Dr. Grissom works with Dr. Art Woods, Dr. Bruce Herron, Dr. Mark Bateman, Dr. Jason Sullivan and Dr. Sean Neel at the Eye Clinic in Jackson. She sees patients at a satellite clinic in Lexington on Mondays.
Other stories with our doctors
Recognizing and treating eye injuries
Eye injuries can cause serious vision loss, so it is important that you do not try to treat a serious eye injury yourself. “Don’t wait to get treatment, even if you think the injury is superficial,” says Dr. Hilary Grissom.
If a projectile has hit the eye, do not put pressure on the eye and do not try to pull anything out, she said. “You could lose pressure in the eye, causing the internal structure to collapse.”
Get medical help immediately if you notice any of the following signs in yourself or someone else.
• The person has obvious pain or trouble seeing.
• The person has a cut or torn eyelid.
• One eye does not move as well as the other.
• One eye sticks out compared to the other.
• The eye has an unusual pupil size or shape.
• The clear part of the eye has blood in it.
• The person has something in the eye or under the eyelid that can’t be removed easily.
This information is from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. For more information on vision care and preventing injuries to the eye, visit www.geteyesmart.org
Summer a dangerous time for eye injuries
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| Dr. Hilary Grissom examines Sophie Bennett's eyes. |
One minute, three-year-old Sophie Bennett was standing on the safety of her great-grandparents' porch as she watched family members shoot fireworks at their annual Fourth of July picnic. The next minute, a Roman candle misfired, sending fiery balls in all directions. One ricocheted into Sophie's right eye.
The family Fourth of July celebration turned into a nightmare as Sophie first was taken to a nearby hospital emergency room and then to LeBonheur where surgeons repaired lacerations in her cornea, says her mom, Amy. Sophie now has 20/200 vision in her right eye, making her legally blind in that eye.
"The irony," says her mom, "is that the fireworks were supervised by adults. We told the children to stay on the porch so they wouldn't get hurt. Even when you're being extra careful, it can happen so quickly."
Dr. Hilary Grissom, an ophthalmologist at the Eye Clinic in Jackson and Sophie's physician, says that fireworks are a common cause of children's eye injuries. "No ophthalmologist likes to be on call for the Fourth of July," Dr. Grissom says. "Every year, we see children with injuries caused by fireworks."
Summertime, in fact, can be a dangerous time for eyes. Besides fireworks, people are outside more, playing sports, sitting in the sun and generally doing more activities that can cause vision problems and eye injuries, she says. "Eye injuries pick up in the summer."
At home
From grease popping off the stove to curling irons and champagne corks, statistics show that nearly half of all eye injuries occur in and around the home.
Yard work injuries include debris flying out of lawnmowers.
Metal on metal tasks, such as banging metal on metal, grinding or sharpening metal can be particularly dangerous for the eye, Dr. Grissom says. "A shard of loose metal has both the velocity and the sharpness to cause more serious eye injuries."
Pneumatic air guns, such as nail guns, used for roofing and other home improvement projects can have a nail ricochet off an object and into the eye.
To protect the eyes, Dr. Grissom recommends that people wear safety glasses when doing these types of activities. A recent survey that took a snapshot of one week's worth of eye injuries in the month of July showed that only 35 percent wore eye protection, she says. "But 90 percent of the eye injuries could be prevented with safety glasses. People just don't think about protecting their eyes."
Sports
Thousands of sports and recreation-related injuries occur to the eye each year. The risk of injury varies with the activity, but sports-related eye injuries occur more often with baseball, softball, basketball and racquet sports.
Wear protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses when playing these sports, Dr. Grissom says, and even consider not playing high-risk sports if you already have reduced vision in one eye.
UV Exposure
She suggests that people wear both brimmed hats and sunglasses with 99 percent and above UV protection when out in the sun to protect vision. The lower eyelid, for example, is more at risk for skin cancer.
Sun damage also speeds the onset of cataracts, can worsen age-related macular degeneration and can cause growths on the eye, Dr. Grissom adds. People who live in sunny parts of the world or who work in the sun, for example, seem to be more at risk for a condition called pterygium. Sun-damaged skin from the white part of the eye grows over the cornea, causing astigmatism and obstructing vision.
Photosensitive drugs that make your skin more sensitive to light can make your eyes more sensitive, too.
Fireworks
The best way to be safe around fireworks is to avoid backyard fireworks and only attend public displays, says Dr. Grissom.
Fireworks can cause severe burns and other damage to the eye. "Every year, we see people in the emergency room with severe eye lacerations and burns that require surgery," she says. "One-third to one-fourth of fireworks' injuries to the eye result in permanent vision loss."
She sees children at particular risk to injuries from fireworks. Little children holding sparklers, teen-age boys shooting fireworks at one another and people getting too close to bottle rockets and Roman candles set the stage for eye injuries. "Things can happen so quickly," says Dr. Grissom. "You can't stop it."
Amy Bennett knows that too well. Sophie, who is now four years old, has not let her eye injury stop her from being quite active, says her mom. The appearance of Sophie's eye has healed enough that it's hard to see any damage when looking into her brown eyes.
Bennett and her husband, Randall, have two other daughters and live in Rutherford. They appreciate Dr. Grissom's patience and care of Sophie, who was scared the first time she saw Dr. Grissom after her accident.
To protect Sophie's left eye, Dr. Grissom recommends that the child wear safety goggles when playing sports and doing other activities that could lead to an eye injury.
Meanwhile, there will be no fireworks at the family's next Fourth of July celebration, Bennett says. "The whole family was devastated by what happened to Sophie."