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Vision and Eye Health Assurance and Protection in the Workplace

Vision and eye health go beyond the regular checkup dont skimp on appropriate vision PPE.

Eye injuries, suboptimal vision and eye health in the workplace are very common. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that every day about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment.1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 61 million adults in the United States as being classified at high risk for serious vision loss, and that only half visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months.2

Most individuals surveyed by the CDC indicate no reason to go as the most common reason for not obtaining recommended regular vision and eye health care.3 Suboptimal eye and vision health in the workplace can lead to poor performance and increased potential for injury. Even minor eye injuries can cause life-long vision problems and suffering. A simple scratch can cause corneal erosion that is recurrently painful.4

Safety experts and doctors of optometry believe the right combination of eye protection and yearly comprehensive eye examination can reduce the severity of workplace injuries and prevent 90 percent of eye injuries.

Epidemiology of Work-Related Injuries

In 2008, injuries to the eyes accounted for 37 percent of all head injuries involving days away from work and 62 percent of all face injuries involving days away from work. Men experienced four times as many eye injuries as women, and men aged 25 to 44 suffered more eye injuries than men in other age groups. Workers who were most at risk of incurring an eye injury included those in the manufacturing, construction, and wholesale and retail trade industries, and educational and health services.5

In 2008, there were 27,450 nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses involving at least one eye that resulted in days away from work. The typical eye injury resulted from the eye being rubbed or abraded by foreign matter, such as metal chips, dirt particles, and splinters, or by these types of items striking the eye. These injury events resulted commonly in abrasions, scratches, and embedded foreign bodies (splinters and chips).6

This article originally appeared in the April 1, 2020 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

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Vision and Eye Health Assurance and Protection in the Workplace - Occupational Health and Safety

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