Is Your Job Hurting Your Sight?

Your Eyes And Your Job

Your eyes and vision are very resilient but they can only take so much. Whether it’s eye strain due to hours in front of a computer monitor, poor lighting or working with toxic substances, just like other parts of your body, your eyes may be injured at work. Vision is critical to most jobs. Try to find one where sight isn’t required. The American Federation of the Blind estimated in 2010 that 75% of the estimated four million adults in the country who are completely or partially blind are unemployed. Eye strain, fatigue and dry eyes are frequent issues for those of us who routinely work at a computer monitor. It can be more taxing than reading printed text. This “digital” eye strain can result from several issues, including,
  • Screen glare,
  • Bad lighting,
  • Poor posture,
  • Looking at the monitor at the wrong distance and/or angle, and,
  • Uncorrected vision problems.
Eye-Strain-Prevention-1024x538.jpg We blink less if we use a computer monitor compared to reading a printed text. This can cause dry eye, which can contribute to eye strain. Blinking more, closing your eyes for a time, looking away from the monitor to focus on something in the distance and use of eye drops can help. Far more serious and permanent damage can be suffered away from computers in environments containing dust, particles, smoke and chemicals. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  states the most common work-related eye injuries are due to,
  • Striking or scraping: Small particles or objects hitting or scraping the eye, such as dust, cement chips, metal slivers and wood chips. They are often ejected by tools, blown in the wind or fall from above. A worker may also be stuck in the face by a large object resulting in an eye being injured by blunt-force trauma to the eyeball or eye socket.
  • Penetration: Nails, staples or slivers of wood or metal can go through the eyeball and result in a permanent vision loss.
  • Chemical and thermal burns: Industrial chemicals or cleaning products frequently causes chemical burns to the eyes. They may be splashed into the worker’s eyes or the eyes can be exposed to chemicals if they are in the form of a mist or spray. The eye can also be physically burned by high heat, which can happen during welding.
Those working in healthcare also need to protect their eyes. Diseases could be transmitted by the mucous membranes of the eye because of exposure to blood splashes, droplets from coughing or sneezing or from the touching the eyes by a contaminated finger or object. The results may be reddening or soreness all the way to contracting life threatening diseases like HIV, hepatitis B or avian influenza. If your job is in a workplace where your eyes face potential physical threats, wear safety glasses or goggles. If something foreign gets in your eye it may need to be removed by a healthcare professional using special instruments or irrigation. If you work in an environment that’s potentially hazardous to your sight and want to know how to protect yourself or you’ve already suffered an eye injury or vision loss due to your job, contact the Lehigh Valley Center for Sight at 610-437-4988 or fill out our contact form so we can start the conversation and work together to protect your sight. Houman Ahdieh, MD Lehigh Valley Center for Sight https://www.lvcenter4sight.com eyedoc@lvcenter4sight.com

https://www.lvcenter4sight.com/is-your-job-hurting-your-sight/

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