The world if filled with things that can truly harm a person's vision. From the particles in the air to the light the illuminates the world, all of these can cause serious permanent damage to a person's eye if safety precautions are not used.

One of the most common ways to damage your eye is by starting at extremely bright light. As children I remember that classmates would have these contests to who can stare directly into the sun the longest during the lunch break. As childish it may have seen, this kind of foolish behavior can lead to serious vision problems. Severe cases can occur when exposed to a welder's arc or a sunlamp for an extended period of time.

Another thing you should really keep an eye out for, pun not intended, are chemicals. I'm not talking about highly acidic compounds like hydrochloric acid, thought they can compromise your eyesight, but also everyday household products at home. Each and every one of these products have a warning label on them that informs the user to not to directly apply them to anyone's eye as they can leave permanent damage to a person's eye. If somehow some of these chemicals manage to get into someone's eye, then have that person flush their eye with clean running water for a minimum of 15 minutes and contact a physician immediately.

The most common way that an eye may be damaged is when a foreign particle gets into your eyes. Most people immediately begin to rub their eyes but they really shouldn't do that as they may rub that particle into their eye and scratch the cornea with the applied pressure. So rather than scratching your eyes, it is best to either flush the particle out with running water or by crying. Yes, crying can significantly help you get that debris out of your eye as well as moisture it.

In general it is best not to rub your eye because if the damage does beyond the most outer layer of the cornea it may become permanent. However it is not always possible to not rub your eyes because rubbing is sometimes the most convenient way to relieve the pain in your eye especially during allergy season. That being said, when rubbing your eye it is best to do it gently as applying too much pressure will create lesions on your cornea and possibly compromise your vision. Luckily with modern medicine there are over the counter medicines that can relive the itch caused in the eye from allergies.