Workplace Eye Wellness Month
According to the CDC, every single day, about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. There are more than 15,000 welding equipment-related eye injuries a year and power tools come in second, contributing to nearly 10,000 eye injuries a year. Nearly one million Americans have already lost some degree of sight due to an eye injury.
Common causes of workplace eye injuries are flying debris like metal pieces or glass, tools, chemicals, harmful radiation, and eye strain due to digital devices. Most injuries occur when eye protection is worn but it is improper or ill-fitting and when eye protection isn’t worn at all.
In an office setting, excessive computer, tablet, and smart phone use throughout the day increases the risk of digital eye strain. Symptoms include blurred vision, dry eyes, and headaches.
Luckily, almost all workplace eye injuries are preventable with the use of proper safety eyewear. Eye injuries cost over $467 million a year but indirect costs, such as legal fees, fines, and higher insurance rates, that estimate jumps up to over $934 million each year.
“Healthy vision is crucial for productive work, independence, and quality of life,” said Jeff Todd, president, and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We must make our eyes a priority today to help maintain healthy eyesight throughout our lives.”
To prevent an eye injury at work, Prevent Blindness provides the following tips:
Know the eye safety hazards at work by completing an eye hazard assessment.
Eliminate hazards before starting work. Use machine guarding, work screens, or other engineering controls.
Use proper eye protection that fits correctly such as non-prescription or prescription safety glasses, goggles, face shields, welding helmets, or full-face respirators.
To help reduce the effects of digital eye strain Prevent Blindness recommends that workers take frequent breaks by using the “20-20-20” rule. Every 20 minutes look away from your screen and look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a chance to reset and replenish themselves.
With more than 700,000 work-related eye injuries happening each year, Americans can use a few tips on how to prevent eye injuries in the workplace. Download this fact sheet from Prevent Blindness on 10 Ways to Prevent Occupational Eye Injuries for some quick tips.
To find out more about workplace eye health topics, please visit preventblindness.org or contact us. ACS can do a hazard assessment for PPE and identify how to protect employees from potential eye damage from flying particles and/or chemicals. In addition, we can do an ergonomic assessment and help set up workstations to put employees into better positions to reduce eye strain and fatigue.