Whether your job requires the use of power tools, or long hours on a computer, it is important to keep eye health and safety in mind as the gift of sight is irreplaceable.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day, about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. Many of these eye injuries are caused by flying objects or bits of metal or glass, tools, chemicals or harmful radiation. In February 2018, the nation's oldest eye health and safety group, Prevent Blindness, declared March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month, to raise awareness for employers and employees about the need to eye safety on the job.
Wearing proper eye protection can help with some of the potential injuries mentioned above; but these days, eye injuries can also be caused by blue light exposure from digital screens on such devices as office computers, tables and smart phones. Digital eye strain can cause blurred vision, dry eyes and headaches, caused by the use of digital devices at close range and for long periods of time.
Extensive screen time can result in Computer vision syndrome, a group of eye and vision-related problems that range from eye twitching to physical fatigue. A tool to help combat eye fatigue is to use the 20/20/20 rule, which suggests that you take a 20 second break every 20 minutes and focus on something that is 20 feet away.
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