Promoting Better Eye Safety in the Workplace

Did you know that about 2,000 workers each day sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment in the United States? Add that to around 15,000 power tool- and welding equipment-related eye injuries per year, you have nearly 1 million Americans who have lost some degree of sight due to work injuries. It’s more important than ever to keep your eyes safe and healthy whether you sit in front of a computer monitor all day or use power tools and other related equipment. 

It is for this reason why Prevent Blindness declared March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month. 

Promoting Eye Safety and Health

Prevent Blindness is the oldest volunteer eye health and safety group in the country. To promote vision safety and health while on the job, the organization provides employers and employees with free information on the best ways to keep everyone’s vision in good shape. Whichever side you are in the workplace, you need to be more aware of the usual hazards in your job that can cause serious eye injury and practice better health and safety standards!

Useful Tips to Follow

To help you promote Workplace Eye Wellness Month, our trusted team shares some tips in keeping your eyes healthy and protected:

• Always Wear Proper Eye Safety Equipment
  For employees that handle and operate hazardous equipment, proper eye safety equipment is a must. This is easy to remember, but you need to ensure that you wear what’s appropriate for the job, including proper eye safety gear, safety helmets, gloves and boots. Your eye safety gear must fit properly so it won’t become a nuisance while doing work.

• Wear Anti-Blue Light Glasses When Necessary
  A typical office workplace will involve looking at monitors, tablets and phones throughout the day. Most of these devices use LED backlight technology that emanates what’s described as “blue light”, which can lead to digital eye strain after excessive use. This has common symptoms like dry eyes, headaches and even blurry vision.

Anti-blue light glasses are inexpensive, but greatly help in protecting your eyes as you look at the screens of your monitor and phone all day. But it’s still important to practice proper eye when working in a corporate environment. Consider using an anti-glare screen, and take breaks every 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust. Take a longer break if you feel a headache, and use artificial tears to prevent dry eyes.

Insight Vision Center Optometry is one of the most trusted eyecare centers in the area. We are dedicated to giving our patients deeper insight into their vision that goes beyond the standard glass prescription. To learn more about what we can do for you, call (714) 486-3315, or fill out our convenient contact form to set up an appointment. We serve Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, CA.