Eye injuries can happen to any employee in almost any line of work. Some of the more common scenarios that lead to eye injury include:
Extended screen time: The backlight of an office computer can be two to five times brighter than what is normal for a human eye to process. Excessive exposure can cause a range of ailments, including eye strain, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and migraines.Chemical exposure: When a person is not wearing protective eyewear, or not wearing it correctly, hazardous chemicals can splash into the eyes causing serious burns and blindness. The damage caused by these types of injuries is often irreversible. workers’ compensation is a no-fault insurance program, meaning that even if the employee was not wearing the appropriate eyewear, he or she may still be entitled to benefits.Projectile trauma: Projected shards of glass, wood, metal or other particulates can scratch the cornea. Sometimes these particulates are so small that they are nearly invisible. Even the smallest particles can cause severe eye injury.Power tool and machine accidents: Nail guns, walking into sharp wires, and contact with a saw, blade, or staple gun are all common causes of eye injury.UV ray exposure: Employees who work around lasers, sun lamps, fluorescent bulbs, and even natural light can experience headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea.Spark or burn injuries: Contact with corrosive or caustic chemicals can cause severe injury.
The eye is a highly sophisticated and sensitive organ. Some of the situations described above can damage a person’s ability to see properly, including:
Blurry visionDouble visionLoss of visual acuityTotal blindness