Not that you or your patients would ever give a child a dangerous toy, the season of poking stuff in your eye is here. Last year in the United States, emergency rooms treated 251,800 toy-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). And, a whopping 44 percent were to the head and face; and 34% were under age 6. Yikes!

And thanks to an article in JAMA Ophthalmology, you can make your patients paranoid about sports gifts, too. They found that basketball, baseball, and air guns were the most common causes of injury, accounting for almost half of all primary sports-related eye injuries.

Assuming that you’re not trying to recruit new patients over the holidays, you might try passing these tips onto your patients. Feel free to post this list from Prevent Blindness on your website.

1. Avoid toys that shoot or include parts that fly off.
2. Ask yourself or the parent if the toy is right for the child’s ability and age. Consider whether other smaller children may be in the home that may have access to the toy.
3. Avoid purchasing toys with sharp or rigid points, spikes, rods, or dangerous edges.
4. Buy toys that will withstand impact and not break into dangerous shards.
5. Look for the letters “ASTM.” This designation means the product meets the national safety standards set by ASTM International.
6. Don’t give toys with small parts to young children. Young kids tend to put things in their mouths, increasing the risk of choking. If any part of a toy can fit in a toilet paper roll, the toy is not appropriate for children under the age of 3.
7. Do not purchase toys with long strings or cords, especially for infants and very young children as these can become wrapped around a child’s neck.
8. Always dispose of uninflated or broken balloons immediately.
9. Magnets, like those found in magnetic building sets and other toys, can be extremely harmful if swallowed. Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect a child may have swallowed a magnet.
10. KidsHealth.org recommends that bicycles, scooters, skateboards, and inline skates should never be used without helmets that meet current safety standards and other recommended safety gear, like hand, wrist and shin guards.
11. Read all warnings and instructions on the box.
12. Always supervise children and demonstrate to them how to use their toys safely.