March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month

Handling eye injuries in the workplace

Whether an eye injury is suffered at the workplace, playing sports, or during regular household chores, it is extremely important to be able to recognize it when it happens.

If you have the following symptoms or see someone else with them, seek medical attention immediately:

• Pain or difficulty seeing
• Pupil of an unusual size or shape
• Cut or torn eyelid
• Blood is evident in the eye
• One eye moves differently or not as well as the other
• An object is in the eye or under the lid and cannot be easily removed
• One eye protrudes more than the other

Know what to do

A great way to reduce damage is to know the proper first aid steps to take. If you or a person has some sort of speck or particle in the eye, do not rub the eye. The eye should be thoroughly flushed out with water to wash the particle away. If the irritation and redness do not subside, you should call your eye doctor.

What should you do if there is a cut, puncture, or foreign object in the eye? Again, it is imperative not to rub the eye. You should also not make any attempts to remove any objects lodged in your eye. Most importantly, seek medical attention right away.

Chemical burns are particularly dangerous. Open the eye as wide as possible and, using any drinkable water, begin flushing the eye out for at least 15 minutes. Get medical care right away. If the burn was caused by a caustic or basic solution, the eye should continue to be flushed while on the way to your doctor or emergency room.

Preventing injuries

About 90% of all eye injuries can be avoided. How? By simply wearing the appropriate protective, shatter-resistant eye wear.