The Importance
of
Eye Protection
for Work
&
Recreation
Produced by the
American Optometric Association
Question 1:
A majority of workplace eye injuries
happen to workers who were not
wearing adequate eye protection.
True
False
Answer:
True
Approximately 60 percent of workers with eye
injuries in a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
study were not wearing the proper protective
eyewear at the time of their injury. Most
experts agree that 90 percent of all workplace
eye injuries could be avoided if workers used
appropriately designed and properly fitted
protective eyewear on the job.
Question 2:
Chemical burns are the leading
cause of eye injuries in the
workplace.
True
False
Answer:
False
In the same BLS study, chemical burns
accounted for only 20 percent of the injuries.
Nearly 70 percent of the eye injuries reported
in the study came from flying debris, sparks
and small objects striking the eye. Most of the
objects were smaller than a pin head.
Question 3:
Employers are required to provide
face and eye protection to workers at
risk for job-related
eye injuries.
True
False
Answer:
True
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) standards
require employers to provide suitable
eye protection to workers.
Question 4:
Protective eyewear must be properly
fitted to be effective.
True
False
Answer:
True
The BLS study reported that 94 percent of the
eye injuries which occurred while a worker
was wearing protection were caused by
sparks, debris or chemicals striking the eye
from around or under the protective shield.
Protective ocular equipment broke in only 13
out of 1,000, or 1.3 percent, of the cases.
Question 5:
Training employees on the proper
use of protective eyewear can
reduce workplace eye injuries.
True
False
Answer:
True
A large majority of employers provide
protective eye equipment to employees.
However, a much smaller portion of
employers provide training for the proper use
of eyewear. Making sure workers use the
proper protection in the proper situation is just
as important as providing the protective
equipment.
Question 6:
Construction workers are at a high
risk of workplace eye injury.
True
False
Answer:
True
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission reported approximately 11,000
cases of emergency room treatments for eye
injuries from welding equipment in 2001. The
second most common cause of eye injuries
treated in U.S. emergency rooms were power
grinders and buffers, accounting for nearly
10,000 cases in 2001.
Question 7:
The brightness of a computer
monitor should be adjusted based on
the brightness of the surrounding
area.
True
False
Answer:
True
Eye strain is the most common eye
problem for computer workers. Be sure
to adjust the brightness of the computer
monitor to the surroundings of the room,
avoiding high levels of light. Computer
users with farsightedness and
presbyopia may experience increased
eye fatigue due to extra focusing efforts.
Question 8:
If an object is embedded in a
patient’s eye, do not cover the injured
eye.
True
False
Answer:
False
First, call for emergency help. After
calling, the immediate first aid is to
cover both eyes to prevent the injured
eye from moving with the healthy one,
and remain as calm as possible while
waiting for help.
Question 9:
Workplace eye injuries result in
millions of dollars of losses for
employees and companies.
True
False
Answer:
True
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
over $924 million of workers’ compensation
payments resulting from workplace eye
injuries in 2001, and almost $4 billion of lost
wages and productivity for the same year.
However, many workplace eye injuries are
preventable through the proper use and fitting
of protective eye equipment.
Question 10:
New occupational tasks can result in
new vision needs.
True
False
Answer:
True
A change in one’s job tasks may require
different focusing abilities. This is especially
true for workers over 40 years old, whose
eyes are susceptible to presbyopia, a natural
loss of focusing ability. Be sure to visit your
optometrist for a thorough eye exam to
assess how your vision, job performance and
job safety can be enhanced.
Many people are conditioned to wear
protective eyewear at work, but forget to
wear it at home for tasks or projects such
as:
Yard work, wood working,
hammering, & grinding
In addition to foreign bodies,
eyes need to be protected against:
• Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays
choose quality sunglasses that block
UV light; clear lenses can be treated
with a coating to protect eyes from UV
• Eyestrain due to computer use
spectacles appropriate for particular
workplace situation
Prevent Injuries Before
They Happen
• Many eye injuries can be prevented.
• The American Optometric Association
encourages the use of protective
eyewear that meet the standards set by
the American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) and the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI).