Vital Eye Safety Tips for Your Next Gardening Project
Gardening can be quiet, meditative—and incredibly fulfilling once you reap the fruits of your labor. Our article “7 Enchanted Steps to Craft a Beautiful Sensory Garden” explains that it can be healing, too.
With the right features, your garden can tap into the five senses when you incorporate elements like fragrant plants, herbs and vegetables, and atmospheric lighting.But although a garden’s rewards are evergreen, undertaking a landscaping project requires a great deal of care.
Gardening can involve factors like electric tools, sunlight, and chemicals, posing risks to your eyes. Fortunately, with the proper precautions, you can ensure your eyes remain safe as you grow your garden. Here are some vital eye safety tips for your next gardening project. As a side note, it is advisable to get Toronto CPR training, for all those home emergencies that may require a prompt response.
Use Safety Goggles
Electric gardening tools—like chainsaws, hedge trimmers, and lawnmowers—can heighten efficiency. However, they can cause debris like soil, rocks, and grass to fly up and into your eyes, potentially irritating or injuring them. That’s why it’s crucial to wear eye protection when using them.
One of the top brands for safety goggles is UVEX, which provides eyewear specifically designed to protect your eyes from harmful chemicals and dust particles. Often used in industries like oil, construction, and mining, these are sturdy enough to withstand gardening hazards. UVEX eyewear can be an especially great choice since they are scratch- and chemical-resistant.
They even come with anti-fog coatings on both sides and an ergonomic design for extended visual clarity and comfort. That way, you can wear them for as long as you need to use electric tools in your garden.
Wear Sunglasses
Gardening requires being under the sun for hours. However, its glare can obscure your vision as you do so. In the long term, overexposure to UV rays can also heighten your risk of developing eye complications—and impact your ability to garden in the first place.
It’s, therefore, crucial to use sunglasses that shield you from both the sun’s glare and its UV rays. And the best way to do so is to buy a pair from an established brand. The sunglasses from Oakley block 100% of UVA and UVB rays as well as employing PRIZM lens technology to cut out glare and enhance color and contrast.
They also feature lightweight O-Matter frames and Unobtainium earsocks to maximize comfort, allowing you to wear them for extended periods of gardening. Such high-quality accessories can offer ample eye protection as you work on your garden throughout the day.
Handle Chemicals Carefully
For a garden to flourish, you will need to use chemicals. The most common are pesticides for protecting your plants, but you may also need fertilizers and garden disinfectants. Contact with these substances can harm your eyes, so it’s essential to wear splash goggles when handling them.
Ensure you wash your hands after handling these chemicals, as well. Finally, no matter how careful you are, accidents may still arise, so you should know what to do if your eyes come into contact with liquid substances. The University of Florida explains that pesticides and other common garden chemicals must be flushed out of your eyes with clean water for 15 to 20 minutes.
This is why it is best to always have an eyewash bottle, distilled water bottle, or any source of clean water nearby. Ensure you seek immediate medical attention, as well. Knowing and taking these precautions can prepare you when using necessary liquids for gardening.
A garden takes a lot of time and care to grow. By ensuring eye safety as you work on it, you can reap the full benefits of the gardening process.
