Did you know almost 2,000 people in the United States injure their eyes while working every day, and that one-third of these injuries require emergency room treatment? Prevent Blindness America (PBA) recognizes March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month to raise awareness of eye health and safety at work, and to reduce the number of on-the-job eye injuries each year.
Eye Safety: Protective Eyewear
According to PBA, the vast majority of eye injuries could be prevented, or the severity reduced, with the use of proper eye protection—up to 90 percent. That is a sobering statistic when you take into consideration that 10-20 percent of work-related eye injuries will cause permanent vision loss.
Other work-related eye and vision problems can be caused by extended screen time in front of a computer. Headaches, dry eyes, and eye fatigue are common symptoms that can be alleviated by more frequent breaks, adjusting screen brightness and text size, and “computer glasses” with specially tinted lenses designed for extended screen time.
Tips to Prevent Eye Injuries
PBA offers suggestions to prevent eye injury at home, at work, and at play. Tips to prevent eye injuries at work include information on:
- The pros and cons of various lens materials
- Suggestions for employers to improve employee vision/eye safety
- Types of safety eyewear
Additional Resources
For more information on eye health and vision protection in the workplace, visit the following websites:
- Friends for Sight
- Prevent Blindness America (PBA)
- American Optometric Association—Protecting Your Eyes at Work
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