Are you at risk of injuring your eyes at work? If you work from home, do you protect your eyes by wearing blue light glasses?
There are so many ways to injure your eyes. They can get injured from something poking them or irritation due to looking at screens too long while working.
Unfortunately, because it’s so common to injure your eyes in the workplace, eye injuries at work are more normal than you’d think. Each day, about 2,000 people injure their eyes at work, and 10% of people with work-related eye injuries have to miss at least one day of work to recover.
It is possible for your work-related eye injury to cause temporary or permanent vision loss. Because of these reasons, it is important to educate people about the importance of eye safety.
This is why the AAO observes March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of Workplace Eye Wellness Month!
Why is Workplace Eye Wellness Month Important?
There are so many reasons it is important to keep your eyes safe. The first being, you only have one pair of them, so you should protect them whenever they could get injured!
Observing this month is important because it educates you about how you can injure your eyes at work and how to protect them while working.
What are some of the most common ways you can injure your eyes at work?
Different work environments have a range of ways that you can injure your eyes at work. Some of the most common causes for eye injuries include:
- Flying objects like small pieces of glass or metal
- Particles
- Tools
- Chemicals
- Damaging radiation
- Looking at screens too long
There could also be any combination of the above causes or other hazards as well.
How Can I Protect My Eyes During My Workday?
The easiest way to protect your eyes is to understand the different dangers where you work and wearing the correct eye protection. Safety eyewear includes prescription safety glasses, non-prescription safety glasses, goggles, face shields, full-face respirators, prescription glasses, and welding helmets.
You need to pick the right type of protective eyewear depending on your work environment and potential hazards. This means that you need to think about the materials of your protective eyewear and how they can protect your eyes.
If you work somewhere that’s hot and tiny pieces of glass are flying around, you need to wear eyewear that won’t melt and completely cover your eyes. This includes on the sides too.
You can get protective eyewear with glass, plastic, or polycarbonate lenses. There are pluses and minuses to each material.
Make sure to do your research and talk to a professional that understands all available options.
Are you ready to talk with an eye doctor about your eye safety needs? Schedule an appointment at Chicago Cornea Consultants™ in Chicago, IL, today!
You only have one pair of eyes, so why not make sure they are happy and healthy during every season?
