May 08, 2012

North American Occupational Safety and Health Week

by Sam Winston

This week (May 6th - May 12th) is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. An estimated 90 percent of eye injuries could be prevented through the use of proper protective eyewear on the job, according to the National Eye Institute. It seems like every week we receive a patient from an urgent care clinic because something is stuck in their eye. It is usually metal and extremely uncomfortable for the patient.

We then have to remove the foreign object and place the patient on antibiotics while the healing process is taking place. This leads to multiple visits to the eye doctor and possible permanent vision impairment if scarring occurs. The best way to treat an eye injury is to PREVENT it! We educate all our patients about safety eyewear if they are in a high risk occupation. You are at higher risk for eye injury if any of these hazards are part of your occupation.

Please wear eye protection when performing any of these tasks: Chipping, grinding, machining, masonry work, wood working, sawing, drilling, chiseling, powered fastening, riveting, and sanding.

I hope by writing this post I can prevent an eye injury through education. For more basic information on our website about other acute problems of the eye, click here.

And thanks for reading!

Categories: Eye Health