Be Careful or it Might Poke your Eye Out!

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- We all know the famous line, "You'll shoot your eye out!" from the iconic A Christmas Story and Ralphie's plight to get an official Red Ryder carbine-action two-hundred-shot range model air rifle for Christmas.  But, there are hazards with many children's toys purchased during the holiday season which can present dangers to children's vision.

Dr. Mark Lynn and Associates, owner and/or operator of more than 45 Dr. Bizer's Vision World, Doctor's VisionWorks and Doctor's ValuVision offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Georgia wants to educate parents and shoppers of some of the dos and don'ts when purchasing children's toys this holiday season.  Consider the following tips when making your shopping list for that special child in your life:

1. Avoid toys that include laser pointers.  While laser pointers do not necessarily cause retinal damage, exposure to the laser pointer beam could cause afterimages or floaters, flash blindness and glare.  
2. Avoid toys with sharp edges such as spikes or rods. These could lead to eye cuts or scrapes.
3. Most importantly, avoid toys that shoot projectiles such as BB guns, pellet guns, air rifles, potato guns, paint guns and slingshots.  If a projectile accidentally hits a child in the eye, it could cause injuries such as orbital fractures or bruising, cuts or scrapes to the cornea, and even loss of vision.

There are great toys available for children that help stimulate visual development and improve hand-eye coordination. Those toys include child-sized household items including kitchen play sets, shape sorters and building blocks.  Shoppers should look for toys that are marked "ASTM" approved which means the product meets the national safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials.  

Dr. Mark Lynn and Associates PLLC also recommends parents and shoppers refer to Good Housekeeping's "Best Toy Awards" list.  Each year, Good Housekeeping reviews hundreds of toys for safety and the ability to spark children's imagination and skill-building capabilities.  Some of the toys from the 2010 Best Toy Awards list include: iPlay's Shop n'Cart, Real Construction's Deluxe Tool Set, Playmobil's Wildlife Care Station and many more.  For a list of the 2010 Best Toy Awards, visit http://www.goodhousekeeping.com.

Some final tips to help protect your children's eyes this holiday season: demonstrate how to properly use or play with toys, buy age-appropriate items and keep a close eye on your children when they are playing alone or with others to help prevent accidents.

About Dr. Mark Lynn and Associates PLLC

Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates PLLC, or Mark Lynn O.D. & Associates PC, owns and/or operates more than 45 Dr. Bizer's Vision World, Doctor's VisionWorks and Doctor's ValuVision offices in Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee and Indiana. Offering high-quality designer and exclusive brand frames, lenses, contact lenses, accessories, sunglasses and the leading technology in vision correction at competitive prices. In addition, nearly all our stores provide one-hour service on most prescriptions by utilizing on-site processing laboratories. For more information visit, www.drbizersvisionworld.com or www.drbizersvaluvision.com.

SOURCE Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates PLLC