |
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Eyelids close to keep things from getting in your eyes. |
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Eyelashes grow along the outside of the eyelids; they also keep things from getting in your eyes. |
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Tears help keep the eyes moist. Tears also help to wash away things that can irritate your eyes. |
What to Do If . . .? First Aid Tips
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If something gets into your eye, such as sand or dust, do not rub your eye. Wash your eye with water to get the object out. |
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If your eye gets hit by a ball or a fist, put cold cloths on your eye for 15 minutes. This will make the swelling go down and the eye won't hurt so much. You should also go to the doctor. |
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If an object, such as a stick or a pencil, gets stuck in your eye, do not pull it out. Put a loose bandage on your eye. This is very serious. You need to go to the doctor right away. |
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If a chemical, such as cleaning fluid or battery acid, splashes in your eyes, wash out your eyes with water for at least 10 minutes. You need to go to the doctor right away. |
Did You Know That . . .
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Babies have very poor vision at birth. They learn to see the same way they learn to talk--both habits and muscles must be developed. Your eyes sometimes look red in a photograph because light from the flash reflects off the choroid, blood vessels that nourish the retina. To avoid this reflection, ask your subjects to look slightly to the side of the camera. | Did You Know That . . .
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A person blinks once every five seconds. That means most people's eyes are shut for nearly 30 minutes while they are awake each day. |
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Each of your eyes weighs 1/4 ounce, measures less than one inch in diameter, and is shaped like a slightly flattened ball. |
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More than one-half of all people in the United States use some type of lens to correct their vision. |
VISION A School Program This school program was made possible through the generous contributions of the following corporations, professional societies, and foundations. Sponsors Alcon Laboratories, Inc. Allergan, Inc. American Academy of Ophthalmology Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Research to Prevent Blindness The Foundation Fighting Blindness Patrons American Academy of Optometry American Optometric Association Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry Astra USA, Inc. Benefactors Glaucoma Research Foundation National Association for Visually Handicapped Medical Publishing Enterprises, Inc. This school program was developed by the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, in cooperation with The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. For More Information National Eye Institute 2020 Vision Place Bethesda, MD 20892-3655 301-496-5248 http://www.nei.nih.gov
Published by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3998 Revised 1998 |