Approximately 2,000 work-related eye injuries occur each day in the United States. In the workplace, there is also the risk of transmission of eye diseases due to direct exposure to droplets resulting from coughing and sneezing or accidentally touching the eyes with a contaminated hand. Even using the computer for extended periods can cause eye discomfort.

Encouraging employees to see their optometrist regularly and promoting eye wellness can help ensure everyone’s safety and comfort at work. As an employer, here’s what you can do to promote good eye health.

Make Sure Everyone Has Appropriate Eye Protection

The eye protection you provide to your employees should be suitable for their tasks. You need to know what kind of protection their jobs require. For example, activities involving riveting, chipping and hammering a strap tension require low-impact protection like eyecup goggles, safety glasses and face shields. Medium-impact protection is necessary for jobs involving scaling and grinding metals, cutting bricks and handling wires. Your employees will need face shields and filters or high-impact protection for tasks requiring nail guns and power tools.

Increase Workplace Eye Safety Awareness

Aside from providing employees with appropriate eye protection, you need to ensure they wear it at all times. Conduct seminars regarding eye safety at work and the consequences of not wearing proper eye gear. It will also help if you could encourage your employees to schedule regular eye exam appointments at their local clinics.

You can put up safety signs around your office and add topics about eye safety in your newsletters. To prevent digital eye strain from extended computer use, ask everyone to take breaks throughout the day. You can tell them about the 20-20-20: for every 20 minutes of computer work, look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eyes a break.

At Spectrum Eye Care, we provide a wide range of services that meet your eye health and vision needs. We offer pre- and post-operative care for patients undergoing LASIK eye surgery, general eye care services, special eye testing and more! Give us a call at (704) 543-9000 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.