Air Bag Inflation Can Cause Eye Trauma

With winter settled in, the number of traffic accidents is increasing due to poor driving conditions. Most cars on our roads today feature air bags as a safety precaution. Lately, eye care practitioners have been seeing injuries to the eye and surrounding socket from air bag deployment. There are ways to reduce these chances of injury:

Younger children should always sit in a car seat placed in the back seat, with a seatbelt and harness secured. Older children should also sit in the back with a seatbelt and shoulder harness. The minimum height for an individual sitting in the front seat (with a passenger airbag) should be 4 feet 9 inches. Adults sitting in the front seat should have the seatbelt and shoulder harness secured. Some air bag injuries have resulted from an adult sitting too close to the steering wheel. If your car is equipped with side curtain air bags, do not rest your head against the door.

Some auto manufacturers have installed air bags that deploy with less force, reducing the chances of injury to adults. Children would still be at risk from these air bags.

The benefits of air bags have been proven to reduce the overall risk of serious injuries from auto accidents. Taking the proper precautions with your seating position and that of your children can reduce your risk even further.