We all know the benefits of owning pets: companionship, unconditional love, a sense of purpose to your life and twice daily exercise routines. But there are also pitfalls, one of which involves eye injuries that are actually quite common.
A recent column in the Philadelphia Inquirer detailed a particularly gruesome one, in which a half-rottweiler went after his owner's eyelid. Sounds like a freak accident, right? Well, as the author of the piece, a third year resident at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia recounts, it happens more often than you might think. "In my short time training to be an eye surgeon, I have seen at least three patients whose dogs have bitten through their eyelids," she writes.
Not only is it a medical challenge to repair these injuries, the fact that they occur fairly frequently is important to realize, especially since many of them can be prevented. A 2007 study, among others, from the University of Pa's School of Veterinary Medicine found that children under four are especially vulnerable to attacks from dogs.
Some of this may be due to the fact that young children are noisy, excitable and can provoke dogs without realizing it. Also the fact that children eat at the dogs' level can inadvertently cause food issues with some dogs. Older children may encroach on a dog's territory without realizing it and provoke defensive behavior.
Dogs can scratch your corneas without intending to hurt you and tug of war games with puppies can get out of hand if you are not careful. I have had numerous nose scratches to prove that even the most good intentioned dogs do not realize how big their feet are.
The bottom line: Pay attention. Don't do anything to provoke your dog and please monitor dogs and children carefully. If you think the two don't belong in the same room, separate them. Keeping your eye on your dog may actually save your sight.
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