Ophthalmologists Issues Safety Warning on Toy Purchases

The American Academy of Ophthalmologists wants parents to keep a wary eye out for toys that might not be as safe as they should be as they shop this holiday season.

The group, as might be expected, is especially leery of things with points and edges that can puncture the skin or eyes. And it is concerned about things that shoot objects into the air, which have the capacity to lacerate skin, deafen or blind a child - these include pellet guns, water balloons, bows and arrows, darts, slingshots and potato guns.

One new worry of the group this year is the laser pointer, a device that some kids use to bother other people by point a laser beam at them. Several communities have banned the devices, both because of their obnoxious nature and the fact that it's not known what detriment pointing a laser beam at someone can do.

The most important way for parents and caregivers to avoid having their child become one of the 150,000 children injured by toys each year is for them to use sensible precautions and common sense, the academy says. A lot of heartache and medical bills can be saved if parents read the labels of products to make sure they have American Society for Testing and Materials or Consumer Product Safety Commission approval, and that the toys they buy are appropriate to the age of the children receiving them.